What Are the Signs When Someone is Telling a Lie?

There are several different answers to the question of what are the signs when someone is telling a lie. Mainly, you want to watch for body language, voice changes and certain other signs.

Eye Contact

Eyes are windows to soul, as they say, and so as a result, a liar often avoids eye contact. If a person is lying, he or she will not look you straight in the eye, at least not during a portion of the conversation you are having in which he is sharing untruths. Generally, people will make direct eye contact at least during half of the conversation. Anything less than that could really be suspicious.

Facial Expressions

A person’s face can reveal a lie being told as well. Facial expressions are very telling. Everyone has different facial expressions that change as they respond to different situations. For most, an artificial or fake smile is easy to spot.

Face symmetry can also be used as a detector. A person who is lying may not have both sides of his face identical with each other. The difference will be very prominent.

The usual expressions on the face of a person lying include, sad expressions, twisting of the lips, and one eye looking bigger than the other.

Voice Tone

Voice tone can be another telling sign of a lie. A liar’s voice usually changes when he is speaking an untruth. Stuttering, stammering, change in pitch or tone, and frequent clearing of the throat may be indicators of lying. If a person's pauses are too long and frequent or if the person uses excessive language fillers such as ’hmmm’ or ‘ummm,’ then you can suspect that the person is lying.

The tone of voice of people who feel worried is also relatively higher than the voice tones of people who are calm. This can be an especially important sign in liars who feel afraid or who are worried about getting caught. Studies conducted by psychologists have shown that the voice tone of someone who is lying tends to rise while he or she is speaking.

Fast Talking

A novice liar may also attempt to outtalk the other person and will deliver his arguments as quickly as he can. He or she will also change topics quickly in order to avoid getting caught. A person who is telling the truth will most likely ask why you changed the subject, and would even want to go back to it.

A liar often resorts to sarcasm or humor as a method of distraction. Someone who is guilty of lying will often attempt to change the subject using these tools as segues.

Body Language

You may also want to observe body or nonverbal language. Some symbols and other forms of nonverbal language can also be used to detect lying. For instance, a liar who is attempting to describe something may tend to use odd or unusual movements when emphasizing a particular part of the conversation.

When a person taps his foot frequently, covers his face, raises his shoulders, turns away from you, or shows any signs of discomfort and anxiety, it could mean he is lying. Too much blushing, or becoming pale for some, plus frequent blinking of the eyes, may also be indicators of lying.

Defensive Behavior

Liars are usually defensive. Someone who is lying may refuse to answer any questions or may even get mad at being question. That person may even turn the tables around and accuse you of lying. This can be one of the most obvious signs that the person is hiding something.

Lie Detectors

If you want to be more deliberate in catching a liar, you can use a lie detector test. A lie detector is a device that is primarily used for recording any changes in a person’s nervous system. A good liar can easily pretend to breathe normally and can even swallow his saliva more frequently. He or she however will have a difficult time in restricting several reactions of his body, all of which a lie detector can catch.

Using your Instincts

When something doesn’t sound right, be suspicious. If a person says things that don’t make any sense, makes contradicting statements, and just doesn’t sound consistent at all, that person is most likely lying.