How to tell when somebody is lying has been studied by many Psychologists such as Dr. Derren Brown. Brown has developed a very useful system called Neuro-Linguistic Programming, (eye accessing cues). This system has been proven effective in determining whether or not a person is lying and you don’t have to be a doctor of psychology to effectively use it.
Dr. Brown’s method of determining whether or not somebody is lying involves eye movement. A person’s eye movements can tell you which part of the brain they are accessing. These eye movements include:
* Up and to the left- Visualizing a familiar (true) image.
* Up and to the right- Imagination: Putting together a factitious image.
* Down and to the left- Familiar (true) dialog
* Down and to the right- Emotion
* Straight to the left- Sounds: Familiar (true) sound or speaking voice.
* Straight to the right – creating a sound or speaking voice.
The way this method works is simple. If you ask someone what happened and their eyes go up to the left, they are actually accessing their memory for the true image. However, if their eyes move up to the right, they are creating an image, fabricating a lie. You can also tell if they are exaggerating. If they look up and right then down, up and to the left, they’re creating false images to add to the true story.
There are a number of other factors involved in determining whether or not somebody is lying. Many times, they will avoid eye contact all together. They sometimes fidget, touch their face, stutter or scratch their head. They sometimes look at you then quickly look away, not being able to keep constant eye contact.
But how can you tell if somebody is lying to you if you can’t see them such as phone conversations? The most evident sign is fast talking. They will sound edgy, nervous and anxious. Sometimes they cough, clear their throat or laugh softly for no reason. Most of the time if somebody is lying, they’ll be overly persuasive.
One of the most obvious things to look for when you think somebody is lying is inconsistencies in their story. Listening carefully to the facts then running it by them again usually gets a different set of facts the second time.
That is how detectives get to the truth. They barrage the suspect with their own facts and most of the time, the suspect forgets what they originally said and end up changing their story many times over.
Drilling someone to get to the truth isn’t really necessary. Simply listen to their facts then repeat them in the form of a question and listen to their answer. Is that what they said the first time? When challenged, they usually change their story and along with the change of facts there’s usually a change in voice tone. When a person is anxious, their voice takes on a higher pitch.
It all boils down to one fact which is simple common behavior. If you know the person you suspect is lying to you, you know how this person normally behaves. If they seem a bit agitated or anxious, they’re probably lying. Regardless of whether you use psychology or just plain old common sense, observing their behavior will tell you whether they’re lying or telling the truth.
