Lie to Me and How to Tell if Someone is Lying

Lie to me, the popular Fox TV drama, has generated new interest in the science of lie detection. Based on the work of micro expressions researcher, Paul Ekman, TV the series portrays Dr Lightman and his team using real lie detection methodology to assist law enforcement agencies.

Lies and Myths Surrounding Lie Detection

Whilst the TV series is accurate is its portrayal of the methodology that a professional lie detector might use, there are many myths and misunderstandings surrounding lie detection. These myths sometimes lead to innocent people being wrongly accused of deception or worse still, convicted and imprisoned.

Examples of popular myths include the mistaken belief that

-A person who looks you in the eye is telling you the truth.
-A person who looks away is lying.
-A lie detector machine is 100% accurate; and
-If a person touches their mouth whilst speaking, it means they are lying.

So far as the above myths are concerned the truth is:

- Looking you straight in the eye does not mean the person is telling the truth. Experienced liars often do this deliberately, playing on people believing the myth.
- Honest people sometimes avert their gaze when they are telling the truth. They may do this to clarify their thoughts.
- A lie detector is no more than 60-80% accurate.
- A person may be telling the truth and touch their mouth for all sorts of reasons. No single nonverbal action should ever be relied upon as an indicator of deception.

So is it Possible to Tell if Some is Lying?

In many cases, the answer is- yes it is possible to gain a statistical advantage. The average person is accurate in detecting deception 50% of the time. Developing a range of effective lie detecting techniques will significantly increase your accuracy.

However, as with all skills, you will need to spend time developing and practicing lie detection techniques. You will need to understand how to read body language, recognize micro expressions, understand what eye accessing cues mean, recognize vocal signals and learn something about the psychology of liars.

You will also need to understand the importance of looking for clusters of deception indicators. When a person is lying they tend to fire of a combination of nonverbal and vocal signals around the same time. Finally, it is essential when trying to determine whether or not someone is lying, to work out what the person’s behavioral baseline is.

What are the Signs When Someone is Telling a Lie ?

Examples of behaviors that can indicate deception are:

- Increased blink rate.
- Excessive pausing when speaking.
- Increase in vocal pitch.
-Touching their nose frequently.

Bill Clinton did this frequently during his testimony to the Grand Jury about his relationship with Monica Lewsinsky.

It is important to note, however, that these behaviors are capable of indicating stress rather than deception and therefore a judgment must be made looking at the evidence of deception available, the person’s history and track record, the consistency and credibility of their answers, their behavior when being questioned and the overall context.

Whilst it would be difficult for most people to achieve the same level of expertise as Dr Lightman and his colleagues, with determination and practice you can certainly take steps to make it harder for someone to pull the wool over your eyes and become a more effective human lie detector.