Cops, spies and psychologists share their deception-spotting tricks.
By Elisabeth Eaves
In business, politics and romance, it would be nice to know when we’re being lied to. Unfortunately humans aren’t very good at detecting lies. Our natural tendency is to trust others, and for day-to-day, low-stakes interactions, that makes sense. We save time and energy by taking statements like “I saw that movie” or “I like your haircut” at face value.
But while it would be too much work to analyze every interaction for signs of deception, there are times when we really need to know if we’re getting the straight story. Maybe a crucial negotiation depends on knowing the truth, or we’ve been lied to and want to find out if it’s part of a pattern.
In fact, being able to distinguish lies from truth is important not just in our personal lives but in the economy at large. Trust lubricates virtually every transaction we undertake. In fact, trust is worth trillions of dollars a year in the United States alone. (See: “The Economics of Trust.”) It’s no stretch to argue that by reducing trust, liars make us collectively poorer.
In Pictures: Ten Ways To Tell If Someone Is Lying To You
Lies told on the printed page or on a TV screen may be the hardest to detect. When a journalist at a respected publication tells a tall tale--like the New York Times’ Jayson Blair or The New Republic’s Stephen Glass--those of us without reams of time on our hands aren’t likely to uncover it on our own. (See: “Trusting The Media.”) The same goes for deceptive campaign
Seek Detail
Liars' stories often lack detail, says Lindsay Moran, a former CIA officer and author of Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy. Her solution: Push your subject for particulars. The more minutiae a liar has to provide, the more likely he is to slip up.
By Elisabeth Eaves
In business, politics and romance, it would be nice to know when we’re being lied to. Unfortunately humans aren’t very good at detecting lies. Our natural tendency is to trust others, and for day-to-day, low-stakes interactions, that makes sense. We save time and energy by taking statements like “I saw that movie” or “I like your haircut” at face value.
But while it would be too much work to analyze every interaction for signs of deception, there are times when we really need to know if we’re getting the straight story. Maybe a crucial negotiation depends on knowing the truth, or we’ve been lied to and want to find out if it’s part of a pattern.
In fact, being able to distinguish lies from truth is important not just in our personal lives but in the economy at large. Trust lubricates virtually every transaction we undertake. In fact, trust is worth trillions of dollars a year in the United States alone. (See: “The Economics of Trust.”) It’s no stretch to argue that by reducing trust, liars make us collectively poorer.
In Pictures: Ten Ways To Tell If Someone Is Lying To You
Lies told on the printed page or on a TV screen may be the hardest to detect. When a journalist at a respected publication tells a tall tale--like the New York Times’ Jayson Blair or The New Republic’s Stephen Glass--those of us without reams of time on our hands aren’t likely to uncover it on our own. (See: “Trusting The Media.”) The same goes for deceptive campaign
Seek Detail
Liars' stories often lack detail, says Lindsay Moran, a former CIA officer and author of Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy. Her solution: Push your subject for particulars. The more minutiae a liar has to provide, the more likely he is to slip up.
Beware Unpleasantness "Liars are noticeably less cooperative than truth-tellers," found psychologists Bella M. DePaulo and Wendy L. Morris in a review of studies on deception. "Liars also make more negative statements and complaints than truth-tellers do, and they appear somewhat less friendly and pleasant," they write in The Detection of Deception in Forensic Contexts. Signs of Stress Look for dilated pupils and a rise in vocal pitch. Psychologists DePaulo and Morris found that both phenomena were more common in liars than truth-tellers. Listen for the Pause Forced to make up a story on the spot, most speakers will take a beat or two to collect their thoughts. Ask Again Police interrogators often ask suspects to repeat their stories, and listen for inconsistencies to ferret out lies. But be careful: "Smart people maintain the consistency of lies better than dumb people," says psychologist Robert Feldman, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts.
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