Did you know that the majority of your communication is based on non-verbal cues? In fact, most researchers would venture to say that verbal communication makes up no more than just 25% of communication! So, how do you know if someone is lying or not? Knowing that you can’t trust words, how would you detect a lie, solely based on what their body tells you? While there is no exact textbook way to detect a lie, here’s several things to look out for when trying to tell if someone is lying to you.
1 – Body Language & Physiological Cues: Specifically watch for anxious ticks such as sweating or fidgeting or even unpleasantness. You’ve probably noticed that people tend to get a little touchy when you back them into a corner and confront them. Dilated pupils or rising vocal pitch also tend to be more common in liars than truth-tellers.
2 – Details: This varies from person to person. Many times, liars leave out details, but other times liars provide too much detail. Asking specified questions can usually lead the speaker to slip up, or mix up their details, providing evidence of inconsistencies.
3 – Word Stumbling: As you ask questions to clarify the speaker’s statements, they tend to begin speaking faster, and stumble with their words. Being unable to get a story clearly, without stuttering is another clear sign that you’ve caught someone lying.
4 – Eye Contact & Eye Gaze: If they cannot look you in the eye, it’s probably a lie. Often times, however, you know a lie is being constructed by where someone’s gaze is. The left side of the brain focuses on creativity, while the right focuses on knowledge and logic. Therefore, someone is recalling if their gaze is towards the right, but creating a lie when their gaze is towards the left.
5 – Excessive Pausing: Too much pausing probably means that they need more time to construct their thoughts. Keep your ears perked for this. The more they pause, the more time they are probably taking to add to their story.
