It’s painful to be around someone you are not sure is lying to you or not. So many times, I have been in meetings not knowing if someone is trying to pull one over on me. Just the thought of someone lying to you can alter not just your mood that day but an entire relationship can go to seed. There are easy ways to double check your gut. Author Steve Rohr says we’re hardwired to lie from birth. “The Communication Codebreaker” and author of “SCARED SPEECHLESS,” Steve Rohr shares the top 9 signs someone is lying.
Steve’s 9 Signs to spot a Liar:
- Excessive eye contact: Contrary to popular belief, a person in the middle of a lie will keep strong eye contact. In typical conversations, people will maintain eye contact 50 – 60% of the time. Liars will maintain eye contact at least 70% of the time.
- Lack of blinking: Steve says liars won’t blink during a lie, but will blink 8x more after telling one.
- The nose knows: According to Steve, liars will touch their nose, eye area, neck or ears more frequently than normal. For example, former U.S. President Bill Clinton touched his nose 88 times during his Monica Lewinsky testimony.
- Up and away: If you ask someone to describe a person or object and they make it up – they will look up and to your left. If they are actually recalling something they’ve seen, they will look up and to your right.
- Freeze Frame: A liar will freeze their upper body and simple movements will seem mechanical.
- Feet First: A fibber’s feet will point towards the door – feet point where a person wants to be.
- Life Sentence: A liar will use formal language – no contractions or jargon. He or she will also use “distancing” language.
- Too Much Information: A liar will provide too much detail and tell a story in chronological order.
- Imaginary Lint: If someone picks imaginary lint off their clothes, it’s a sign they are avoiding telling the truth, or hiding something
Read these again after you read them once and put them to your memory.