How to tell if a man is lying...

[Grimmlok]

... he talks. The end.

HAH just kidding, here's the article.

He may not drastically alter personalities, his nose certainly will not grow, and what happened to Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar is comforting, but it is a lie in itself.

So how do you tell? How do you know if he’s building an elaborate web of lies that could restrain you for years, suspended in thin air until the moment he tears you apart? Hopefully, we can bring your Spider-Man back down to Earth.

What you Already Know

Most women can easily tell when a guy is completely putting you on. These situations usually involve a man trying to pick you up or elevate their esteem in your eyes. Let’s focus on the guy you're dating.

Your estrogen will probably tingle if he changes topics or acts shifty. Maybe he’ll even avoid eye contact like a pigeon, who closes his eyes and hopes the threat goes away. But what if this liar dances around these familiar deception detection devices? What if his lies are just so pathological that you cannot tell truth from BS?

It’s like a game, the more he gets away with the more comfortable he’ll be at raising the stakes. Let’s see if we can up the ante and peek at his cards.

What you May not Know

Although there are discrepancies with this method, body language is still a significant give-away of any would-be liar. Imagine you’re standing with your arms crossed, waiting to hear the intricate story he is about to construct. Start at the top, and we’ll work your eyes down.

Eyes

Looking to the left (from your viewpoint looking at him) could mean he’s lying; research suggests that people will look in this direction when constructing an image or sound. Looking to the right, however, suggests thinking or an attempt to remember an image or sound.

Some of you are thinking: if he looks aside… LIAR! In reality, this technique isn’t as conclusive as people would like to believe. For example, looking down and to the left indicates a person is recalling a smell, feeling, or taste; while looking down and to the right indicates internal dialogue, which could mean internally verifying his make-believe story of what he did last night.

Eye movement can get tricky. In the heat of the moment, when you can’t remember your right from left, you may charge him as a liar, when he’s merely struggling for the right thing to say. Moreover, a person who is left-handed may have opposite meanings for their eye-movements. Therefore, you should be aware of this method but don’t base your case on it.

Lastly, when watching his eyes you should notice if he continually looks toward a door. Liars will glance that way as a means of getting out. Therefore, before you interrogate him make sure you pick a strategic location – a door and numerous lights (preferably fluorescent) should do the trick, but if you’re feeling festive make sure you turn up the heat. Finally, in case you’re just browsing and you missed it earlier, a prospective liar will have trouble meeting you eye-to-eye.

Face

Although liars have evolved in their skills, evolution skipped the face because when a person lies their lips do not necessarily correspond to their eyes. For example, he might try to cover up the lie with a joke, yet his eyebrows are still nervously contorted. Similarly, if he tries to sweeten his sincerity with a smile, yet only his mouth moves, his expressions are forced and you should question their authenticity.

Unless a liar is conscious of it, his facial expressions will not correspond to his words. Genuine emotion involves the whole body. The eye muscles, which few people can voluntarily manipulate without looking deranged, often squish together when a person is lying.

Hands

Throw out a question. One you know will get his brain working overtime – or at least punch-in for a shift. Now watch his hands. If they instinctively reach for the face, get that sixth sense tingling. As Seinfeld says, the higher up the face the more serious the lie. A mild white lie and he strokes his mouth; a deep burdensome lie and he’s massaging his eyebrows.

Body

Is he crossing his arms – or if he’s more feminine – his legs? This indicates a primal protective instinct. The desire to retreat when attacked. The liar will retreat toward his own body. Moreover, their movements are more likely to be stiff or less frequent. They may even subconsciously make subtle movements away from you.

Sweat

Pretty obvious? I agree. But nonetheless, if you notice a trickle of sweat slide down the side of his cheek don’t wait for his nose to grow (unless you’ve turned up the heat beyond reason).

_________________________________
are your pants on fire?

All these tips should have you reaching up his sleeve and pulling out that ace. However, don’t let your own opinion frame what you see. And don’t let an article on lying allow you to see lies in everyone. Our biases can alter our perceptions of the world and the words of others. Before you roam the Earth questioning all eye movements, you must sit back with a cup of coffee in a quite room and try and expose your own biases and paranoia

[UndercoverGator]

Grimm, I was just about to post "When his lips are moving.." before I saw you'd already stated the obvious...

[NoDayButToday]

Actually, communication studies have proven that there isn't a clear way to identify people are lying

Sorry, just throwing in stuff from last semester's lecture notes, I'll snoop around my old stuff and see if I can find the name of the theory it was under

[muchlove]

My best friend in school always got a frozen, deer-in-the-headlights look on her face when she lied. It was hilarious. My boyfriend's eyes flicker ever so slightly for just a split second, but I catch it every time now. When I call him on it, he can't help but laugh.

[Grimmlok]

Pfft.

I grew up on lying. I could lie my ass off about anything, instantly. I knew my tells, I knew what hints I gave away when I was doing badly, and I learned how to use a straight face.

It's amazing what fake confidence will do to push people off the right track

[A*O]

I'm not proud to admit that when required I can lie very convincingly indeed. Comes in useful in the legal profession. My husband, on the other hand, could not lie to save his life. Not for moral reasons, he just LOOKS so damn guilty and shifty when he tells even a small lie. I can read him like a book.

[UndercoverGator]

Mr. Gator tends to look down and shuffle nervously from foot to foot. I can nail his lie every time..

[Elvira]

I always get caught if I lie, so I don’t bother.

I always know if my husband and son are lying when I ask them a question and they hesitate before answering. They both say “ahh” at first, to give them some extra time to think.

I’ve been onto them for years.

[Barbara]

Originally Posted by UndercoverGator

"When his lips are moving.."

Nah, that sometimes happens when they snore, too

I'm a good liar, a great hider. But I usually lie to people who can harm me in some way if I tell them the truth. Hello, Mom.

[pacific breeze]

I usually go by gut feel, which is probably based on some of the "tells" mentioned. I'm a terrible liar, I can never remember my lies, I usually get caught, and I always feel so damn guilty.

I don't lie as a rule, even when it would be in my best interest to do so. But I also don't feel the need to reveal everything to everyone, so I guess that could be considered a crime of omission.

[NoDayButToday]

The thing I talked about up near the top of the thread was referring to universal tells. As everyone has been talking about you can usually tell with those you know well because you notice a deviation in the way they usually act. I tend to think I'm a pretty good liar when I do lie (which is really rare), I think it's because I act and acting is sort of large-scale lying

[Tenaj]

I barely ever don't tell the truth but I can always tell when boyf is lying, I make him look me in the eye and he always bursts into a fit of hysterics so that always lets me know. Then again he never lies about anything serious,

*turns around to eye boyf suspiciously*

[Grimmlok]

lying is easy, but you should preplan and think of questions they may have so you can plan an instant response

Also, have multiple references to things that bolster your lie to make it more believable.. and whatever you do, make eye contact and be as matter of fact as possible

[pacific breeze]

The best liars usually grow to believe their own lies!

[Grimmlok]

ROFL, no the best liars APPEAR to believe their lies, so convincing they are..