How to tell if someone is Lying

Abhishek Jaguessar

The PlanNon-verbal or visual clues to lyingVerbal clues to lyingAnswer questionsOur job is to help you understand the process and issues. Be careful in applying.

LyingCommon BeliefsMost people are pretty good at detecting liesLiars tend to be more nervousLiars tend to hesitate more in speechLiars will blushLiars more often fail to make eye contactLiars tend to look up and to the left when they are concocting a lieRelying on your gut or instinct is the best way

PARADOX OF DECEPTIONMost people think they are good lie detectors but poor liarsMost people are poor lie detectors but highly skilled liars PerceptionReality

Looking at his face I got the impression that here was a man who could be relied upon when he had given his word.

British P.M. Neville Chamberlain following a 1938 meeting in Munich with Adolph Hitler, who swore he would not invade Czechoslovakia.

I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. I was able to get a sense of his soul.George Bush commenting on a meeting with Vladimir Putin in June 2001.

The Scientific FactLies are present in: 37% of phone conversations27% of face-to-face conversations14% of emails (Hancock, 2005).Without training, lies are not easily detectable.Behavior can be misleading in credibility assessment

Attempts to detect liesLie detectorbased on theory liars are nervouspulse rate, blood pressure, respiration, and palm sweat.Detects people who are nervous when they lieDetects people who are nervous that you aren't going to believe them Works about 70 percent of the timeMRI brain scanLie is a cognitive activity, not a memory activity

Visual CluesNumerous studies have been done with subject telling known lies and telling the truth. Their behavior was recorded and correlated. The results show some behaviors is correlated with lying: Pupil dilation Much more pronounced in liarsVocal tension More pronounced in liarsVocal pitch - More pronounced in liars

Visual cluesFidgeting No differenceBlinking No differenceCooperative More pronounced in non-liarsSmiling No differenceLip pulls No differencePleasantness Barely more pronounced in NL

Visual cluesAre liars less forthcoming: Longer responses More pronounced in non-liarsRich details in story More pronounced in non-liarsRate of speech No differenceTime before starting No difference

Visual cluesAre stories of liars more compelling? Stories have discrepancies/ambivalent Slightly more pronounced in liarsStories less logical - Slightly more pronounced in liarsStories impersonal/distant Definitely more pronounced in liarsUncertainty Slightly more pronounced in liarsWord repetition - Slightly more pronounced in liars

Visual CluesFoot/leg movements No differencePosture shifts No differenceHead/Hand movements No difference

Visual cluesAdmitted lack of memory More pronounced in non-liarsSpontaneous corrections More pronounced in non-liarsUnusual details No difference

Micro expressions

Micro ExpressionsPeople demonstrate their emotions unconsciously in their actionsSometimes happens for less than a secondCan read the expression if you are trained to read them. Every expression is built through a combination of muscles movements

Micro ExpressionsSurprise: Raised brows high and archingSkin below brow is stretchedEyelids open white shows above and below irisJaw drops lips and teeth parted but with no tension

Micro expressionsFear

Micro ExpressionsDisgust

Micro Expressions

Examples in use

Verbal cluesWhat you see below is copied from a report form but it is exactly what was written by a man who was reporting his car stolen. However, the nature of his handwriting is not an issue so it is reproduced in typescript. The report form had on it his name and address, his car number and other similar facts that had been written in the spaces provided for them. In what you read below, is there anything that would help you to decide whether it is truthful or deceptive? If so, what?

Fri 14 oct PARKED IN HUDSONS PARKING LOT Section C

Went Shopping for 1/2 HR. Came out It was gone

Description of Car1975 Bricklin, White, Gull wing DoorsGoodyear Eagle ST. tires

1. On 22nd February 2003, a bundle of 10s totalling $5,000 was found in locker 2. 3, where my cash drawer is kept. The date stamped on the straps of the 3. bundle is that of 31st January 2003, on this day, as on most Tuesday I am 4. responsible for balancing the vault. At approximately 2.00 pm, I balanced 5. the vault. The currency is then placed in vault locker 5. If 5 is locked then 6. the currency is placed in any open locker and locked, if I am doing the vault 7. then I will put it in locker 3. I did not have a chance to find someone to tell 8. them before they went to the vault. If I placed the bundle in locker 3 then it 9. was there from 31st January until it was discovered on 22nd February. I had 10. no knowledge of the missing money. Ive been with this bank for more 11. than two years and if in that time you are unaware of my trustworthiness 12. then I suggest we need to come to some sort of agreement so this does not13. happen again.