Can You Tell If Someone Is Lying?

Can you tell if someone is lying? The average person might not think to pick up on behavioral subtleties that can help you decide if someone is being dishonest or not. However, short of having your very own lie detector, a few signs may indicate that someone is fibbing.

The Past
Keep in mind how the person normally acts, and see if it stacks up to how he's currently acting. This can help you decide if something's not right. For example, if an individual tends to be a people-pleaser, he may try to withhold information that he thinks might hurt your feelings. If an individual is concerned with what others think, he might lie in order to hide something embarrassing.

The Tell-Tale Signs
Body language often gives liars away. There are a few things to look out for, with the most common being lack of eye contact. People who are lying are often afraid of looking the person they're talking to in the eye. A good liar might be purposely trying to make eye contact, but a quick glance down at the floor or to the side might give him away. People can also go to extremes when lying. They might stand in one place with little to no body movement, or they might be overly dramatic when telling a story.

Some more obvious gestures could be scratching, rapid blinking or frequent touching of the face. If you can't see the signs, you might also be able to hear them. While lying, a person's voice can rise several octaves. You may notice these signs even more if you ask a few questions about his story. You don't need to give the person the third degree, but asking about a minor detail or asking him to repeat himself because you didn't hear all of it might catch the person in a lie.

The most important thing to remember is to trust yourself and your own instincts when you think someone is lying to you. You can call the person on it to see if he comes clean or becomes more uncomfortable, but you're also running the risk of offending someone who might be telling the truth.