# Cues that detect a liar Note any changes in expression or body language: - You need the context of that person's [disposition](people-personality.md), so note their typical behavior without pressure as a "baseline". - Liars often self-implicate without meaning to, so learn to [be a great listener](language-speaking.md) and [closely observe](mind-awareness.md). - Ideas can be redefined by tone or emphasis, so note how they pronounce each word in their sentence. However, if a person is delusional (e.g., [Cluster B personality](mind-neurodivergence-clusterb.md)), the following cues can be more difficult to confirm. - The clearest indicator of a lie is through fact-checking and seeing a clear and visibly apparent reason why they would lie. - And, the opposite is true as well, where their openness creating risks guarantees they're *not* lying. ## Body language Shrugging isn't necessarily a sign of lying: - It shows uncertainty or indifference, so it should consistently match their statement. - Watch for "micro-shrugging": split-second shrugs that betray hidden thoughts. Arm movements: - Open or closed arms are only a cue from the timing where they change. - Liars tend to use fewer hand and arm gestures with less emphasis. - Liars will often adjust their clothing or hair significantly more or less than normal. - Gestures of brushing away from the body is a dismissive behavior that implies their attitude to their listener. Hand-specific movements: - Hands often twitch slightly to show stress and unease. - Steepling or "tenting" the fingers show a present feeling of power. - Spidering the fingertips (hands on a flat surface, but not flat) shows an impatient desire to say something or leave. - Clenching the fists indicates anger, aggression, or excitement. - Palms facing up (aka the "believe me" posture): - Honest people tend to have relaxed hands with slightly curled fingers. - Liars tend to have stiff hands with straight fingers and will often hold the position for longer. Torso movements: - Liars tend to have a stiffer posture, shift less, and typically don't lean forward as much. - Extroverts tend to "lock on" their alignment to the other person while introverts tend to shy away, but it's too complicated for tracking a lie. Leg movements: - Leg stiffness or control can't determine lying. - Liars tend to exhibit two base behaviors: - Aggression usually expresses through stomping or the pantomime of kicking. - The desire to flee shows through pantomime running or angling the feet away from the listener. - Generally, you can see how comfortable someone is by how far away they're placing their feet from each other. ## Speaking and tone Watch for a higher pitch that rises or breaks: - Pitch connects loosely to a feeling of strength. - Juveniles and women are more likely to use high-pitched voices while speaking the *truth*. Many people "buy time" with hesitations in speaking, but great liars will make *fewer* errors than truth-tellers. Repeating questions back is a time-buying technique, as well as a way for someone to gauge reactions. Declaratory statements of honesty or goodness: - The practice of "virtue signaling" makes someone appear credible: - "I swear to God" - "I swear on my mother's grave" - "I'm a Christian" - "Experts agree with me" - The clearest indicator is when they clearly don't need to prove anything to the person they're speaking to. Emphasis on certain details: - Since a liar is creating a [story](stories-why.md), it takes lots of energy to build it. - Since they're trying to hide some details, note the areas that person is addressing the least and why. - Liars give fewer details about themselves and their [feelings](mind-feelings.md). - In general, a liar will give fewer details to keep their story straight and will get defensive when asked about them, while honest people comfortably know they forgot certain things. Improper possessive pronouns (I, we, they) add credibility and corroboration to a story: - Note any tension if you correct or question them on that pronoun. - Since they don't want to connect with their lie, they'll sometimes omit pronouns altogether. Story order: - Have them restate the story in different ways to find if they're using their memories or imagination. - Make them repeat it forward, then backward, then start in the middle. Watch how they emotionally connect to past-tense versus present-tense. People frequently minimize harsh words (dead, murder, rape, fired, stealing) to avoid responsibility. Vague answers usually conceal a true opinion. Qualifiers (e.g., but, kind of, like, however) are a verbal technicality that someone can fall back on. Expanded contractions (e.g., I did not, I was not) instead of proper contractions (didn't, wasn't) buy a little more time. Stating a loss of memory with "I don't recall" or "I don't know" is an easy way to add vagueness or buy time. Garbled or softly spoken words show a desire to obscure the idea. ## Face People can often control the lower half of their faces, but not the upper half. Watch for a split-second micro-expression of someone's true feelings when they first perceive something: - Raise your eyebrows as soon as you see them: they'll only raise them in response if they see you as their [friend](people-friends.md). Genuine facial expressions are typically symmetrical. Authentic facial expressions always come right before the reaction, but a liar will typically react a half-second before making the facial expression. While head tilting doesn't indicate anything, watch for rigid movements. Watch for stress showing increased blood pressure: - Facial reddening and blushing - Veins standing out more than normal - Visible throbbing in the temples or throat ## Eyes Where the eye looks: - Liars tend to look a person in the eye *more* than honest people. - Contrary to popular culture, where their eyes look doesn't correlate to lying, with one particular exception: - When asked a pointed question, the person should be able to answer quickly but will instead look away as if they're trying to recall something. There is a common misconception about the direction an eye looks (such as left is recollection while right is constructing). - This misconception has been magnified by popular culture to the point that it creates severe problems within police interrogations. - If the eye's direction had any validity, interrogations would take seconds instead of days or weeks. Liars tend to blink up to 20 times more than normal and close their eyes longer. Liars sometimes show their [fear](mind-feelings-fear.md) through dilated pupils and widened eyes.