How To Detect a Lie

Watch the suspected liar’s hands. Body language studies show that people tend to touch their face and scratch their nose when they lie.

Follow their eyes. Liars tend to blink a lot and don’t maintain eye contact.

Note their words. A liar will skip contractions—saying “I did not” instead of “I didn’t”—and avoid pronouns, using someone’s full name instead of “he” or “she.”

Check their smile. People who are telling the truth use many facial muscles, but liars smile with just their mouth.

Notice their posture. Liars tend to keep their body posture closed (by folding their arms, for example). They may also unconsciously put an object between you, like a cup of coffee.

Pause momentarily before responding; if the silence makes them uncomfortable, they may be lying.

Pay attention to details. If they provide more information than necessary, that’s a bad sign. People tend to be overly specific when they’re making something up.

Change the subject. If they seem relieved, that’s probably a red flag that they’ve been lying straight to your face!

What you do from here is up to you. It may be smart to file your knowledge away for future use. However, if you’re noticing a trend, it might just be time to teach your liar a lesson.