How to detect lies - Week 4

How to detect lies

One of the most attractive topics on the non-verbal communication is the process to detect lies.

¿Is there any formula that allows us detecting lies?

According to a scientific investigation by Dr. Paul Ekman and Allan Pease have planted 7 steps to identify when someone is hiding truth in a conversation.

1.- Just Ask the question

When you ask a question to someone that you believe is lying their reaction is to repeat the entire question as an answer or make a pause then answer like they haven’t listen or understand the question properly.

Usually when someone is lying the pauses between words increase and their response is another question.

2.- The itchy mouth

Gestures can be a double edge blade , sometimes can support arguments and sometimes can reveal the real tough on a argument.

When someone is lying they usually drag the fingers or entire hand to cover their lips and mouth is a natural gesture that is used by kids to reveal when someone is lying or saying something that is not truth.

3.- Sweaty forehead

¿Have you ever notice how when someone feels threaten his or her whole body starts to sweat? Even when their body was complete dry second after, now you see them kind of sweaty this is product of nervousness.

This is a biological fact. When we feel pressure or we feel danger, our body will automatically start sweating, to prepare the body for any physiological activity before it happens to regulate the body temperature. 

How to relate this with lying? Well when someone is lying usually they don’t use all the muscle in their face, as consequence of faking all the movements to sound natural the body takes this as an alert of danger and starts sweating at this moment the sweaty forehead starts their role.

4.- Steady body

We can compare lying to play basketball ¿Can you imagine trying to shot the hoop and every time you take the shot you look away from the basket? Not probably; you’re always looking at your goal to see if you accomplished it or not.  What we do is we maintain our glance straight to the ball trajectory to the basket.

When we lie we are throwing a "ball" that we hope our "basket" (listener)  catch , in some way to confirm that they put the guard down and believe us. 

But our eyes are not the only part of our body that keep steady when you’re lying or someone is lying, The hands move less when someone is telling a lie.

5.- The relief of retreat.

The last tip to catch a liar is when the conversation is over.  When you interrogate someone the person is always tense and you can have two endings.
A) They feel attacked and soon as the conversation is over they claim your lack of trust in them. A counterattack for questioning and having doubt.
B) Or they don’t reply anything and their body relaxes for seconds after the conversation is over.

In other words a person that is lying feels guilty and when they stop lying they feel relief.

A honest person is always cooperating ready to explain their self and when you’re questioning someone that is honest they usually will find it offensive and will counterattack after the conversation. A liar in the other hand knows that is lying and is a relief to stop faking information. 

Well there you have it tips to detect liars. Everyone lies and is a human habit, to hide or fake information is part of our daily life and this is part of the process communication. ¿Do you know any other detecting lie method? Feel free to share it

I’m Daniel, thanks for reading!