How To Tell If Someone Is Lying – 17 Ways To Detect A Liar
Want to tell if someone is lying or telling a fib? Here are 17 excellent ways how to immediately detect a liar.
Let’s chat about how to tell if someone is lying.
Thankfully there are 17 easy ways to immediately spot a liar.
I think most of us have been lied to and we’ve all lied at some point in our lives.
But don’t you hate it when you uncover a liar?
It leaves you feeling betrayed and hurt and creates a feeling of mistrust.
Some basic truths about lying:
Never lie to someone who trusts you and never trust someone who lies to you.
A liar’s worst enemy is someone with a good memory – Dodinsky.
Fools take a knife and stab people in the back. The wise take a knife, cut the cord and free themselves from the fools.
Here are seventeen things to look for for how to tell if someone is lying:
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 1 – Body language speaks louder than words.
If the person you’re speaking to is fidgety, wringing their hands, or fiddling with their hair, these are often clues that they’re lying.
Sometimes it might be nervousness because they are shy or naturally introverted; however, if the person you’re talking to isn’t known for being shy or nervous, then chances are they’re lying. If their body language feels weird to you, there’s usually a good reason for it.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 2 – A liar will often cross his or her arms across their body as they speak.
They may even move objects like books or cups to create a barrier between the two of you or to keep their mind off the fact that they are orchestrating a lie.
These are warning signs of a lie being told!
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 3 – Watch for lack of eye contact
Eye contact is another thing to pay attention to when trying to spot a liar.
When you’re being lied to, the other person often won’t look at you directly in the eye.
They’ll often look down, off to the side, and every other place just to avoid direct eye contact with you. This is because they know if they look directly at you there’s a good chance you will see the truth which is THEY ARE LYING. It’s as they say: eyes are the window to the soul and it’s easy enough to spot a lie through that window.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 4 – Listen to their words
When a liar says contradictory things, it’s an obvious sign that they’re lying. Trust your gut on this. People who are honest don’t mess up on the details because they simply state what happened. They aren’t confused about where they went or who they went with or what they did.
Listen for discrepancies in their stories.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 5 – Weird tone
The closer you are to someone, the better you will recognise their normal tone of voice. If their tone of voice changes, seems stilted and weird, there’s a good chance they are lying.
Listen for high pitched or lower tones than their normal speaking voice.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 6 – Keeping it short
Liars tend to avoid details when speaking.
Often they just stick to the basic facts and leave out small details in order to keep their story straight. Because….well, obviously it’s because they don’t have those smaller details yet fleshed out because THEY DIDN’T HAPPEN.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 7 – Trying to avoid a slip up
When talking to a liar, he or she will often hesitate in their speech while thinking up a lie to fit the occasion.
This could be clearing their throat, taking a deep breath or simply pausing before responding. They need that extra time to think up a better response…whereas when you tell the truth there is little need for hesitation.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 8 – Weird eye contact
Eye movement is another thing to look for when spotting a liar.
All people naturally move their eyes, unconsciously, one way or another when they are in conversation.
BUT if a person always looks to their right (your left) they are often constructing lies.
If they look to their left (your right) they’re most likely truly drawing upon their memory in response.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 9 – Steering you down a different road
Changing the subject away from the current conversation is another clue that you’re being lied to. Do you ask them point blank about something but they refuse to give you a point blank answer? This is a great sign that you are being lied to. People who are honest have nothing to hide.
Often liars will fill a conversation with obscure details that detract from the topic at hand in order to avoid telling the truth.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 10 – Yeah they won’t own it.
People who lie tend to steer away from using pronouns like ‘I’ or ‘we.’ They try to get away with telling their little white lies without saying anything that specifically condemns them.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 11 – Not so funny
Liars will often use humor or sarcasm to avoid a subject. Watch out for this if they are doing it at a weird time, especially when you asked them a specific question that they are trying to avoid answering.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 12 – Oooh a liar and angry too!
Liars will often feel guilty and may storm off or act out in anger to hide their deception. Keep an eye out for this behavior.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 13 – Their nose knows the truth
Research shows that, when a person is dishonest, they tend to touch their nose a lot. So keep an eye out for this tell-tale sign.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 14 – Watch their movements
Heavy breathing, sweating or a tight jaw is another indicator that you may be lied to. Does the liar look incredibly uncomfortable? Are they sweating profusely or grinding their teeth? These are all things liars tend to do. If they look uncomfortable, there may be a very good reason for this discomfort.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 15 – Can they remember?
If questioned enough, liars won’t be able to remember all the details of a lie or string of lies they’ve told.
Most liars will attack or leave before they’re caught. They don’t want to get caught out so they will do their best to deflect and put it back on you. If they sound confused, they may not be getting their fake story straight.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
TIP # 16 – Touching the face may indicate a person is lying or uncomfortable.
The higher up on the face, the worse the lie is. Isn’t that interesting? People don’t usually tend to touch their face at all when they are telling the truth.
DETECT LYING
TIP # 17 – A hunched over posture is another indication of a liar.
Confident people sit up straight with their shoulder back. They have nothing to be afraid of them because they own their truth.
Liars on the other hand tend to sit hunched over with their hands in their pockets.
It’s also interesting to note that studies have shown those who are insecure are more prone to lie.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
So there you have it – 17 ways to spot a liar!
I thought this would be fun to explore as I remember finding it so interesting to learn the behavioural science research behind lying back in university.
According to some studies, deceptive lying begins as early as four or five years of age. Pretty young, right?
Children quickly learn that they can avoid punishment by lying.
If not dealt with effectively at this young age, lying can quickly and easily become a terrible habit.
This is something you want to nip in the bud fairly promptly with kids!
Now that you know the telltale signs of liars you can avoid being lied to again.
Sure people will still lie but at least now you will know it is happening.
By learning to watch for these signs and behavioral patterns, you’ll be able to spot a liar with relative ease!
Big or small, lie are still lies.
HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS LYING
A life may take care of the present but it has no future.
Never argue with a liar. You can’t win because they believe their own lies.
I’m always disappointed when a liar’s pants don’t actually catch on fire.
Take care and much love,
Frances Vidakovic xxx
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I’m Frances Vidakovic – a mindset & action coach for quietly ambitious women who want to stop overthinking and finally take aligned action. I help women achieve their goals and follow through on what matters, without sacrificing their sanity or soul.
