Catch These Warning Signs That Expose a Liar Immediately!

Honesty is the best policy. Unfortunately, lying is in our blood. The results of studies and surveys differ quite a bit, but the fact is that we allegedly tell an untruth between 60 and 200 times a day. Sounds alarming, doesn't it? We lie for all kinds of reasons. Some of them are quite honorable and well-intentioned, when, for example, we don't want to hurt or offend someone. Most of the time, however, we lie not for the benefit of others, but out of pure selfishness. The boundaries between lies, white lies, excuses, alternative facts and a slightly distorted portrayal of the truth are extremely fluid. The good thing about lying, however, is that we don't really get away with it. People know exactly when what we say is wrong. You would have to be a high-functioning sociopath to really lie convincingly and credibly to your counterpart's face. Basically, all our senses work against us when we lie. This manifests itself in several ways. We would like to introduce you to ten of these clear signs in this article.

1. One-syllable answers.

If you think you can get away with a lie by using as few words as possible, you're sorely mistaken. One-word answers like "yes," "no," or the famous "don't know" are a dead giveaway. Verbal reticence actually speaks volumes. For experienced police officers and other professionals who are dedicated to finding the truth, buttoned-up stonewalling is a sure sign that the people involved have something on their minds or something to hide. It usually doesn't take too many sophisticated interrogation techniques to bring the truth to light. The best remedy against a dishonest silence is silence. People who have strayed from the path of virtue find it difficult to endure silence in conversation. They constantly have the feeling that they have to counteract. In this way, sooner or later you get to the bottom of the facts, and what, in the truest sense of the word, hides in silence.

2. Sprawling answers.

The opposite of the taciturn strategy of covering up lies is the overly theatrical embellishment of simple facts. Also suspicious: having an answer for everything. For example, someone who wants to conceal an affair by lying about a nice evening among friends as an alibi will not omit any illustrious detail of this memorable, but unfortunately completely invented evening. The food, the drinks, the music and the conversations are reproduced in epic breadth, even if no one asked for all this information. Embellishing with subplots and a lengthy backstory is also a favorite stylistic device of liars hoping to paint as realistic a picture as possible. In interrogation or questioning, whether by cuckolded spouses or a prosecutor, a different trick is used in these cases. This could be casually described as "talking your head off." The interviewers let the swindlers tell their story over and over again. No normal person can prepare so well that they don’t eventually deviate from the script here and get caught up in contradictions.

3. Look me in the eye.

The eyes are known to be the mirror of our soul. It suffers when we are committed to untruth. So it's no wonder that the eye contact thing gets tricky when we fib. Here, too, there are several ways in which we unconsciously expose ourselves. Too constant, rigid eye contact is unnatural and automatically appears aggressive. We rehearse the attack mode, although we are actually on the defensive. Too little eye contact with our interlocutor raises doubts about the truth of our story. We avoid looking our counterpart in the eye by fixing on the tabletop, the floor or our feet. If you think that looking to the left or to the right is an alternative, you are sadly mistaken. Both directions indicate that we need to make a special effort with our mind at that moment. We then either call up our memory or that area in our brain that is responsible for creativity, and lying clearly falls into this area.

4. Our language pattern changes.

Language is a wonderful thing and the clearest form of communication of all. When people use a rather unusual choice of words or come across as particularly stilted or clever, caution is advised.

5. Nervous twitches all over the body.

The fidgety Pinocchio from the legendary children's book lives among us. At least when someone wants to tell us the untruth as a collection of facts. Our body feels uncomfortable with every fiber when we lie. It compensates with nervous twitching of feet, legs, arms and hands. Even our head has to adapt to this treacherous rhythm, whether it wants to or not.

6. The inevitable finger pointing.

We are in a defensive posture when we lie. In the absence of a lance, sword or spear, our index finger must suffice as a weapon to keep potential enemies away. Therefore, liars repeatedly begin to point their finger or outstretched hand at their counterpart or other people in conversation. This finger pointing is all experienced profilers or long-time wives need for a conviction.

7. Mouth and eyes are constantly touched. 

Body language is deeply ingrained in our genes. Even the most radical self-control fails to suppress these signals permanently. Part of us wants to undo what we have said and spontaneously grabs our mouths. Then our eyes don’t want to see how our lies are taken in. So we touch them, too, whenever we deviate from the truth.

8. We change our voice pitch.

Those who speak in a calm, firm voice are usually telling the truth. In fact, our voice pitch changes significantly when we lie. Interestingly, studies have shown that whether people raise or lower their voice when lying varies from country to country.

9. Gestures and facial expressions do not match what is being said.

This is where our intuition is called upon and it pretty much won't let us down. If what is said does not seem at all coherent with the gestures presented with it, we should seriously doubt the truthfulness of these remarks.

10. Good liar, bad liar.

Almost charming is the fact that liars expose themselves most clearly, and with heartbreaking honesty. Anyone who openly and freely admits to being a talented story teller who can successfully lead people around by the nose time and time again should be believed without reservation, at least on this one point.

Today’s Conclusion

Lies don’t have legs. It's the sad truth, unfortunately, but we all lie now and then. The only question is how strategically and across the board we use these untruths in our everyday lives. When we catch people in minor truth transgressions, we can confidently assume that larger, tangible perjuries would not require too much of an effort from them sooner or later. How long one can successfully get away with a lie depends on many factors. We decide for ourselves how to deal with the truth. Those who categorically stretch it and trample it underfoot should not be surprised by the boomerang effect. Once trust has been destroyed, it is difficult to restore. He who lies once is not believed when he also speaks the truth.