We all have faced a situation where we had to lie to save ourselves from some disastrous outcomes. Lies are somewhat understandable as long as they do not cause severe harm to anybody else. However, there are many people who lie in every situation and disregard other people’s feelings completely. Almost everyone knows someone who is a compulsive liar and will keep lying no matter what the situation is or how many times you tell him to say the truth. If you have such people in your lives then you need to know how to tell if someone is lying.
It is important to understand the signs that will help you to know when someone is lying. If you have enough knowledge about how to tell if someone is lying then you have lesser chances of being cheated by that person and thus get hurt in the process. Below are some tips that will help you to know how to tell if someone is lying. Look for these signs in people who you think are capable of lying in various situations and you will know if he is telling the truth or not.
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1. Inconsistent
One thing that is common in liars is that they cannot keep their story same. Though this is not a very reliable option but you can spot a liar if you see that someone is changing their story every time they are saying it.
However, it has been seen that many people who are telling the truth also add various details to their version of an incident when they narrate it more than once. This happens because people remember various things at various points of time of narration. But, if you see someone is inconsistent on the major details of a particular incident then you have reasons to believe that he is lying.
2. Asking the question repeatedly
Another way of how to tell if someone is lying is noticing if he is taking more time than usual to answer a simple question. When a person is lying he often repeats the question to the speaker to ensure that he heard it correctly. However, this might be just a way of taking some time to make something up. If a person does this frequently then you have fair reasons to suspect him as a liar and check if other signs of lying are displayed by him.
3. Different expressions
You should also pay attention to the expressions of someone who you think is capable of lying. It is a way of how to tell if someone is lying. You will notice if the person is lying he will display a variety of expressions like rapid blinking, blushing, fake smiles, flared nostrils and many more. Make sure to pay attention to these signs to understand if someone is lying or telling the truth.
4. Use of superlatives
People who lie are often seen to use excessive amounts of superlative words like absolutely, literally, tremendously etc. These words can no doubt be used by someone who is not lying as well. However, when someone is lying he will use these words more than they are necessary. This will help you to know if he is lying.
5. Over explanations
When someone is lying he will try his best to make his speech believable. It often leads to over-explaining certain things. You should be careful if you see someone is over-explaining a simple thing and is providing various instances to prove that they are telling the truth. Providing unnecessary details of information can be seen as a way to understand how to know if someone is lying.
How to tell if someone is lying body language
Body language is another thing that helps us to understand how to know if someone is lying. Certain changes occur in the body language when someone is lying. If you want to know how to tell if someone is lying body language then you need to have some understanding about body language. Below are mentioned a few signs that will help you to understand if someone is lying by observing their body language.
Movement of the hands:
If you see someone is making way more movements of their hands while speaking on a particular thing then you should be concerned. People generally make random movements of their hands when they are lying. The mind gets busy in making things up and thus the gestures of the person change while the conversation.
Fidgeting and itching:
It is also another way of telling if someone is lying. When a person is rocking his body forth and back or tilting the head to a side or making movements with his legs then he might be lying. People generally become nervous when they lie and that makes them fluctuate. Thus, if you notice these fluctuations in someone you should pay more attention to what they are saying.
Eye movement:
It is crucial to notice the eye movements of someone who might think can lie. When a person lies he generally does not make eye contact and keep looking here and there. When they are giving away a crucial piece of information they are most likely to look away and not look directly in the eyes of the person they are speaking to. Given the fact that they are saying a made-up story, their eyes roam around thinking what to say next to make it sound believable. This is a vital sign that will help you to know if someone is lying from their body language.
Dryness or sweating:
There can be automatic changes in the nervous system when someone is lying and that might cause either excessive sweating or dryness in the person who is lying. If you see someone who is sweating profusely while talking about something you might be alarmed. While lying a person might also face dryness in his mouth or eyes. In such a situation he will keep licking his lips o swallowing. These are also potential signs of knowing if the person is lying or telling the truth.
How to tell if someone is lying on the phone
We spend a lot of time on our phones nowadays. People often do not get time to meet their friends and family and thus they end up having conversations over the phone. However, there are people who even lie on the phone. It is rather difficult to say if someone is lying when you are on the phone.
Given the fact that the person is not in front of you the benefit of watching their body language is not something, you can do. In order to how to tell if someone is lying on the phone, you need to pay attention to certain things. Some of these things are mentioned below.
Clearing the throat:
Lying often causes physical changes. One such change is the change in the voice. If you hear someone clear his throat repeatedly over the phone or constantly swallowing then you should be rather alarmed. These are generally signs of someone lying. Make sure you pay special attention to what he is saying when you notice these signs while being on the phone.
Unconfident responses:
When someone is lying he is most likely to give you responses that are not prompt or confident. If you notice someone is starting almost all their sentences with ‘well’ or ‘um’ to each of your questions then you should be somewhat alarmed. These are signs that the person is taking time to make up what they want to say to convince you.
Responses that are convoluted:
If you do not get direct responses to your straightforward and simple questions then you should be doubtful. When a person is telling the truth he will respond with direct answers to your questions.
However, if you see that someone over the phone is not giving any direct answers and is rather talking around the question in general terms then you have reasons to be suspicious. Liars generally avoid answering questions directly as they do not want to tell the truth. In this way, you will be able to understand if someone is lying over the phone.
Unnecessary compliments:
If you find that a person you are on phone with is avoiding your questions by showering you with unexpected amounts of a compliment then you should defiantly be careful. This is one of the age-old signs of catching a liar over the phone. When someone is lying he will try to distract you from asking you for the truth and the best way to do so is to flatter you.
Most of the people love to hear self-praise and they might end up forgetting what the call was actually about. Make sure you do not fall for this while being on the phone and stick to your point.
Providing unrelated information:
When someone is lying on a phone over a particular thing he is most likely to provide you with tons of unrelated information to make his lie believable. They might also keep talking about unrelated things to divert you from your question. Make sure to spot these signs to know if someone is lying over the phone.
How to tell if someone is lying in a text
Texting is hugely popular with this generation. Most of the conversation that the people of this generation do is over texts. This is who it is important that you have an idea of how to tell if someone is lying in a text. While texting, neither you can see the person nor can you hear his voice. Therefore, it is a bit difficult to understand if he is lying or telling the truth. However, there are some signs that will help you to know if the person you are texting is telling the truth or not. Some of these signs are mentioned below.
Not replying instantly:
If you notice that a person who is an instant responder to your texts is taking forever to write you in response to a particular question then you might be worried. It is a sign that the person does not want to answer that question and is thus taking his time to make something up. When he finally replies you might find the answer overloaded with various non-related information and in this way you would know the person is not telling the truth.
Constant typing and not typing:
It often happens that you ask someone something over a text you see the person constantly typing and then stop typing. It is one of the signs that the person is unsure of what to say and is thus continuously typing and backspacing. When you notice this you should be aware that the person might end up lying to you. It is almost a sure trick of knowing if someone if lying over texts.
Change in their personality:
When you text someone regularly you know their personality over texts. If you notice that suddenly they are behaving somewhat differently on over the texts then you should be attentive. It might be a sign that they are lying. People change their text personality when they are saying something they are not comfortable with. Lying is not an easy for someone who is not a habitual liar and that just shows on the texts. Be careful to notice such minute changes in the text personality of someone to know if they are lying.
These are the things you primarily need to know to understand how to tell if someone is lying. Make sure you are careful enough to notice the body language and expressions of people while you talk to them. If you are not careful enough you might miss significant signs that will tell you if the person is lying.
You should do this especially when you are sharing pieces of vital information that has major significance in your life. Ensure that no one can make you a fool because of your lack of attention to their body language.
