Conversations can give a lot away about a person, and one of the big details you may gain is if they are a liar. While it does not always mean that they lie, over time, it could give away that they are not the most honest person. It can also simply mean that someone is keeping things to themselves for the day and wants to keep it to themselves. There’s no guaranteed that you will be able to find this out, even if you do read this list. These are the 10 amazing ways to know if someone is lying.
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You may be gullible with a lot of blind spots, or a person may be a skilled and pathological liar. While it may seem like so-called “liars” are bad people, we are all somewhat responsible. Not everyone lies, and not everyone who lies is bad or does it all the time; we all do it to some degree. There’s no worry though, because the more you practice noticing these principle signs, the more you will stop them.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Know if Someone is Lying
1. They Look Away
If someone is not looking you in the eye, it may be a sign that they are not being entirely honest with you. It may stem from a sense of shame that the person has in not telling you the truth. However, the same can be said for looking at you too much. Even though it can be a sign of anxiety, it does not mean that the anxiety does not stem from being a dishonest liar.
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The biggest sign that someone is telling you the truth is when someone looks at you some of the time. This can be applied to when they are the aggressors or the interrogated in conversation, but it does depend. If you want to get the truth from them if you are sensing this, be sure to let them know to look you in the face. This will at least let you know for sure if they are not telling you the truth.
2. They Keep it Simple
If someone is not telling you the truth, they may show you this by not giving you details. People often hide behind white lies by avoiding the subject or generalizing things with a simple answer. While it can be a sign of social anxiety, it depends on the person you are talking with. If a person is a stranger and/or is showing signs of agitation, be sure to avoid jumping the gun. While it does not mean you have to make it apparent that you do not believe them, be sure to consider it. Just be sure not to be quick to judge before you jump to this conclusion. The last thing you want to do is overthink it to the point of confusion and turn everything into a clusterfuck.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Know if Someone is Lying
3. They Are Anxious
If someone is anxious, which is often fairly obvious, they may be lying. Now, this does not mean that it’s something to get upset over. Maybe the person is having a bad day and wishes to keep minor details to themselves. However, it’s no excuse to withhold vital information when it is needed. Since social anxiety is fairly prevalent among humans, you may find it hard to extract much from this. Their heart may be racing, and they may even begin to sweat from excessive fear. Since anxiety can cause someone to screw up their talking points, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it is relevant. It’s just a matter of being able to notice it, and if the person has reason to be prodded.
4. They Are Apprehensive
If a person is putting up a large set of defense mechanisms, then you may have a person trying to wipe up their lying tracks. That’s to say if they are trying to avoid you all together, you may be dealing with someone who is not being entirely honest. This can occur on both ends of the table, be in the person asking the questions or giving the answers. However, since most interactions don’t have one person being the asking questions or giving answers, it depends on the interaction. Given the circumstance, if a person is asking a question, they may be trying to extract information through deceit. If a person is answering by showing avoidance, they may be hiding something. This can be avoiding eye contact or defensiveness, they may be giving you a little taste of what’s not fact.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Know if Someone is Lying
5. They Talk Too Fast
If someone is flat out lying to you, they may hide behind talking very fast to overcompensate for the lie they are telling. It kind of means that they are trying to make it seem like they mean it because they are so willing to share it. They can also be talking too fast for other reasons, but the association is typically spot on. This will generally give someone no time to catch up with them, and it’s often overlooked. You will probably end up not noticing it and forgetting about it entirely.
6. They Mumble
If someone is talking under their breath, they may be trying to hide behind inadequacy. This is one real good way to get away with a deceitful deception. While this often comes in the form of saying something without a person noticing, it can be used in clever ways to lie to someone. It may mean that they are trying to confuse you with what they are saying. A mumble is a sign of a lack of confidence, which means that they are more likely to slip up and/or lie. When someone mumbles, it can come off as rude and inconsiderate. This recognition can lead you to understand how mumbling can give a deaf liar away.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Know if Someone is Lying
7. They Make Things Complicated
When a person is being dishonest, they may try to overcomplicate the facts to confuse you into acceptance of their context. This means that they may try to make a story sound extreme for the sake of making their point. It may also be about winding around a subject or question to avoid answering it. A tactic like this is to try and make sure that a person forgets the main context. This is especially tied to it if it’s not an important question. A person doing this is simply trying to confuse you with a bunch of nonsense to keep you from getting your mind set. They may shut you down or keep you from asking the question again to avoid giving bad answers.
8. They’re Assumptive
If a person is constantly assuming things about others, it may be a sign that they don’t know and are misdirecting. This is essentially projection, where a person may immediately put it off on you to answer their question. It may be about them making asserting statements that almost accuse you of a problem. Many of us probably do this all of the time, just like many things on this list, without even noticing. However, just like them, we may be aware of the problem. We may even try to find more subtle scapegoats to help push our lies further into the distance.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Know if Someone is Lying
9. They Use Excessive Body Language
If someone is using excessive body language by wagging their hands around, they may be at least exaggerating. People that like to make a big deal out of what has happened will often be very expressive with their movement. It’s almost like an interpretive dance to spice up the tale that they are giving. This may be a sign that someone is being put on the defensive and feels a need to express themselves. This is not always a sign of dishonesty, but it can give you some context clues about the other person. They may even hold their head down and avoid looking at you all together.
10. They Only Speak of Themselves
If a person only talks about themselves, it may be a sign that they have something to hide. It really only shows that they may be self-centered enough to not consider you. They are probably exaggerating characteristics of themselves to come off as a better person. It all depends on the lie, but when someone is constantly trying to impress others, they are not being forthright.
Final Thoughts: The 10 Amazing Ways to Know if Someone is Lying
As you can see, not everything is clear cut and dry when it comes to telling if someone is lying. The problem is that the context matters, as many of these signs may seem contradictory. However, there are some very clear signs that give it away, even if you are an amateur. The problem is that you have so very skilled liars out there, but it does not mean they get away. It also does not mean that they cannot be found out for who they really are.
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It’s not to say that it is only about spotting pathological liars and warranting a death sentence. There are plenty of well intentioned people out there that don’t even know they are lying. You have to understand that it matters if you are asking a question or simply listening to someone. Sometimes, it’s just about keeping a little something to yourself, but why not learn some new detective skills. It might actually be fun, and you can help someone else out, too.