How to Be Able to Tell If Someone Is Lying to You

Palms up body language could indicate an individual wanting to be believed.

Just as red flags on beaches indicate water unsafe to enter, red flags in communication indicate statements unsafe to believe. Though each individual is different and no human lie detector special ability exists, body language and voice change clues could uncover a lie. Listen for inconsistencies, establish a baseline and look for nervous tics and micro-expressions.

Instructions

1. 

   Watch for the "deer in the headlights" expression combined with slumped posture.

   Watch for discomfort in a person's behavior. U.S. News and World Report online suggests making small talk in order to discover a person's normal behavior baseline. Knowing the baseline helps to detect changes in the behavior when the person becomes uncomfortable while lying. Even the best liars react in some way while lying. A lie usually is accompanied by a physical gesture, such as blinking or not blinking.

2. 

   Lip biting is often a sign of stress and lying.

   Watch the lips. Lips often become tight, pursed or thin when a person is lying. Some individuals often lick their lips or tap a lip with a fingernail or a pen or pencil. These tiny movements involving the lips can detect lying.

3. 

   Shrugging often indicates lying.

   Listen for speech pattern changes. Unusual pauses, repetitive saying, "Umm," or voice fluctuations could indicate lies. Individuals who are usually eloquent speakers may not follow usual speech patterns, as was the case with Clinton when he denied his involvement with Monica Lewinsky. ABC News online states that Clinton dropped his normal smooth speech patterns and paused frequently. According to the site, Clinton also bit his lip before lying, as if trying to hold back the words.

4. 

   Flashes of expression across the face are hard to detect.

   Read micro-expressions, which are brief displays of emotion indicating to others what an individual is truly feeling. Micro-expressions were discovered by psychologist Paul Ekman, according to US News and World Report. Micro-expressions such an eyebrow twitch or any tiny facial movement are often accurate in determining a lie being present.

5. 

   Touching or scrtatching the head often indicates lying.

   Follow body language patterns to discover lies. Those who lie often have tics that disclose lying, such as scratching or touching areas on the face, twisting the hair, crossing the arms, shifting weight back and forth on the feet and massaging temples. Often those who lie feel insecure and express the insecurity through body posture, suggests US News and World Report online. Children often scratch an ear while lying.

References

• Forbes: Ten Ways to Tell if Someone is Lying
• U.S. News and World Report: Health: 3 Ways to Tell if Someone Is Lying
• ABC News: How to Tell if Someone is Lying
• The World Directory: Body Language: Detecting Lies in Body Language

Resources

• Spying for Lying: Lip Biting as a Sign of Stress; Subtle Sadness in the Eyes