How to Tell If Someone Is Lying

You don't need to be a lie detector machine to know how tell if someone is lying. There are tell-tale signs, as some things just can't be faked.

How to Tell If Someone is Lying Step by Step

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Watch facial muscles. A sincere person will move more facial muscles than one who is faking their emotions. For example, a genuine smile shows wrinkles around the corners of the mouth. Not so with a fake one.

2. Look for gestures. A liar is often nervous. If you know the person, you can tell when their body language is natural or not.

3. Listen for superficial talk. A liar may try to change the topic, dress up what they say with humor, or chat about insignificant things to draw attention away from themselves.

4. Take a pause. Liars hate silence. They feel awkward.

5. Watch for evasive answers. If you ask “Are you angry?” and they say “Why should I be angry?” it is an evasive answer. Such replies often mean they are hiding something. A liar will also take a while longer to answer than usual as they have to think about it first. Truthful answers are often spontaneous.

Tips & Warnings

• These are only general guidelines. Just because you see one or more of these in someone doesn't mean they are lying!
• The better you know a person, the more accurate your “tells” will be. You know what their “normal” behavior is and what isn't.
• Not all lying is bad. Sometimes it's just being polite.
• Shy people may show these traits. So be careful.

[ilietoyou]

on 9/26/2009 not very useful for some. As a practiced liar, o can basically pull off most, if not every lie i tell. Its more of turning yourself off to morallity. I have actually acheived a state were i can switch between having a coinsciouss and not haveing any morals. SO BEWARE of anyone like me.