In the book “Telling Lies,” Dr. Paul Ekman, a social psychologist and facial expression/body movement expert, describes lying as “a central characteristic of life.” Despite this, most people can tell if someone is lying only 50 percent of the time, according to LifeTrainingOnline.com. Lie detection involves behavior analysis and requires information that helps you read verbal and nonverbal cues.
Understand the Process
Step 1
Create a baseline. In order to determine if someone is lying, you need to know when he is telling the truth. Create a baseline by asking questions that, because you can verify the answers, normally elicit a truthful response. For example, ask about the history of a business, the type of food a restaurant serves or the date of a planned event.
Step 2
Observe his eye, hand and body movements, along with his facial expression.
Step 3
Ask the “real” question or questions.
Step 4
Look for both verbal and nonverbal cues that display a difference between what you observed during a truthful response and the response to your “real” questions.
Verbal Cues
Step 1
Listen for answers that indicate stalling, such as restating a question you asked. According to Joseph T. Wells, founder of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, liars often stall while trying to come up with deceptive answers.
Step 2
Watch out for hedging. Hedging is a risk-management strategy liars often use to avoid answering question. Selective memory is a common form of hedging.
Step 3
Note embellished answers to simple questions. Embellished answers include statements a liar hopes will add weight to the deception. Embellished answers include statements that begin with “Frankly,” “To be honest with you,” “I swear” or “To tell the truth,” according to JournalOfAccountancy.com.
Step 4
Pay attention when the liar answers your question with a question, as she may be on a fishing expedition. She wants to know how much you already know. Alternatively, she may be trying not to lie if she thinks she can get around you.
Step 5
Watch for overly polite responses to your questions, such as those that begin with “sir” or “ma’am,” followed by a flattering statement, such as an acknowledgment of how hard you work. Truthful answers are rarely this polite.
Body Language
Step 1
Look for the response. When the human body is under stress, it reacts with a “fight or flight” response that makes sitting still almost impossible. Look for actions such as the person's head pointed toward you but their feet pointed toward the door, frequent changes in body position, and arm and/or leg crossing.
Step 2
Look for the timing of the response. If the response is out of time to your question, chances are he is lying. According to Blifaloo.com, gestures, emotions and expressions may start later, stay longer and stop suddenly when a person is lying.
Step 3
Watch her face. Many times the mouth is the only facial muscle that moves when a person is faking an emotion such as surprise. In addition, gestures such as lip licking, averting the eyes and paleness or flushing can indicate lying.
Step 4
Watch for the emergence of childlike emotions, such as covering the mouth. According to JournalOfAccountancy.com, liars frequently put one hand to the mouth in a childlike gesture when telling a lie.
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