The Voice Signs That Someone Is Lying

You want to believe that your date, spouse or employee is being completely truthful to you. But, you are not sure. What to do in such cases? Listen to the person's voice to know if he is lying. There are some specific voice patterns that give away a liar. But, avoid reaching to conclusions about the person's veracity based on these signs alone. Consider these signs as warning signals. Look for factual evidences contradicting his statements and then confront him with the truth.

Listen for Softer Voice Tones

A lying person tends to bring down his voice when hitting points that are false. As such you can observe a steady flow of words in his normal voice tones when he is stating facts and a sudden drop to a pitch softer than his normal when he is lying. The reason for this is that the person does not want to believe that he is lying or is capable of doing such a thing. So, he convinces himself he has not committed anything wrong and that he is not guilty by speaking in lower tones.

Look for Unusual Speech Patterns

When a person talks at a pitch higher than her usual voice, she could be lying. Similarly, abnormal stuttering or throat clearing several times while talking could indicate a lie. A noticeable pause while speaking is also a probable indication of a lie. Pay attention to this pause particularly if you know this person to be an articulate speaker. The pause could be because the person is delivering a fabricated story and struggling to put details together to convince the listeners. Be it a stutter or a pause, these signs indicate that the person is feeling uncomfortable. You should be familiar with the person's everyday voice tones to detect these differences.

Going Too Fast

Just as conspicuous pauses are a sign, so is talking inordinately fast. People speak faster than is usual for them when they are saying something that they do not want the listeners to understand. This could be a sign of a probable offense. Again you should be aware of the normal speech patterns of the person to detect the alteration.

Listener Tips

Look for other signs along with the change in voice patterns. Liars feel uncomfortable looking directly into your eyes while speaking. Bolder liars make too much eye contact. Lifting shoulders in a shrug, highly-frequent blinking or turning pale could also indicate a liar.

References

• Praxis; Six Ways to Tell if Someone is Lying; Alan Waite; Nov. 2, 2009
• The Wisdom Journal; 15 Signs You're Lying To Me; Feb. 12, 2009
• Six Wise: The Top Seven Signs that Someone is Lying to You
• How to Tell if Someone is Lying: Cadence of Speech
• ABC News; How to Tell If Someone Is Lying; Sept. 8, 2008