Detecting Deception via Body Language and Verbal Clues

We share in this post a number of things to look for to determine if someone is lying. Bear in mind that it's not a matter of checking things off a list. Deception detection is about recognizing variances from what is normal for the person. Lying is stressful for most people, except perhaps for master manipulators and psychotics, so the number one thing to look for are signs of stress. Stress can show up in posture, movements, facial expressions and in speech. For example, stressed posture is stiff and limited. A stressed facial expression includes tight lips and a tight jaw. Stressed speech is high pitched and overactive.

The second big area for detecting deception is incongruence. Incongruence is when you say one thing with your words but your body is saying something different. For example, you nod your head (as if to say yes) while actually saying the word no.

Deception Detectors - Physical Clues

• Physical movements are likely to be limited and stiff, with few arm and hand movements.
• Hand, arm and leg movements tend to be inward toward their own body rather than outward towards the other person
• Liars tend to touch their hand to their face or throat. They may cover their mouth, rub the bottom of their nose or rest their hands around their throat.
  
• Liars tend to be physically closed and small and take up less space than when they're telling the truth.
• A person who is lying to you will avoid making eye contact. (Be careful with this one as many people are aware of this clue and have learned to make eye contact even when lying).
• Liars tend to take a defensive stance both verbally and physically. Physically they may turn their head or body away.
• A liar might unconsciously place objects (book, coffee cup, etc.) between themselves and you.

Deception Detectors - Congruence

• Speech is incongruent with body language or facial expression. For example frowning or shaking your head no when saying "I love you."
• When someone is faking an emotion, their expressions are typically limited to mouth movements. For example, when someone smiles naturally their whole face is involved, especially the eyes. With a fake smile, only the mouth is smiling.
• Timing delay between expression and sentiment. For example, when receiving a gift the person says I love it! then smiles after making the statement, rather than at the same time the statement is made.
• When a person is asked a question that requires a yes or no answer, if they are telling the truth, they'll nod their head (and only thier head) quickly. If they are lying or unsure about the answer the nod will start in their shoulders and will be significantly slower.

Deception Detectors - Verbal Tap Dancing

• Liars sometimes avoid "lying" by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly.
• Liars often pause before answering.
  
• Liars answer a question with another question attempting to take the conversation in a different direction.
  
• A liar will use your words to 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”
• 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.
  

Deception Detectors - Other Signs of Stress

• Voice is higher pitched than normal.
• Face and hands becomes a bit paler as blood is withheld from extremities.
• Nostrils may open wider ('flare').
• Breathing deeper and maybe audible.
• Lips become thinner and tighter.
• Shoulders pulled up and elbows pulled in to sides more. Body takes up less space.
• Forehead tightens up a little in area between eye brows.
• Eye contact breaks away from you and eyes may squint or close.
• Heart rate increases.
• Hand palms turned down or closed, and not revealed to you.

Deception Detection - Eye Movements

Generally, if people are thinking of visual information to answer a question, their eyes will move up: this is how they retrieve mental pictures. Most right handed people will look up and right when remembering and up and left when creating or imaging. We do this unconsciously, but we also tend to do it reliably. Now, it doesn't mean that if I look up and left to the "create the visual spot" that I'm making something up. It simply means I'm searching for a mental picture.

The key in reading eye movements is the same as reading other clues. You look for what's different. Notice when they don't look up in the same way, or when they look up but perhaps to the other side, or when they maintain eye contact with you when they would normally do otherwise.

This last is an interesting point. Most people imagine that we maintain eye contact when we tell the truth and break it when we lie. Not so. The majority of people will maintain eye contact when lying, because they don't need to retrieve information from their minds and, therefore, don't need to move their eyes. At another level, they are eager to appear sincere, and so consciously decide to keep looking at you.