How to identify lies in communication: different approaches and useful literature. How to spot a lie? Psychology of lies

Often, during a conversation with your interlocutor, you cannot understand whether he is telling the truth or not. After all, you don’t want to be deceived and offended. Are there effective methods and ways to recognize lies and distinguish them from the truth? Of course they are. And you don’t need to be a true psychologist to understand whether a person is telling the truth. The main thing is to observe the behavior and words of your opponent. When there is a disagreement between the words and gestures of your interlocutor, trust your vision more than your hearing.

How to recognize a lie by external signs

It is much easier to hide the true truth thanks to words, voice and facial expressions, but gestures, movements and postures are unlikely to be able to hide lies or deception. Excessive honesty of a person helps to detect lies.

Every time he insists that he speaks only the truth. For example, when the interlocutor every time in his speech uses such expressions as “I swear by everything you want,” “my word of honor,” “I give my head to be cut off.”

A person may lie when he avoids discussing certain topics or issues. He may say that he does not intend to discuss this situation or that he cannot remember this incident.

A liar may raise his tone, become unreasonably dismissive and defiant, or his speech may take on a hostile tone. By telling a lie, he may provoke you to be rude. For example, "I don't intend to answer these questions" or "I have no idea what this is about." If a person is honest and sincere with you, then he tries to talk more and defends his sincerity when expressing doubts about it.

Often you have to lie to save yourself. For example, you tell your dad that you have learned all your lessons or that your diploma is almost finished.

People involved in psychology recommend observing the eyes, facial expressions and gestures of the interlocutor in order to recognize a lie. Human body movements and gestures are eloquent. If a person who wants to hide something tries to close himself off somehow during a conversation.

For example, he constantly rubs his nose, crosses his arms over his chest. Eyes can tell a lot about a person. If a person is lying, then he will constantly look away or his eyes will dart around. A liar can carry everything.

If, when asked a sudden question, he begins to stumble and stutter, then he is definitely lying. Thanks to emotions, you can recognize a lie. If a person avoids your gaze, is overly active or passive, then he is definitely not telling something and is lying.

How to spot a lie by the eyes

When talking to a person, look in which direction he is looking. This is the best way to spot a lie from the eyes. If a person begins to look initially to the left and then down, this means that the person is trying to find words. This may also mean that his words are not sincere at the time of communication. But one should not conclude that the person is lying. Just keep watching for other signs.

If during a conversation a person’s eyes are directed upward, this means that at that moment his visual memory or information predominates. If a person looks to the side, then his auditory memory works.

If a person looks down, then at that moment he remembers his feelings or controls his words. When remembering some information, a person can visualize it, and at the same time he usually looks up to the left. If a person invents information, then he looks up to the right.

The most important thing is the first reaction to a question asked or information voiced. Therefore, watch this reaction carefully.

For example, if, after voicing a question or information, a person looked up to the right and then down to the left, then you can be almost sure that the person was lying, since he first constructed a certain image that he had never seen in his life, and then began to choose words.

The science of how to recognize a lie by the eyes is both easy and difficult at the same time. In this case, it is worth considering that some people are accustomed to preparing their lies in advance and presenting the desired picture.

At the same time, he will remember his lie in the form of certain visual images and the eyes of this person will be directed upward to the left. Judging by this, do not rush to believe this man.

If you have already caught your interlocutor in a lie, then it is better to remember his strategy. Remember what phrases he says, where he looks and how he behaves in order to determine a lie by his eyes. Knowing your interlocutor's lying strategy will protect you from false information.

Lying in conversation

Probably everyone knows how to deceive. First, in childhood, children tell their fantasies, then in adulthood this turns into deception of others. I would like to understand how not to fall for his bait before they start deceiving you. Everyone around you can cheat. For example, men use women to gain favor, children of their parents, parents of their children.

How to recognize a lie and distinguish a person telling the truth from a deceiver? Let's try to understand in more detail what a lie is, when we are told lies and when a lie can turn into a pathology. A lie is untrue information told to an interlocutor during a dialogue.

3 types of people who try to deceive

People who, in any situation, always and everywhere try to seem smarter than others, and take part in conversations on various topics. Sometimes, without thoroughly knowing the topic of discussion. You can easily recognize their lies.

During the conversation, it is necessary to ask leading questions that further detail the topic under discussion. You will see that the deceiver is trying to get out of the situation with general phrases without specifics.

Deception for profit. As a rule, it consists of the liar endlessly telling you all kinds of compliments. By doing this, he is trying to lull your vigilance and get his way. This is a dangerous category of liars. Only your powers of observation and intelligence can help you solve the question of how to recognize lies from this category.

People endowed with the gift of deception by nature. Such liars are capable of putting on a whole performance in front of you, which they themselves believe in. Thanks to the sincerity and refinement of their skills, you easily fall for the bait. It is very difficult to recognize such lies and almost impossible to determine immediately that they are lying to you. This can be done later, after analyzing the conversation in a calm atmosphere.

Pathological liars. These people always lie and they themselves believe what they say. They need a lie in order to appear superior in the eyes of their interlocutor, to have attractiveness and respect. They often like to say that they have a noble origin or a high position at work. It is very easy to recognize their lies. You just need to ask for some evidence. You will see that in this case the person begins to avoid direct answers, citing loss of data.

Unfortunately, very often we cannot understand whether a person is telling the truth or lying. There are a number of methods by which you can recognize a lie. The main thing is to closely monitor the person.

Method. Lying when answering a question

You ask your opponent a question, to which he reacts like this:

frequently and accurately uses a phrase from your question, or repeats the entire question completely before answering;
thinks for a few minutes;

Both of these options indicate that the person is insincere with you, because basically people behave this way because they do not have time to come up with an answer, therefore, they delay the answer in order to construct a plausible version.

Method. Lying by no answer

Recognizing a lie in this case is not difficult. Instead of answering, they tell you an anecdote or laugh it off. After a person receives a “funny” or witty answer, he usually laughs and decides not to return to the question again, since he does not want to look like a bore and bother the funny interlocutor.

Method. Lying by behavior

Instead of answering, your interlocutor begins to cough, as if trying to clear his throat, in addition, he may suddenly change his speech from normal to faster, this indicates that he is lying, or is nervous, since he will have to lie. In other words, an unconditional change in the tone of the speaker, his voice requires you to be careful with him, as the person is trying to get out of the situation, possibly using a lie.

Sometimes during the storytelling process, a person may go back and add something to his story: clarify, say that he forgot to mention something, add some details, all this indicates that the person is sincere with you. Because a story made up on the fly is not stored in a person’s memory, so the narrator is unlikely to be able to return to the middle of his story and then continue to think it out; as a rule, he may get confused or lost.

Method. Lies by gestures

Sometimes people may scratch the back of their head or touch their nose during a conversation; all these gestures will help you recognize a lie. They say that a person is trying to put a barrier between you, this is all done on a subconscious level.

In addition, shifting from foot to foot or trying to take a small step back indicates that your interlocutor wants to leave, move away from you, because he is afraid to give something away. Also, an attempt to close yourself off can be called moving back or lowering your head down. Remember all these methods, since learning to recognize a lie is a very difficult matter that requires effort and a psychological approach.

It is unlikely that there is at least one person on the whole Earth who always and everywhere tells only the truth. We all lie sometimes, and our goals are very different - we pursue a specific benefit, try to soften the situation, give ourselves weight in the eyes of the interlocutor, etc. Be that as it may, in the modern world it is very useful to know how to recognize an opponent’s lies.
There is nothing complicated in this science. After all, our subconscious itself is opposed to lies. No matter how masterfully a person controls himself, the body always gives signals by which one can understand that he is telling a lie.

How to recognize a lie by facial expressions?

Facial expressions of a man trying to deceive his interlocutor

A little training - and you will be able to draw conclusions about his sincerity based on the slightest changes in your opponent’s facial expressions and his seemingly insignificant gestures.
It turns out that only 10% of the entire population of the Earth is able to control the muscles in the corners of the mouth. When a person deceives, the corners of the mouth involuntarily droop - this is a well-known fact. Be alert - the deceiver will most likely try to disguise this movement with an unnatural and inappropriate smile. Perhaps he will simply press his lips tightly into a firm line - this is also a kind of signal.
The facial expression of a person who tells a lie changes very often, while the face of a “truth-teller” remains calm. If the interlocutor is deceiving, his facial muscles begin to work out of sync.
An important point is that the one who is trying to deceive you will not withstand long eye-to-eye contact. As a rule, men look away at the floor, while women, on the contrary, periodically study the ceiling.
In addition, liars are distinguished by a searching, inquisitive gaze - they try to understand whether the interlocutor believed their words.

How to recognize a lie by gestures?

Signs of a lie

A person who tells a lie makes many unnecessary movements. By which he can be exposed. A characteristic feature of a liar's gestures is that they are directed toward themselves. If the interlocutor actively gestures towards the opponent, most likely he really says what he thinks.
Biting your lips, periodically scratching, sudden concern about your hair or makeup - all this can indicate both banal anxiety and the fact that they are trying to deceive you. The behavior of the interlocutor must be considered in its entirety. So, what should you pay attention to?
Rubbing in the eyelid area. Men periodically rub their upper eyelids, and women seem to remove excess makeup from their eyes during a conversation - perhaps they are not telling the truth, trying with these gestures to avoid the direct gaze of their interlocutor. After all, eyes immediately reveal a liar, and everyone knows this from early childhood.
Pulling the collar. Surprisingly, lying causes tingling and slight itching in the neck and face - this is a scientifically proven fact. Therefore, if a person pulls back the collar to relieve these unpleasant sensations, you should be wary.
Covering mouth with hand. A very characteristic and self-explanatory gesture. The person knows that he is deceiving, and subconsciously strives to prevent this, literally covering his mouth with his hand. Often the attempt is accompanied by a feigned cough.
Touching the nose. Almost everyone knows the meaning of the previous involuntary gesture of the deceiver. Most likely, your interlocutor is no exception. At the last moment, when his hand is already reaching for his mouth, he can catch himself and bring it to his nose. But this is also a suspicious signal, because if the nose itches, it is not touched, but actually scratched.
Touching the ear. At the subconscious level, the deceiver does not want to hear everything that he himself says. Therefore, he will instinctively hold his hand close to his ear, trying to cover it - fiddling with the lobe, closing the ear canal, etc.

How to recognize a lie based on speech patterns?

As a rule, the tempo of a deceiver's speech has its own characteristics. He begins to speak slowly, figuring out the details as he goes. Then, when the thought is finally formed, he quickly lays out the rest so as not to forget anything. A person who tells the truth is characterized by a uniform speed of narration.
The liar's speech is not rich in details - they are quite difficult to think through, and he knows this very well. On the other hand, deceivers tend to delve too deeply into small and insignificant details. If you suspect a person of lying, ask about the details. This can confuse a liar, in whose story inconsistencies will appear, but you cannot confuse a “truth-seeker” with any questions - he will also provide additional facts.
Usually, when answering a question, the deceiver first repeats it. “Did I finish my report yesterday?”, “Did I have an interview this morning?” etc. This gives him time to think about his next statement.
And one more feature - liars like to emphasize that they are telling the absolute truth, and in response to all your attempts to catch them lying, they will actively blame you.

With a little training, you will be able to automatically detect all of the above signs of deception. And those around you will only be amazed at your intuition.

Video: These 50 gestures will teach you how to read people

The following methods for detecting human lies are used by police, forensic psychologists, security experts and other investigators. This is a basic run-through of physical gestures (language gestures) and verbal cues that indicate signs of lying.

This knowledge is also useful for managers, employers and for those who can use it in everyday situations, it will prevent you from becoming a victim of lies/fraud, etc.

The surest sign of truth is simplicity and clarity. Lies are always complex, elaborate and verbose.

Now, I want to be very clear that there are no personality factors such as gestures, body movements, eye movements, or facial expressions that are determinants of lying. Although there are some that occur naturally, such as changes in heart rate, neuronal and nerve activity.

Why don't I believe it? For the simple reason that there are people who are masters of lies, psychopathic and antisocial personalities who love to make people suffer, violate the rights of others and violate all rules and regulations. Therefore, they know how to deal with both the signs of lying and the feelings of remorse, compassion, or guilt that lead to outward signs that they are lying.

On the other hand, there are people who are trained to hide information, hence one needs to be an expert to extract the truth from them.

However, don't expect this article to make you an expert on the signs of a person lying.

The first sign of a lie: fear, hesitation, unusual disturbances or preoccupation, evasiveness, explanations without reason, defensiveness, unusual aggressiveness or suspicious behavior of a person. These may be some of the outward signs of lying that the subject cannot hide by lying about a particular situation.

Another sign of a person’s lies is situations with direct questions. You will notice evasiveness towards the problem through refusal, excuses and explanations that you did not ask for. However, I don't want to create paranoid people, especially if confidence is at stake, so there is no need to conclude that they are lying to us unless we have key evidence.

Second sign of lying: inadequacy, personality changes, mood changes (emotional lability) such as anger for no reason, symptoms of remorse or guilt. However, many people are able to suppress their conscience enough that the main sign of lying is inconsistency. You can't say one thing and do another. If actions generally do not correspond to their speeches or if their explanations do not correspond to reality, and suspicions begin to arise, we can already perceive as something deceitful.

Usually when most people lie they get stuck in the relationship. Attitude change is not as easy to control as guilt because it involves reflecting thoughts. If the subject has changed the attitude, which is clearly visible, we already have a key element.

Third sign of lying: evidence of all the inconsistencies together creating a map that detects lies is simply seeing the signs of lies with our own eyes.

There are no nonverbal signs of lying that are the same for all people.

A liar thinks more about what he says and less about his nonverbal communication. It is easier to manage words than expressions and micro-expressions of emotions.

There are three main reasons why nonverbal behavior can reveal lies:

Lying causes stress, fear and effort, which transfers into observable expressions and gestures. Nonverbal signals express emotions of fear or unwillingness to lie.
An excessive attempt to control information leads to artificial actions with little emotion, small gestures and movements that reveal a discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal language.

Facial microexpressions

Facial microexpressions are very rapid movements that appear in conversation, cover the entire face and alternate between normal facial expressions. They are unexpected and appear in the context of slight expressiveness during conversation. They take less than a twentieth of a second and are very difficult to perceive with the naked eye. Research has found that people who lie tend to imitate their facial expressions, but cannot avoid making these quick expressions that betray them.

Smile and laughter

One of the usual ways to hide emotions.

In Ekman and O'Sullivan's research, smiling is used to mask negative emotional expressions such as anxiety and fear. A liar uses a smile to hide his true emotions. The muscles that produce a smile, especially the contraction of the zygomaticus muscle, have the effect of stretching the corners of the lips laterally and upward.

On the other hand, a real smile is accompanied by a contraction of the eye circumference, which raises the lower eyelid, partially closing the eyes.

Nervous laughter is a typical sign of lying.

Gestures

People use one or both hands when speaking to enhance communication with gestures. A person who lies makes gestures that enhance verbal responses, and they tend to be artificial. Use fewer anti-gravity movements, such as raising the eyebrows, which demonstrate conviction and belief in words, especially at the end of a sentence to add emphasis.

An elusive glance indicates a sign of lying. Therefore, involvement of eye activity is the most common way of assessing deception. Many people think this is the best indicator. However, individual or cultural factors may influence making eye contact. Looking away is a sign of stress.

Verbal cues are the verbal signs of lying, such as the tone of voice, the stories they tell, because telling a lie requires real effort. While there is no 100 percent surefire way to tell if someone is lying, there are things you can do to roughly tell the signs of a lie.

Voice

In situations of anxiety and stress, the human voice becomes sharper and the pitch rises. A person has difficulty modeling his voice and intonation. Mild aphonia may occur. Voice changes on key issues need to be paid attention to. However, the absence of changes is not a sign of truthfulness.

Rhythm of speech

Speech has a consistent, almost rhythmic pattern. When someone is nervous, this pattern becomes slower, more inconsistent, and with speech errors due to nervousness and mental effort.

Word filtering

Because lying takes effort, words don't flow as smoothly when someone tells a lie. This means that someone who is lying must often pause to consider the words before they say them.

Filler words such as ah, mm... um... in moments of hesitation often slip out when someone is lying. These filler words, called collocations, can offer clues about the intentions of the person speaking.

They repeat or rephrase questions

Instead of giving you a straight answer, you may hear a repeated answer or notice a slight pause between answers. The person may also ask you to repeat a question even though you know they heard you the first time. This is a tactic liars use to buy time before responding.

Someone who is lying may also rephrase the question when giving the answer. For example, a conversation might look something like this:

You say: I already told you not to be around Tracy, so why were you?

They say: you told me not to be around Tracy, so I wasn't.

You say: I saw your car on First Avenue this morning?

They say: My car wasn't on First Avenue this morning.

They stutter

Stuttering and using filler words go hand in hand because both are almost involuntary responses to telling a lie. Stuttering, however, is more like breaks and repetitions in words rather than breaks in sentences. That's why you might hear someone say, "I've never stopped at a mall," for example. One of the main causes of stuttering is anxiety, and lying can definitely make a person feel anxious.

You can't see the person you're talking to. There are audio signals that can help you recognize lies on the phone. Here are 6 tips that may be useful in recognizing lies from telephone interlocutors.

Throat clearing

Telling lies is hard work. This can lead to actual physical changes. The tension of an untruthful reaction can cause an almost immediate redirection of moisture to our skin.
Therefore, the moisture usually present in your throat suddenly disappears for this reason, unless you are a skilled liar.

Complex answers

Direct questions are usually answered with equally short and direct answers. You may have a legitimate reason to doubt if someone you're talking to on the phone gives an answer that sounds more like they're trying to convince you than answer your question.
This possibility increases if the response is followed by defensive language, such as, “What did you mean by asking me that?” Or “I’m not too concerned that my answer isn’t what you wanted to hear.”

Information overload

People who tell lies often try to make them more convincing by including unnecessary information or complex answers that have little or nothing to do with the question. This is an attempt to be more persuasive - the mistaken belief that a long answer eliminates suspicion.

Unexpected compliments

People who avoid the truth find that it can help to throw in an unexpected compliment to derail the conversation.
You're lucky if someone tries this tactic because it's obvious. A compliment - instead of an answer - will seem inappropriate.

Lies have long become an integral part of every person’s life. When telling lies, people can be guided by different motives: deception can be purposeful, aimed at humiliating a person, or it can be unintentional, to save relationships between people.

In this article we will consider not so much the reasons for lying, but its signs. You will learn how to activate your internal “lie detector,” which will help you recognize by a person’s facial expressions and gestures whether he is lying or telling the truth.

The face is the mirror of the soul.
Marcus Tullius Cicero

How to recognize a lie by facial expressions?

Of course, you can use a device such as a lie detector, but this is a very expensive device, which, moreover, is quite bulky. Researchers have identified other ways to determine lies.

According to psychologists, a person who wants to deceive tries his best to pass off a lie as the truth. At the same time, lying is accompanied by certain gestures, body movements, and specific intonation.

No two people are absolutely alike. Everyone has a different worldview, everyone feels differently. People also lie in different ways. However, there is a whole set of signs according to which we can conclude that this is a liar.

Symmetry and lies

A person gets tense when he lies. And, despite the fact that he tries hard to hide it, it doesn’t always work out. In addition, the deceiver loses self-control. The tension is noticeable; you only need to observe the left side of the person's body.

You may ask - why on the left?

The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for human emotions and imagination.
The left hemisphere is responsible for the mind and speech.

From this we conclude that the left side is controlled somewhat weaker. However, both hemispheres maintain close contact with each other. What we want to demonstrate to others will appear on the right side, our feelings will be clearly visible on the left side.

What do the emotions and facial expressions on a liar’s face say?

When a person cheats, the sides of his body are not the same. For example, your opponent actively gestures with his left hand, but his right does not move. This shows one thing: the person is telling a lie. The brain thinks up lies while the body goes out of synchronicity.
Our face displays, perhaps, even more information that a person is lying. Asymmetry indicates a lie. Deceivers rub either their lower or upper lip and may cough while covering their mouth with their hand.
Lies tend to stress a person out. When a person cheats, his complexion changes, his eyelids begin to twitch, and his blinking frequency increases. The fact is that a person has a desire to close his eyes to everything that happens. By rubbing parts of the body, the brain wants to block the untruth. A slight squint indicates dissatisfaction.
Most people believe that shifting eyes indicate that a person is deceitful. But much more often the deceiver turns out to be the one who keeps looking into the eyes.
Typically, rubbing gestures indicate dishonesty. Psychologists say that a deceiver who is worried pulls the collar of his clothes or simply rubs his neck.
A person is given away by the position in which he sits or stands during a conversation. A self-controlled person can control himself, but he can give himself away by leaning back. The deceiver cannot find a comfortable position, this indicates that this situation is unpleasant for him.
The liar is nervous and does not feel comfortable, which affects the speed of speech. Some deceivers speak more slowly than they would normally, others speed up their pace.

Video: How to find out if a person is telling the truth?

How to recognize a lie by gestures?

Every average person in ordinary life tends to pretend, put on different masks, changing his role each time. Some of us are more sincere and change only in a formal setting. And some are already accustomed to lying (and do it more regularly than they eat). However, do not think that no one will detect a lie. This fact is instantly visible in the nonverbal language of the human body.

There are people who intuitively feel that they are being deceived. But not every one of us can easily perceive the dissonance between words and gestures. How can you guess what a person really thinks? And is it possible to spot a liar?

Of course you can. And even necessary! It was to reading the language of gestures and facial expressions that he dedicated his famous book “Body Language. How to read others' thoughts by their gestures" by famous Australian writer. Being very young, he had already managed to earn his first million. Including thanks to his ability to read non-verbal language.

What basic gestures and body movements indicate that the interlocutor is telling a lie?

Step back

If your colleague, while talking to you, leaned back with his whole body or just his head, or perhaps began to mark time at the moment when you asked him a question, then this indicates that he does not want to answer at all. And if so, then he is quite capable of lying to you.

Touching the face

Gestures associated with touching one's face usually inform us that a person is not telling the truth. This gesture is very typical for children who, having uttered a lie, very quickly cover their mouths, sometimes crossing their fingers. Less noticeable gestures are also characteristic of adults who already have self-control; hands strongly reveal a person.

However, not all gestures associated with touching the face indicate a person’s deceit. After all, when we sneeze, yawn and cough, we also touch our faces. And this fact does not mean at all that the person is lying at this time.

If the gate presses

Observant people have long noticed that liars, who are afraid that their lies will be discovered, and who tremble at possible exposure, begin to fiddle with the collar clasp, protrude the collar of their suit, or simply touch their neck in some way.

Similar actions related to the neck, as well as periodic patting on it, can also indicate that the person has forgotten to fulfill what he promised you and is now trying to find an excuse for himself.

Exaggeration of emotions

During a conversation, the face of a mentally healthy person always expresses some emotions or feelings. A face that expresses absolutely nothing is extremely rare. A person who tells a lie, on the contrary, has a face that is too lively in showing his feelings.

The artificiality of emotions, among other things, is complemented by overly expressive gestures. The whole face plays, but it doesn’t really play. And everyone can notice such unnaturalness of the interlocutor.

At the pace

Feeling “out of place” can affect the speed of speech of the person telling the truth. Only the pace of speech slows down for some, while for others it increases sharply. In addition, the intonation of the voice may change: for example, the deceiver may speak in a higher voice or, on the contrary, in a slightly lower, coughing voice.

It is also worth paying attention to the volume of the voice at the end of the spoken phrase. The liar begins to speak too loudly, or, on the contrary, too quietly.

How can you expose a liar and avoid mistakes in your conclusions?

In order not to make a mistake, you need to study “body language” not only regarding gestures that clearly indicate that a person is lying. In addition, you need to know what body movements are characteristic of a person experiencing fear, boredom, self-doubt, delight, etc.

You should not draw rash conclusions based on any of the above gestures until you evaluate the person’s behavior as a whole.

It is important to note that being overly partial towards a person for whom we feel antipathy is often overly subjective. Therefore, all his gestures can be interpreted in a negative direction towards him.

Important Notes:

It is much easier to analyze a person’s behavior if you have communicated with him more than once. If something has changed in his behavior, it will be immediately noticeable, although not always. It happens that at the first glance at a person, discrepancies between body movements and words are already noticeable.
In nature, sometimes there are such skillful liars with the highest self-control that it is almost impossible to figure them out.

The spoken word was, yes and no, but the written word lives forever

During various studies of non-verbal language of communication, scientists concluded that most often people lie to each other on the phone, followed by statistically private conversations. And least of all, people lie to each other in writing. After all, what is written with a pen cannot be cut down with an axe.

TO SUM UP: 30 main signs of lying

We all want to be able to distinguish lies from truth. After all, so often we become victims of deception when we did not expect it at all. This is so offensive! Don't fall for this hook again - liars can be recognized, they give themselves away! Your weapon is knowledge.

We have collected for you in one list the 30 main signs of lying. Be sure to read them and remember, everyone needs to know them.

Important clarification:
One of these signs is not enough to accuse a person of lying. Therefore, to be sure, you must detect at least several signs at once.
And, if you see 5 or more signs listed below in a person, then this is already a serious signal that he is deceiving you.

The easiest way to test the truth of a person is to ask him a question, for example: “Did you do this?” and if he clearly answers “no,” then most likely he is telling the truth. And if he answers vaguely, “How could you think that I did this”, “Do you think that I am capable of this?” - such answer options are more likely to indicate the interlocutor is lying.
The next favorite technique of liars is to laugh the question off. You ask him an awkward question that he doesn't want to answer, so he gets off with a joke.
Liars love to emphasize their exceptional honesty: they will constantly tell you the phrases “I swear to you,” “I give my hand to be cut off,” “But it’s true, because I never deceived you!”, etc.
Eye contact. During normal communication, people maintain eye contact on average 2/3 of the entire time of communication. But when a person lies, then most likely he will look at you much less often.
The desire to instill sympathy and empathy. For example, he will say: “I have a wife and children”, “I have”, or “I am the same as you, I understand you too”...
Answering a question with a question. You ask him, but he doesn’t want to answer specifically and asks counter questions. “Did you do this? “Why are you asking?”
The next sign of a liar is that he may refuse to answer for no apparent reason. It would seem that the question is harmless, but he simply “stops” and refuses to talk to you.
"Inhibited" emotions. It is normal when a person is told some shocking news and reacts to it with his emotions instantly. But if the liar knew about this in advance, then, of course, he will not be able to feign emotions believably. Therefore, pay attention if his emotional reaction does not follow immediately, but with a delay of several seconds.
For example, he stole money from you and you suspect that it could be him. You say: “Can you imagine, my money was stolen!” And only after 2-3 seconds he will make an amazing grimace, because it just took time to figure out what to do. A normal person would react instantly.
The next way to distinguish fake emotions is to pay attention to their protractedness. If emotions are artificial and feigned, then they will very often last more than five seconds. The fact is that in real life, human emotions change very quickly, but if a person pretends to be surprised, then this will drag on for quite a long time.
"Dry sip". Liars have very dry throats and take very noticeable gulps. You can even watch their Adam's apple move. Therefore, if a person often swallows and coughs during a conversation, this means that he is very worried that he will be found out.
Asymmetry of facial expressions. A normal person in a calm state always has symmetrical facial expressions. That is, if we smile, we smile equally on both sides. But when you observe that one side of a person is stronger than the other, then most likely this emotion is feigned.
Frequent repetition of the question you asked. When a person is honest, he constantly uses different word forms. But when a person is lying, he will most likely repeat your question and your phrases and words.
Changing the pace of speech. For example, he spoke normally, and then suddenly slowed down. So-called hesitations during a conversation are also considered a sign of lying.
Hostile tone. The interlocutor answers very rudely and inadequately: “I don’t have to answer you!”, “I don’t want to talk to you!”, “I won’t answer in that tone!” - this is all an attempt to avoid an uncomfortable question.
A liar restrains himself when answering questions: he is forced to control himself so as not to blurt out too much.
If your opponent always waits a few seconds to think before answering, then most likely he was just wondering how to get out of this situation and lie plausibly.
"Running" eyes- a classic sign of lying. The person seems to be exploring the entire room around him.
You are often asked to “clarify” a question. This is nothing more than the same attempt to gain time to think about further actions.
Masking the essence of the answer with a mass of information not related to the question. Roughly speaking, when you ask about “Foma,” you get a detailed answer about “Erema.”
Typically, a liar cannot give a detailed explanation and avoids giving details. And if you delve into the details, he will generally begin to get confused in them.
If at first the interlocutor answered the questions, but suddenly he lost all desire to talk, this means that he was simply tired of lying.
One of the most favorite attempts of liars is to move on to another topic.
Another sign of lying is that a liar will resist your attempt to get to the root of the problem. You will simply feel that he does not want you to get to the bottom of the truth.
How the person moves towards you. If a person is honest and does not hide anything, then on a subconscious level he will move closer and closer to you. And if your opponent is lying, understands this and is afraid of being discovered, then on the contrary, he moves away from you somewhat, thereby trying to get away from the problematic situation as quickly as possible.
Attempts to cause direct insult. This indicates a VERY nervous state.
Shifting from foot to foot will also indicate that the person is lying.
Covers your face, forehead or neck with your palm.
Scratching your nose or earlobe.
The appearance of trembling in the voice. Perhaps even the appearance of stuttering, if it was not there before.
If your interlocutor is lying, then often a slight smile appears on his face, and this smile has 2 reasons:
A way to relieve stress.
Masking true emotions.

Despite the fact that lies are found everywhere in life, there is a list of gestures that help to recognize them. This, in turn, is used to reveal the truth, and to find out the main nuances of the case that the person wanted to hide.

The easiest way to recognize a person who is telling a lie is through video. It clearly shows the facial expressions that are typical of a liar.

When telling information that is a lie in advance, a person constantly experiences anxiety. It is easily captured in the sound of a voice, a shifting gaze, a sharp change in movements. When announcing a lie, a person suddenly begins to involuntarily change his intonation. There appears a sharp acceleration in the voice or, conversely, a smooth slowdown and stretching of the conversation.
If a person is very worried about the information he is conveying, the interlocutor’s voice will tremble. In this case, changes in combination with other signs affect the timbre and volume of the voice, hoarseness appears, or the person pronounces words at high notes.
Another sign by which it is easy to determine that they are lying to you is the appearance of a shifting gaze. This behavior is interpreted as a natural sign of a person’s insincerity. True, if you are interviewing a candidate or catching people in an awkward situation, then a shifting gaze means shyness and even a kind of anxiety. If this happens when discussing a personal issue, the reliability of the information people provide should still be checked and treated with doubt. This behavior is primarily associated with a state of shame, as one becomes embarrassed by the lies being told.
Experts in the civil service can easily determine whether a person is lying or not by his smile. When people reproduce false information, a smile may involuntarily appear on their face. There are also cheerful people for whom this behavior is the norm, but for others, an inappropriate smile expresses a lie in relation to the question asked. This is explained by the fact that thanks to a slight smile, a person manages to internally hide his excitement and tell a lie much more believably.

Facial expressions indicating a lie

In addition to external excitement and a shifting gaze, you can determine a lie with the help of signs on the face. If you take a careful look at your interlocutor, pay attention to the micro-tension along the contour of the facial muscles. In this regard, they say about a lying person that “a shadow ran across his face.” This tension on the face lasts literally 1–2 seconds. Experts note that the manifestation of instant tension in the facial muscles is an accurate indicator of insincerity.

Another indicator in the facial expressions of a lie that recognizes a lie is the appearance of an involuntary reaction on the skin and other parts of the interlocutor’s face. This takes into account a change in the color tone of the skin (the interlocutor will blush or turn pale), the pupils dilate, the lips tremble, and both eyes blink frequently. However, the factors determining lies do not end with changes in color and facial expressions. Gestures are of great importance in determining that the interlocutor has told a lie.

What human gestures cannot be trusted

American researchers conducted a large number of experiments, during which they were able to identify those gestures that indicate lying. The main ones are:

involuntary touching of the face with a hand;
covering your mouth with your hands;
constant rubbing or any other touching of the nose;
gestures in the eye area (rubbing, touching eyelids);
periodically pulling back the collar of a shirt or jacket.

By gestures you will understand at what point in the conversation they will lie to you. In principle, a person can use gestures to show both lies and his insecurity. In this case, an example is a regular interview. When announcing responsibilities, a person is often simply not confident that he will fulfill all the responsibilities assigned to him. However, in other cases, involuntary gestures should be trusted and you should clarify what the person is hiding from you.

One of the main points is the understanding that gestures and facial expressions should be trusted only if their manifestations are systemic. To put it simply, gestures will never be a concrete criterion to determine a lie. For a full assessment, experts record a person on video and compare facial expressions and gestures.

How to encourage facial expressions and gestures when lying

If the interlocutor introduces himself as a calm person and it is impossible to read on his face whether he is trying to lie or not, you need to bring the interlocutor out of balance.

First of all, this is easy to do with the help of leading questions. At the same time, questions should be asked in such a way that in the case of an honest person he did not recognize the trick, but in the case of a liar, on the contrary, he got the feeling that he was caught, and you already know all the information.
During a conversation, ask your interlocutor for advice for a friend who is in an awkward situation in which the person opposite is suspected. If you have a sincere interlocutor in front of you, then he will give advice as he thinks, and you will not be able to recognize changes in gestures and facial expressions. If the interlocutor decides to deceive, he will begin to joke awkwardly and get nervous.
In addition, another technique is to tell the person that you know how and masterfully master the tools for recognizing lies from gestures and facial expressions. Then the person will be afraid of being exposed, and will show just the signs of a liar - he will begin to periodically glance to the sides, fidget with his tie or collar, and create obstacles from objects on the table between you.

How to recognize a lie

The following reaction will help you recognize whether your interlocutor actually lied or not:

Changes in emotional expression and slower reactions. Speech may begin incoherently and end abruptly.
Little time passes between the spoken words and the accompanying emotion. A person who speaks to you in a sincere tone immediately displays an emotional coloring along with the words spoken.
If the expression on the interlocutor’s face does not agree with what was just said, he is lying.
If, when expressing emotions on a person’s face, only a slight grin appears or only the muscles of the face are involved, it means that he is hiding something from you.
When a person tells a lie, it is as if he is physically trying to “shrink.” This is accompanied by an attempt to take up as little space as possible in the chair, to press your hands towards you in one motion and take a position that is not comfortable for sitting.
The interlocutor avoids meeting your eyes.
Constantly touches or scratches his ears, eyes, or nose.
Periodically turns away from you, while tilting both his head and the entire body. This symbolizes an unpleasant flow of conversation for the interlocutor on a given topic.
When talking, he unconsciously places objects between himself and you: a napkin, a vase, wine glasses, a chair. Thus, a person creates a kind of “protective barrier” around himself.
When answering the specified question, he uses only those words that he heard from the question itself.
Indicates much more detail and answers the question much more extensively than was generally required. Thus, he tries to better disguise a well-thought-out lie with other facts that will supposedly distract the interlocutor’s attention.

Knowing the list of changes in people’s behavior and facial expressions indicated in the article, you will be able to accurately determine whether they are telling you a lie or not.