In daily communication, deception is a common behavior in people. So, do you know how to identify the signs that someone is lying to you? Which expressions are supposed to be a deception? Find out more through the reference article below.

Signs of a lie

A few of the potential red flags the researchers identified that might indicate that people are deceptive include:

• Being vague when providing some details.
• Repeating the questions before answering them.
• Speaking in sentence fragments.
• Failing to provide specifics when a story is brought to the proof.
• Grooming behavior such as playing hair or pressing fingers to lips.

How to recognize the signs that someone is lying

If you suspect that someone may not be telling the truth, there are several ways you can use to distinguish fact from fiction.

When lying is detected, people often focus on “indicating” body language or subtle physical and behavioral signs that indicate deception. While body language cues can sometimes hint at deception, research shows that many expected behaviors are not always involved in lying.

So while body language can be an effective tool in detecting lies, understanding what signals need to pay attention to is all that matters.

Focus on the right signals

One meta-analysis found that while people do often rely on valid cues for detecting lies, the problem might lie with the weakness of these cues as deception indicators in the first place.

Some of the most accurate signs of deception that people look out for in how to spot other people are lying:

• Being vague: If the speaker seems to slur over important details, it may be because they are lying.
• Vocal uncertainty: If the person seems uncertain or insecure, they are more likely to be perceived as lying.
• Indifference: Shrugging, lack of expression, and bored posture can be signs of lying because the person is trying to avoid conveying feelings and possible things.
• Overthinking: If the individual seems to be overthinking to fill in the details of the story, it could be because they are deceiving you.

Emotion speaks louder than words

Usually, emotions will precede words. For example, when they smile after speaking, then they are lying.

Restriction of movement

When you are lying, you cannot control your gestures and actions. So people who know how to lie will limit their movements and keep their bodies still.

Slightly turned away from you

When communicating, we can avoid the eyes of the other person, but the body is always towards them. However, if they have their back turned to you, they may be hiding something or may not feel comfortable.

Hold an item tightly

Liars always feel that they are being attacked. They will hold or cling to something solid to give them a feeling of safeness. It’s a natural behavior.

Cover the mouth with hand

According to a study, the most recognizable sign to detect a liar is that they unconsciously cover some parts of their face, such as their mouth and eyes. It’s a natural human psychological response. Based on this when you need to tell the difference between real and fake people.

We know that uncontrollable gestures can tell a person is lying. However, the opposite is also true: since liars know about this sign, they consciously limit their movements and keep their bodies as still as possible.

Expression lasts 5 seconds

Usually, expressions such as surprise, joy,…do not appear after 5 seconds. In case the person communicating with you has an expression after 5 seconds, it means they are lying to you. Notice when the person still keeps an aspect after hearing your story.

Answer in words of the question

The use or choice of words in an answer says a lot. If they use the exact words to all of your questions proves that they are uncomfortable because they are about to lie. They always stick to the question and fear that saying more will reveal things that are not true. At the same time, this kind of repetition also helps them have more time to prepare a reasonable answer.

Ask them to tell their story in reverse

Lie detection can be considered a passive process. People may think they can only observe a potential liar’s body language and facial expressions to spot obvious “speeches”. By taking a more positive approach to detecting lies, you can get better results.

Some studies have suggested that asking people to report their stories in reverse order instead of chronological order can increase lie detection accuracy. Verbal and nonverbal cues that distinguish between lying and telling the truth can become more apparent when the awareness load increases.

Translated and edited by Bao Han

NB Asia Identity & Marketing Center