How to Spot a Liar

Trust is often hard to find & hard to give. And like many people, I find myself wondering if there is a scientific way to tell if someone is telling the truth & whether or not it's worth giving someone the benefit of the doubt.  Here is one study/examination and possible ways/suggestions to "spot a liar". Source: NBC News

Statistics about Lying:

• More than 80% of women admit to occasionally telling....harmless half-truths
• 31% of people admit to lying on their resumes.
• 13% of patients lie to their doctors.
• 32% "stretch the truth" when giving their doctor personal information.
• Nearly 50% lied about following their doctor's treatment plan
• More than 30% lied about their diet & exercise regimens
• 60% of people lie at least once during a 10-min conversation & on average tell two to three lies. 
• On average, men tell six lies per day to their partner, boss &/or work colleagues. Women, three.
• The most common lie told by both sexes was: 'Nothing's wong. I'm fine.' 

 So, here we go. How does one spot a liar?

Listen to Verbal Context & Content

A liar will

• often use your words when answering a question.
• often speak without using contractions.
• often avoid "lying" by making indirect statements with implied meaning.
• often speak more than is necessary to try & become more convincing.
• often leave out pronouns & inflection when answering a question.
• often garble, muddle, or stammer throughout a sentence.

Study the Body Language

• Someone lying will often have a stiff physical appearance. 
• Touching one's face, throat or mouth can indicate deception.
• Will likely avoid eye contact. 
• Unlikely to touch own chest/heart.

Note Emotional Gestures & Contradictions

Someone may be lying:

• If they display emotion long after being asked a question. Too much emotion for too long of a time. Show emotion & then abruptly stop.
• If there is a time gap between a person showing emotion & verbally responding to a question.
• If there is a contradiction between the sentiment of the subjects response & the emotions they are displaying.
• If there emotion is limited to their mouth instead of their whole face--as in a fake smile.

Interactions and Reactions

• A guilty person will often get defensive
• A liar will likely turn their head or body away from the person accusing them.
• A liar will often place an object between themselves and their accuser.

Look Closely at Microexpressions

•  Microexpressions appear & disappear off the face in a fraction of a second. They occur so quickly that most people don't even notice them.
• A microexpression is caused by involuntary movements in facial muscles. Most people cannot control these involuntary muscles which are affected by their emotions.
• Grouped into seven universal emotions: anger, distrust, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise, & contempt.

Study the Eyes

• Up & left, visually constructed images
• Up & right, visually remembered images
• To the left, auditory constructed
• To the right, auditory remembered
• Down & left, feeling/kinesthetic
• Down & right, internal dialog

And last but certainly not least:

Steps to Catching a Liar

Listen, watch, detect, recognize, study & understand. Seems simple enough right?

Additional Source: How To Spot a Liar

The bottom line is people lie every day. Sometimes, it's to spare someone's feelings or just a better choice in judgement. And other times, a lie is completely negative and can hurt someone in more ways than one. In keeping with the idea of spreading positivity into the world, conduct relationships with an open mind, desiring to trust, but when all is said & done, never ignore your instincts and proceed with caution.

As always, may you all be bathed in peace☮ & love💓.

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