How do you know when someone is lying and when someone is being truthful? What do people normally focus on when trying to decipher between a truth and lie?
These were the questions on my social psychology exam today and I thought I'd share the answer with you so you can be more critical of people when they tell you things :) I'm really looking out for you, I swear...
So basically, there are four different channels of communication that can help you detect if someone is lying. They are as follows:
The Face: The face is controllable, therefore it cannot be trusted too much. Most think that when people lie they will keep a straight face, however it's common that people will smile to conceal their real feelings, these are false smiles. You can tell because they don't seem natural and don't stretch up to the eye muscles.
The Words: Put simply, words alone cannot be trusted. This is obvious because someone can eloquently put together an excuse or lie and it may seem believable, but keep in mind that the words were chosen for the specific purpose of giving false information.
The Body: Body language is important and can tell you more than the face can. Most people have fidgety hands or feet, they can't sit still or they shift posture. It may seem like they are restless.
The Voice: This is the most revealing clue. The voice can be shaky, squeaky or hesitant, all pointing to nervousness.
Most people just attend to the smiling face and the wording, disregarding body language and voice.
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