Story Content

It can be challenging to tell when someone is lying. It is hard to find a liar.

Superpowers are not necessary to detect lies.

Behavioral experts and psychologists have developed these tricks to detect lies in no time:

• Record the person's baseline behaviors by observing how he/she behaves normally first. Fidgeting, stiff posture, or abnormal stillness can be indicators of lying.
• Liars will exhibit micro-expressions on the face before they cover them up—Micro-expressions. However, these last fewer than half a second but are very revealing.
• Ask them to retell their story—story inconsistencies. Weighting lies by adding and altering details that can be easily made up to allow the liar to avoid making too much effort to lie.
• Honest people keep it simple, with too many details and too much explaining. Liars like to elicit an impression of believability by providing extraneous details and/or by omitting silence.
• Verbal Distancing—Attend to the use of phrases where the listener is told the speaker is being honest or where the speaker changes from an “I” (direct) to a “he” or “she” (indirect) statement. These can also touch their face or mouth while talking.

Practice in simulated situations before real situations. Be aware that none of the signs listed above are foolproof—always seek out groups of signs.