Everyone fibs--many of us as often as we brush our teeth. While there is no surefire way to sniff out dissemblers, there are some helpful clues and tactics for uncovering untruths. Here are 11.
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Tricky Tilt
Truthful people more likely to face her questioners head on. Liars, on the other hand, are"likely to lack frontal alignment and will often sit with both their arms and legs crossed as if frozen," says Joseph Buckley, president of John E. Reid & Associates, which has provided interview and interrogation training to more than 500,000 law enforcement agents to date.
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Imprecise Pronouns
There is an "I" in "lie," but often not in the lie itself. To psychologically distance themselves from the lie, people often pepper their tales with second- and third-person pronouns like "you," "we," and "they."
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Heavy Hands
When telling the truth, people often make hand gestures to the rhythm of their speech. Hands emphasize points or phrases--a natural and compelling technique when they actually believe the points they're making. The less certain will keep gesticulations in check.
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Nervous Nellie
Skilled liars don't break a sweat; the rest of us get a little fidgety. Four possible giveaways: shifty eyes, higher vocal pitch, perspiration and heavier breathing. Be careful, though: Not everyone who doesn't meet your gaze is a liar. "Certain behavioral traits like averting eye contact could be cultural and not indicative of a liar," says Buckley.
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The Reid Technique
A registered trademark of John E. Reid & Associates, the Reid Technique is a nine-step interrogation process that many U.S. law enforcement agencies employ to ferret out lies. The goal of the process is to lead the liar down a path such that he or she eventually has no choice but to admit guilt. For more on the technique, check out www.reid.com.
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Curious Questions
Liars are more likely to ask that questions be repeated and preface pronouncements with, "to tell you the truth," and "to be perfectly honest," says Buckley. Evasive answers to direct questions should raise your hackles, too.
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Tongues as Long as Telephone Wires
Something about the phone seems to bring out the liar in us. In one week-long study of 30 college students, Hancock observed that the phone was the most popular weapon of choice, enabling 37% of the lies told in this time, versus 27% during face-to-face exchanges, 21% using Web-based messaging and just 14% via e-mail. Little surprise, perhaps: Most phone calls don't leave a record behind.
to be continued
