Lie detection methods
An attempt by one person to mislead another is called a lie. In psychology there are several varieties of it:
- slander;
- deception;
- bluff;
- falsification.
Lying is deliberately misleading other people. You can determine when a person is lying by gestures, facial expressions, emotions, and incoherent speech. However, some people do it so professionally that others do not suspect deception. In the modern world, special devices are used to help recognize a liar and find out the truth - polygraphs, lie detectors.
There are 3 lie detection methods used in everyday life and professional activities of some services:
- Verbal. A person who speaks the truth tells everything as it really was. He doesn't care whether they believe him or not. It simply tells about real facts and events. A liar watches every word, strives to make his story as coherent and consistent as possible. A liar repeats memorized phrases several times because he is afraid to say something unnecessary. The speech is thoughtful and well filtered.
- Non-verbal. The method allows you to expose a deceiver by observing his behavior, gestures, and facial expressions. Experts identify several obvious signs of lying: scratching the ear or neck, pulling the collar, smoothing the hair. The liar behaves restlessly, is nervous, often loses coordination of movements and cannot hold objects in his hands. His story is devoid of emotional coloring. When a person remembers events from the past, vivid pictures appear in his head, to which he reacts with increased emotionality. During a lie, there are no memories; instead, only artificial images appear.
- Psychological. Based on observation of human reactions. Vivid events remain in a person’s memory for a long time, and at the slightest memory a certain reaction appears - a change in skin color, rapid heartbeat, dilation or constriction of the pupil. The psychological method for diagnosing lies involves the use of detectors. In rare cases, a person remains calm when asked an exciting question.
Lies are needed to control the behavior and actions of other people. However, a liar always gets worried when he tells a lie. Despite best efforts to remain calm, signs of lying appear in speech, behavior and gestures.
We detect deception by voice and intonation
Verbal signs of insincerity are vocal indicators that allow you to judge that a person is trying to hide something. The following signals should raise suspicion:
- the interlocutor, feeling guilty, speaks monotonously and very quietly;
- a person shows his emotional stress with uncharacteristic intonations, changes in speech speed or voice timbre;
- someone who wants to lie may begin to stutter or slip of the tongue;
- Long and too frequent pauses or hesitations appear in speech due to the fact that the deceiver considers his words and selects the most successful answers.
Mistakes a liar makes when speaking
When a person tells a lie, his speech may be incoherent or, conversely, polished. Sometimes even professionals find it difficult to expose a liar. But if you analyze the conversation, you can find hidden and obvious signs of lies.
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Reservations
Even if a person memorizes phrases and thinks through every word, there are still reservations. Of course, based on this alone one cannot say with certainty that the opponent is telling a lie. Inaccuracies and slips in conversation appear when there is excitement, and this condition is caused by various factors. However, if slips of the tongue occur very often during a conversation, it is worth considering whether the interlocutor is lying.
Pause
In communication, pauses are signs of manipulation. If desired, influence on another person is used specifically. But an opponent who cannot quickly answer the question posed is, in most cases, lying. He needs to figure out on the fly how not to get burned, what to say in his own defense. In such situations, liars either say something absurd or remain silent. If before this, during the conversation, the interlocutor did not take breaks in communication, spoke clearly, answered questions, then sudden silence is a clear symptom of a lie.
Memorized phrases, repetitions
In order for your interlocutor to accept a lie as the truth, you need to try hard. The deceiver rehearses his speech, memorizes phrases, and selects answers to possible compromising questions in advance. There is nothing to complain about here, if not for one thing: the liar repeats memorized phrases several times, even if they are not entirely appropriate. I'm afraid to say something unnecessary.
Another symptom of lying and deception is repeating the phrases of the interlocutor. Example:
- Darling, did you cheat on me while I was away?
- No, my love, I didn’t cheat while you were away!
In this way, the liar plays for time, determines the best model of behavior in the current situation, and figures out what to say next on the fly.
An inexperienced liar is caught making primitive mistakes. Denies the obvious, says nonsense, mumbles something off topic, tries to avoid the conversation. Another sign of a liar is an attempt to turn the tables, to blame an opponent for something. A liar comes up with offensive phrases and insults only to unbalance his opponent and silence him. In this case, the expression is appropriate: “The best defense is attack.”
Attention to detail
First of all, it is worth noticing the little things. From them not only the whole picture is built, but it is from them that one can determine the “frequency” of lies. This is how a man lies most often. Oddly enough, women most often lie about little things related to everyday life, while men lie about everything that has to do with their personal life.
What is the easiest way to “catch” such a liar, how to understand that a guy is lying and cheating? It’s very simple, psychologists advise paying attention to the details of the “noodles” that they diligently hang on your ears. During a dialogue with a man, for example, in response to the question “where have you been?”, he will begin to colorfully describe how he was late at work, then got stuck in a traffic jam, and also the clueless neighbor’s children rode the elevator for about 20 minutes, and getting up “I’m so tired” .
Just ask, after this whole tirade, to tell everything in reverse order. The fact is that the human brain is designed in such a way that it is much easier for him to invent than to remember, and when telling a story “on the contrary”, your companion will begin to frantically remember what exactly he lied, will begin to stutter, get confused, stammer, his eyes will run around, his hands will sweat and etc., it’s easier to determine that the guy is lying. These are all clear signs of a liar.
How can you tell if a man is lying to you with questions?
External signs
Sometimes body language says more than words. Nonverbal communication methods are a powerful tool through which information is transmitted to others. Psychologists have compiled a number of signs that can be used to identify a liar.
Eyes and pupils
When a person tells a lie, the pupils dilate or contract. This is the body's reaction to excitement. If a liar understands that they do not believe him and is about to be exposed, his eyes “pop out of their sockets” and the pupils become round.
A shifting gaze is a sign of searching for an answer to a sensitive question. The more serious the problem, the more active the brain works, the better the general excitement is manifested. A shifting gaze is a sign of panic. A liar needs to instantly figure out how to protect himself.
Gives off an unblinking stare for too long when you need to give an answer to the question posed. A person is immersed in his thoughts, looking for answers in the subconscious. In addition, this state is characteristic of a liar who wants to understand whether they believe him or not. He peers into the eyes of his interlocutor and maintains contact for a long time. Doesn't look away, checks the partner's reaction.
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Avoiding direct eye contact is also a major sign of lying. To force a liar not to lie, you should tell him: “Look me in the eyes.” Then the liar either pretends to look indifferent or cannot control his moving pupils.
Facial expressions
If you observe changes in facial expression, you can understand whether the interlocutor is lying or not, since this is where emotions are displayed. A clear sign of lying is pursed lips. This state indicates confusion and regret. The lower lip goes up, the corners of the mouth go down. The deceiver bites his lips when he has stirred up something too much. If a person is nervous, his eye begins to twitch and blinks frequently. In addition, a liar often rubs his left eyelid. Another clear sign of lying is a change in complexion. The skin turns pale or red.
Hand gestures
According to scientific information, in order to recognize a lie, you need to carefully observe the movement of the left side of the interlocutor’s body. What a person wants to demonstrate, he will show with his right side, and hide with his left. When a partner actively gestures with his right hand, he distracts attention and masks the true state of affairs. Other signs:
- Crossed arms are a sign of discomfort and protection from others. This gesture does not always mean the partner’s intention to deceive. When such a pose appears as a reaction to a question asked, it is worth thinking about. This is a signal of insincerity. The interlocutor blurted out the phrase and immediately crossed his arms over his chest.
- The “I don’t know” gesture with arms spread to the side is a classic manifestation of lack of information. When the opponent answers in the affirmative, and his shoulders rise and his arms move to the side, this indicates his uncertainty.
- Hands in pockets indicate the interlocutor’s desire to hide and avoid answering.
- Continuous gesticulation with hands, a desire to touch the ear, nose, mouth are also considered as a clear sign of deception.
A calm and confident person holds his hands in front of him, does not swing them in different directions, and does not hesitate to show open palms.
Body Gestures
You can expose a lie by body movement and posture:
- Step back. The deceiver reacts automatically. Subconsciously there is a desire to increase the distance. After an untruthful answer, the partner takes a step back. This gesture indicates discomfort. Skilled liars have excellent control over their body, so after an outright lie they do not back away, but an inexperienced liar can easily be exposed.
- Turning to the side (right, left) indicates the interlocutor’s desire to hide faster. The vector of direction of movement is subconsciously determined. It is not the body that can turn, but the head, but the meaning of the gesture remains the same. The desire to hide arises in response to discomfort.
Physiological manifestations of lying: increased heart rate, increased sweating, stuttering, changes in blood pressure, increased pulse. Symptoms can manifest in different ways. Experienced liars know how to hide their inner discomfort.
Signs of lying in correspondence
In the era of the Internet and social networks, you have to communicate with a person by correspondence. Without seeing the interlocutor, without hearing his voice, it is difficult to figure out whether he is telling the truth or not. However, there are several signs by which you can suspect deception.
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Long set
If the opponent does not answer for a long time, this indicates a deliberate delay. You need to come up with and correctly formulate an answer so as not to give yourself away or sow mistrust. A pause in telephone communication will help you recognize insincerity.
Corrections, removals
The situation is similar. The partner is thinking about how best to lie. First one thought comes to mind, then another. A person corrects the text, corrects sentences, changes his opinion. Often a message that has already been sent is deleted with the hope that the interlocutor on the other side of the monitor did not have time to read it.
It is quite easy to identify such deceivers. You just need to observe their behavior during correspondence. Caught in a lie is not as difficult as it initially seems.
Phrases in discord
When a person who has clearly expressed his thoughts begins to get lost and writes inconsistently, this means one of two things: he is lying or is intoxicated. First he says one thing, then another, then he tries to justify himself, and the result is a pun. This is a sign that should alert you.
The role of the fool
The technique is used very often. Speaks of outright lies and the interlocutor’s intention to stall for time. In such cases, the phrases “forgot”, “completely tired”, “went out of my head” are heard. It is very easy to deceive in this way, but it is also not difficult to identify a liar.
Appeal to conscience
In SMS it looks like a reproach. The partner is trying to put pressure on his conscience, to make him feel ashamed, so that he stops interrogating: “I trusted you, but you did that!” Thank you!". After such a phrase, a predictable reaction appears - an apology from the “attacker.”
How to check whether a person is telling the truth or not
There are several other ways to check the veracity of a person’s statements:
A)
Compare the facts: ask several people, maybe acquaintances of the object. Most often they cannot lie the same thing, and someone will definitely get caught.
B)
If possible, dig through his papers, smartphone and other places where he could have left clues.
IN)
Finally, if you already definitely feel that he is lying, but there is not enough evidence, then just talk to him. State that you know he is lying and watch his reaction. Perhaps he, not expecting this from you, will confess.
What determines the ability to lie?
Not everyone knows how to lie. Some people are able to skillfully manipulate others and get away with it, while others are not. Factors that make it difficult to interpret lies and identify liars:
- Individual characteristics. Cunning people by nature get out of any situation. After an outright lie they do not feel remorse, so anxiety rarely arises. They say about such individuals: “Lying is like blinking an eye.” Even if someone suspects a lie, it is problematic to expose a liar.
- Selectivity of manifestation. In each new situation, a person behaves differently, which makes it difficult to track behavior.
- Preparation. With age, a person becomes more experienced in everything, even in the art of lying. It is becoming increasingly difficult to expose him, which means he will continue to manipulate others. In addition, targeted preparation plays a huge role. Even a lie detector cannot expose professionals. When lying, they behave calmly and balanced. Gestures, posture, and words do not give them away.
The fear of being caught can let a liar down. Many people lose their vigilance when an authoritative interlocutor appears in front of them, who knows how to distinguish the truth and listen carefully.
A person lies to gain benefit for himself or for the purpose of protection. In everyone there lives an actor who sooner or later shows his skills. Many people lie or tell untruths, but for some people lying becomes the norm of life, so it is difficult to expose them.
What is a lie
People who say they have never cheated are lying. Everyone, without exception, hides or lies. This happens unconsciously or on purpose. To yourself, to people close to you or strangers. In small things or in big ways. For different reasons.
From a young age, parents tell their children: “Don’t lie!”, but they themselves become a catalyst for the development of this habit, forcing them to hide emotions and feelings in public. First, the child deceives himself, then his parents, and then the habit grows with him and can lead to pathological lying.
Psychologists call lying the simplest way to influence an interlocutor, through which the truth is distorted and the opponent is misled.
Some people lie “for the greater good”, hiding unpleasant moments in life. And such a lie, from a moral and ethical point of view, does not cause disapproval.
The phrases “I could be wrong”, “if my memory serves me correctly” also indirectly indicate a lie. After all, the interlocutor may know the truth, but is trying to hide it, hiding behind forgetfulness.