How to Tell If Someone Is Lying

Yes! It is possible to tell when someone is lying. In this article, I am going to highlight some signs to look out for that can help reveal when someone is lying.

Despite our strong instinct for judging liars, it can be challenging to detect a lie.

A research was conducted by forensic psychologist Dr. Leanne ten Brinke and her collaborators at the Haas School of Business.

The researchers found out that we have a fairly strong instinct for detecting liars as humans, but we are sometimes distracted by our conscious minds and what they are saying.

However, there are some signs to look for to help you tell if someone is lying.

To tell if someone is lying based on these signs, we must first understand how the person behaves under normal circumstances. This is especially applicable to people we interact with often.

As stated by behavioral analyst and body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass,

“When trying to detect a lie, you need first to understand how the person normally acts. Habits like over-sharing or pointing might perfectly be within character for a person.”

However, some liars may not show any of these signs since they are “seasoned professionals” who probably understand the psychological signs as much as you do.

Also, bear in mind that these signs are not definite and conclusive proof of dishonesty.

Now, here is how to tell if someone is lying to you:

1. Saying too much

Research from Harvard Business School shows that people who tell lies stretch the truth with more words than necessary.

Their continuous attempt to cover up their lies leads them to use excessive and unnecessary details in their explanation.

This is in a bid to convince others to believe what they are saying.

So, where you find someone giving more detail than necessary, this could be a sign that they are not telling the truth.

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2. Inability to re-tell the story

When trying to detect a lie, there is a need to adopt what researchers call a “reverse order narrative.”

“Reverse order narrative,” also known as “reverse chronology,” is a method of storytelling where the story is told in reverse order.

As stated by a senior scientist, Drew Lein,

“We find that when we ask a respondent to tell a story in forward chronological order and then again in reverse chronological order, liars tend to report the facts in different ways.”

So, when someone tries to re-tell a story, watch out for scripted and regimented sounds.

Where someone meanders while retelling their story, it could be a sign that the person is telling the truth.

This is because a truthful person may not take a particular format when re-telling their story and may end up recalling additional information.

3. Repetition of words or questions

It’s a common experience to find a liar stumbling over their words and repeating them when trying to explain themselves.

For example, when asked a question, they may say words like- “Ehm…Ehm…” repeatedly before answering.

They may also repeat the questions they were unexpectedly asked before answering them.

This is their attempt to buy some more time to gather their thoughts and decide what lies to tell next.

For example, when asked, “where were you last night?” they may respond like- “…okay, where was I? Where was I?”.

4. Sudden change in voice

When trying to detect if someone is lying, there is a need to look out for possible changes in their voice.

As stated by retired FBI crime analyst and criminal profiler Gregg McCrary, a person’s mannerism or tone of speaking may change when lying.

“..I begin an interview by first asking questions that I know the answers to already, like – what is your name?…once I can identify what kind of talker a person is, I then ask him questions that I have no answer to….”

“If his tone goes from lively to mellow, or calm to agitated, there is a chance he/she isn’t telling the truth.”

When someone is nervous, anxious, or stressed, we may find that the muscles in their vocal cords may tighten up, leading to a high-pitched voice.

So, when their voice is high-pitched when talking, this could be a sign that they are not telling the truth.

You should also watch out for creaks in their voice, which happens due to their tightened muscles.

A common sign of a creaked voice is the constant clearing of the throat, as this could mean they are not telling the truth.

5. Breath change

According to Dr. Lillian Glass, when someone is telling a lie, they may begin to breathe heavily while talking.

A change in breath could be accompanied by a shallow voice and a rising shoulder.

This is usually due to a change in blood flow and heart rate due to nervousness and anxiety.

So, when someone isn’t telling the truth, they are likely to experience this bodily change.

6. Not saying enough

Referred to by the American Psychological Association as “liars who deceive by omission.”

They avoid saying more than has been scripted by them to avoid the mistake of providing information they would not like to provide.

They only provide less information even when asked to provide more details.

Conclusion

As scientifically proven, it is possible to know when someone is lying since liars often give away certain signs when talking.

With a good understanding of these signs and an objective consciousness on your part, you should be able to detect a lie most of the time.

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