How To Read The Body Language Of A Liar! Copy

1. No eye contact

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The first and most telling of all signs of lying is eye contact. If the person you are speaking to you is lying to your face, they'll find it very difficult to look you in the eye. Their gaze might keep shifting to somewhere near you, but never quite meeting the gaze of your eyes.

2. Nervous laughs

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Nervous laughing, we've all done it. But when you're telling a lie, a natural reaction to attempt to cover it up is a nervous laugh. It is an attempt at humour to make it look as though you are relaxed - not lying - but you can notice the lack of authenticity.

3. They'll fidget

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If you've ever told a lie, you'll know perfectly well how hard it is to stay still. It's as though you try and find anything to do to diffuse the tension that you feel while you tell the blatant lie. So watch out for someone fidgeting, it could be the sign of a liar.

4. They'll touch their face a lot

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If you want to catch out a liar, watch how many times they touch their face. This is a tell tale sign, because when someone is nervous they automatically touch their face. It's a natural instinct. They won't know where to hold their hands, and so they'll keep touching their face subconsciously.

5. Speak faster

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Another sign to watch out for is the pace that they are speaking. If you know this person, you'll be fully aware of how they usually speak. Even if not, you'll be able to notice if someone seems to be speaking in a hurry. This because they are forming the lie, and because what they are saying isn't natural, they are rushing their speech.

6. They'll try and change the subject

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Unless they're a seasoned liar, or a sociopath, whoever is lying isn't going to want to stay on the topic long. Not only will it be uncomfortable for them, but the longer they speak about the subject the more the likelihood of them tripping up on their own lie increases!

7. And skirt around direct questions

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Any direct questions are going to be seriously awkward for this person. So, when you ask one keep a look out for any signs. They will shuffle physically and verbally. They will skirt around questions as much as possible. They may even point out something 'coincidentally', such as, 'wow, look at that over there...'.

8. You may notice annoyance briefly on their face

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Sometimes we can't control our facial expressions because often they are reaction to our subconscious thoughts, before our conscious thoughts take over and we can readjust our expression. So, you might see glimpses of anger or annoyance flash over their face before they can stop it, because they don't like the questions you are asking.

9. More blinking

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Blinking is a massive sign that somebody is lying. Lots of studies on lying have shown that blinking rapidly increases when someone is lying. So try and see if their blinking looks more frequent than normal. It's a give away sign that the person lying may not be ablet o control and stop.

10. Pupils may widen

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When somebody is lying their pupils may widen because they are collecting all of the information from their brain, and from you in front of them. They are having to think more, and to assess the situation as well as use more information from their brain to formulate their false response.

11. They may look to the right and left

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Okay, another sign that somebody is lying to you is the way their eyes move. Keep watching as eyes are a huge tell tale sign. The liar may be looking right and left, which can be a sign of an emotional reaction, and can suggest they are using their imagination for their lie.

12. They may nod their head

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One technique that has been used for a very long time in order to determine whether somebody is lying, is to watch to see if they nod whilst they lie or say no. It's almost as though the truth in their subconscious is disagreeing with the contradictory statements coming from their mouth.

13. Their mouth may quiver

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Usually, even people who lie all of the time still have signs that can give them away. If you pay extra attention, watch their mouth. It may be quivering. This could be because their mouth may be moving faster than they can formulate the lie in their brain. It can also be a sign of nerves.

14. They may twiddle their hands

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Twiddling hands, it's something the majority of us to when we're nervous - even if you don't realise you're doing it. And that's the point. It's something we do without controlling it, as a response to feeling anxious. So if this person is anxious about their lie, or uncomfortable, they will probably twiddle their hands.

15. Their tone of voice may change

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Tone of voice is something that most liars cannot control. There's something about lying which makes our voice change, even if it is in a very subtle way. The liar can try and stop it, but by stopping it it means they are consciously controlling their voice which will also alter it in some way. You have to be perceptive to notice!

16. Fast and shallow breathing

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What's a clear sign of anxiety or fear? Shallow and fast breathing. So, either this person is just so used to lying that it comes way too naturally to them, or they're going to feel slightly anxious about lying. So, the chances are their breathing will be altered as they are telling their lie because they don't want to be caught out.

17. Closed off posture

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Closed off body language is a clear sign that someone is being defensive towards you. One of the most obvious reactions of a liar is being too defensive. So when they lie, are they closing off their body language: folding their arms, stood wide, squared shoulders etc.

18. They may be sweating

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If you are tying to discover a liar, sweating would be a great sign to look You for. If someone is comfortable talking to you, it won't make them sweat (unless they are an anxious person naturally). So, are beads of sweat forming? Do they have sweat glistening on their forehead? Are their underarms soaked with sweat patches?

19. They might keep shifting their position

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Okay, one sure sign to look out for a liar is if they are shuffling on their feet, switching their weight from one to another and changing their stance. This is a clear sign that the person is experiencing discomfort and it is a big sign that this person is lying to you.

20. They may stutter

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Stuttering can be a sign of nerves in general. But, pay attention to whether they are stuttering because it could also be a sign that they are lying to you. This could be because they are formulating what they are going to say in their brain, and they are super aware of trying to say the right thing so that they can't be caught out.

21. They might stare

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So as we know, eye contact is hard to maintain during a lie. But, when someone lies often they will be aware of the giveaway signs. So, in order to combat this they'll maintain a stern eye contact without breaking it, almost staring at you. This is to try and show you that they are not afraid to look you in the eye. But it will not look natural.

22. Nervous neck rashes

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Nobody can stop a nervous neck rash from creeping up higher and higher, giving you away and showing everyone that you aren't as cool as a cucumber. If they have a red neck rash or a kind of rash somewhere on the bare skin that you can see, this could be because they are nervous from lying to you!

23. They could be shaking slightly

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Trembling or shaking is a clearly suspicious sign. Unless you knew this person was prone to social anxiety, it shows that they could be lying to you and are not feeling super confident about it. They may be fearing that you'll be able tot ell it's a lie, or that they are super conscious of what they're telling you.

24. Repetition of certain small actions over and over

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This could be tapping their foot, tapping their leg, twirling a piece of hair...whatever it is it shows that they are acting slightly anxious. Which, if you already assume this person could be lying to you, is definitely a suspicious sign! These actions are not the actions of somebody who is feeling comfortable...

25. Their voice may not be steady

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It's extremely hard to keep a steady voice when someone telling a lie. When someone doesn't even believe what they are saying themselves, it's very difficult to sound confident - so listen to determine and unsteadiness or shakiness in their voice.

26. Look out for fake smiles

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Fake smiles are a big red flag for inauthenticity and dishonesty. Is this person telling you something and following it up with a smile? Use your own intuition to decide whether it looks like a real smile, or a pretend grimace to throw you off the scent.

27. They might back away from you

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This person presumably doesn't want to be in a situation where they have to lie to your face. Lying is easier when you don't have to look that person in the eye. So the chances are they're not going to want to get too close to you, they'll be backing away from you when they speak.

28. They'll seem defensive

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Defensiveness is standard lying behaviour 101. You get super defensive when you know that you are not actually in the right. And this can be displayed through the body, through the tone of voice and even through their facial expression. For example, their voice may clearly be defensive and abrupt.

29. They might rub their arm or leg

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One of the most common signs of lying is rubbing your arm or your leg. This movement is almost a way that they are concentrating, but also distracting themself from what they are saying. They won't realise they are doing it as they are too preoccupied.

30. They might go pale

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When the blood drains from our face and we go pale, we know that we're in a state of fear. So if this person is telling you a huge or really serious lie, then this could well be a reaction to that. Presumably, if they're lying to you they are not enjoying it, and it may make them pale with anxiety.