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Many people think that they are quite capable of distinguishing truth from lies and immediately expose a notorious deceiver. Actually, it’s not that easy. We are not so insightful and most of the time we are wrong.
Are you good at recognizing lies? What subtle signals suggest that you are being deceived? Restless hand movements, shifty eyes, a trembling voice, a forced smile? By what characteristic signs do you define a liar and are your conclusions always correct?
Lie all
Lies are ubiquitous. When psychologists tried to figure out how often people cheat, it turned out that this happens in almost all cases of social interaction. However, there is a nuance: most people lie a little, and only a few «lie as they breathe.»
People are useless «lie detectors»
If everyone around is lying, it would be logical to learn to expose the deceivers. But it was not there. Although many consider themselves to be skilled «lie detectors», in fact we are unable to distinguish it from the truth.
The degree of accuracy with which it is possible to identify liars has been tested in a number of experiments. And they confirmed that almost none of the participants distinguishes deceivers from honest people. The average accuracy rate barely reached 54% with an acceptable 50% random hit. Simply put, the majority defines a lie using the “finger to the sky” method. Such conclusions make us less likely to be deluded about our ability to detect liars by their characteristic behavior or speech.
What really betrays liars
Scientists have found that people who tell lies usually try not to move much: do not move their fingers and hands, do not shuffle their feet, do not fidget in place. In addition, deceivers look into the eyes of the interlocutor longer than usual, blink less often and smile less often.
Another important aspect is changes in speech. Those who lie have a slightly raised voice. In addition, they take a little longer to think over lines, tend to omit details, talk less about their feelings, and periodically move away from the main topic.
Experts also note that the answers of liars are usually laconic, and many of them fill in the pauses with involuntary insertions like «um» and «um.» It turns out that, despite strategic attempts to hide the deceit and appear as honest as possible, they still make behavioral and verbal blunders.
We’re looking for lies in the wrong place
So, the scientific evidence says that lying has many characteristic symptoms. But why do we so rarely manage to recognize it? Perhaps because we are trying to figure out the liars for the wrong signs.
The experts set out to find out what people pay attention to when they suspect that they are being lied to. Alas, most of us are not at all versed in the behavioral indicators of lying. With rare exceptions, everyone is absolutely sure that deceivers will certainly fuss, twitch and avert their eyes. But, as already mentioned, they just try not to make unnecessary movements!
Even established experts—police officers, prosecutors, and judges—hold false beliefs about the characteristic behavior of liars. This suggests that even many years of experience with those who lie regularly does not give a complete understanding of what to look for when trying to catch someone in a lie.
And this happens everywhere: the authors of one study interviewed respondents from 75 countries and came to the conclusion that almost all of them are mistaken: for example, they think that deceivers hide their eyes. It turns out that we simply do not know how liars behave.
Is it possible to learn to spot cheaters?
There are many experts on the Internet who offer to turn you into a real «lie detector» — of course, for money. Assuming that they all guarantee the promised results, several enthusiasts compared the effectiveness of a dozen training programs and came to the conclusion that they do not so much teach to recognize lies, but debunk myths about the behavior of liars. However, their practical use is relatively small.
It turns out that when people lie, their behavior changes so subtly that almost no one notices. The petty blunders of deceivers are too fleeting and contradictory to be used as evidence. Moreover, not everyone shows the same signs of lying. Pinocchio’s nose does not exist.
Since folk omens do not stand up to scrutiny, those who do not lose hope of mastering the skill of picking up the slightest signs of deception will have to learn from their own experience. Nevertheless, one must be aware that it is very, very difficult to acquire a rare gift to accurately detect liars.
About the Expert: Christian L. Hart is a professor of psychology at Texas Woman’s University and an expert in forensic psychology.