Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Tips to Help You Become a Human Lie Detector

Tips to Help You Become a Human Lie Detector

DISCLAIMER: As the saying goes..."sometimes ignorance is bliss", for after gaining this knowledge, you may be hurt when it is obvious that someone is lying to you. Read on and use this information at your own risk. ROFL.


Introduction to Detecting Lies:
The following techniques to telling if someone is lying are often used by police and security experts. This knowledge is also useful for managers, employers, and for anyone to use in everyday situations where telling the truth from a lie can help prevent you from being a victim of fraud/scams and other deceptions.

Signs of Deception:

Body Language of Lies
• Physical expression will be limited and stiff, with few arm and hand movements. Hand, arm and leg movement are toward their own body the liar takes up less space.
• A person who is lying to you will avoid making eye contact.
• Hands touching their face, throat & mouth. Touching or scratching the nose or behind their ear. Not likely to touch his chest/heart with an open hand.

Emotional Gestures & Contradiction
• Timing and duration of emotional gestures and emotions are off a normal pace. The display of emotion is delayed, stays longer it would naturally, then stops suddenly.
• Timing is off between emotions gestures/expressions and words. (Ex: Someone says "I love it!" when receiving a gift, and then smile after making that statement, rather then at the same time the statement is made.)
• Gestures/expressions don’t match the verbal statement, such as frowning when saying “I love you.”
• Expressions are limited to mouth movements when someone is faking emotions, instead of the whole face. (Ex: when someone smiles naturally their whole face is involved: jaw/cheek movement, eyes and forehead push down, etc.)

Interactions and Reactions
• A guilty person gets defensive. An innocent person will often go on the offensive.
• A liar is uncomfortable facing his questioner/accuser and may turn his head or body away.
• A liar might unconsciously place objects (book, coffee cup, etc.) between themselves and you.

Verbal Context and Content
• A liar will use your words to make answer a question. When asked, “Did you eat the last cookie?” The liar answers, “No, I did not eat the last cookie.”
•A statement with a contraction is more likely to be truthful: “ I didn't do it” instead of “I did not do it”
• Liars sometimes avoid "lying" by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly.
• The guilty person may speak more than natural, adding unnecessary details to convince you... they are not comfortable with silence or pauses in the conversation.
• A liar may leave out pronouns and speak in a monotonous tone. When a truthful statement is made the pronoun is emphasized as much or more than the rest of the words in a statement.
• Words may be garbled and spoken softly, and syntax and grammar may be off. In other
words, his sentences will likely be muddled rather than emphasized.

Other signs of a lie:
• If you believe someone is lying, then change subject of a conversation quickly, a liar follows along willingly and becomes more relaxed. The guilty wants the subject changed; an innocent person may be confused by the sudden change in topics and will want to go back to the previous subject.
• Using humor or sarcasm to avoid a subject.

Final Notes:
Obviously, just because someone exhibits one or more of these signs does not make them a liar. The above behaviors should be compared to a persons base (normal) behavior whenever possible. Most lie detecting experts agree that a combination of body language and other cues must be used to make an educated guess on whether someone is telling the truth or a lie.

And as always, let me know what you think, be it good, bad, or indifferent in the comments. Keep it locked here for more Random Nuggs.

29 comments:

  1. some interesting things here, I read not too long ago a piece on how detectives can tell if someone is lying in just a few minutes based on the way some says stuff (and the specific words they use).

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  2. Pretty good guide on things to watch for

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  3. I knew a few of these, but this was pretty helpful

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  4. I've always noticed that when someone is lying they usually look up and it seems like they are thinking...basically what to say.

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  5. Excellent information. I can be like that TV show now.

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  6. i saw this on another blog, very useful stuff

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  7. awesome I need this... I will detect lies all the time!

    btw, I have a new post on GTL Everyday :)

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  8. Very cool information, I'll have to test some of these. :)

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  9. Cool I'm going to have to test these

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  10. Man I hate people who lie and manipulate all the time, thanks, this might come in handy!

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  11. nice, will be using these thanks :)

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  12. thanks now i can tell when my supervisors are bluffing or telling the truth

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  13. The human mind is hackable but so complex that even the hacks have severe loopholes.

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  14. haha I also watch that show Lie to Me to see if i can learn some stuff about recognizing when people are lying

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  15. "The guilty wants the subject changed; an innocent person may be confused by the sudden change in topics and will want to go back to the previous subject."

    Damn thats sneaky

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  16. haha ill try using these thanks

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  17. i find this useful

    btw, check out my new post on Enhanced by MS Paint :)

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  18. ha, some cool stuff in here!

    can you check out my blog some time as well?

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  19. haha i dont do any of this shit when I lie xD

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  20. Cool stuff. I always had an interest in this

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  21. the best thing is probably practice huh?

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