Detecting Lies

...fidget.

...become distracted (eg. self-grooming).

...make speech errors.

...move jerkily.

...swallow more (as adrenaline creates saliva).

...clear their throat (as saliva dries up).

...miss out irrelevant detail.

...tell you early on they have a bad memory.

...pretend to have forgotten, including things that one might reasonably expect them to remember.

...are vague, missing out detail such as times, places and feelings.

...make many corrections, often watching you to see if they get it right.

...say nothing or pretend to know/remember nothing.

...give fuller answers than were asked for.

...volunteer information and excuses before they are challenged.

...talk slower while they are thinking hard.

...forget what they said (and so pause to try and remember).

...use the present tense (they are thinking about it now).

...clamp the mouth shut, pressing lips together when you mention difficult topics.

...give short answers.

...use closed body language (crossing arms and especially legs).

...change the subject.

...talk a lot so you have less time to ask questions.

...will happily follow you if you change the subject.

...try to flatter you.

...challenge the questions.

...try to distract you with other points of 'interest'.

...tell irrelevant truths.

...go along easily if you change the subject.

...use fogging words like 'tried' and 'wanted'.

...quickly skip over important details. using 'text bridges' to reach over omission gaps.

...question minor detail of your questions.

...offer lots of unnecessary detail.

...admit to minor offenses (so proving their 'honesty') and denying major offenses.

...enunciate speech carefully with more mouth movement.

...raise eyebrows in middle of face and pout.

...look like they are about to cry (or otherwise upset at accusations).

...tell you directly they are honest.

...offer information without being asked.

...offer information that is true (and avoid that which is not).

...agree with things you say where there is some truth (so they can tell themselves they are logically truthful).

...reject entire statements where there is only one thing wrong.

...avoid direct lies ('I was elsewhere' ... later on).

...avoid eye contact.

...look away more often.

...turn away from you.

...place barriers between you (from arms to tables).

...try to conclude the conversation as soon as possible.

...act as if they are in charge.

...try to talk about other things they believe will interest you.

...give longer answers.

...talk for a long time without gaps where you could interrupt.

...lean, turn or move away.

...smile less, even at witty comments.

...fake rapport, for example with exaggerated friendliness.

...speak quickly to block interruptions.

...get 'emotional' to try and put you off.

...pause to think before answering.

...give short answers.

...use a monotonous tone.

...avoid pronouns (such as 'I').

...glance away just as they start lying.

...blink more often (and close eyes for longer when blinking).

...rub their eyes more.

...try to get away or change the subject.

...turn away.

...parrot back your words with a denial.

...exaggerate statements about being truthful.

...watch you carefully for signs of suspicion.

...only look away for brief moments.

...hold themselves still, moving less.

...generalize and exaggerate ('always', 'nobody', etc.).

...do not use contractions (saying 'do not', vs. 'don't').

...enunciate words clearly.

...elaborate answers ('I never would...' rather than 'no').

...parrot back narrow negations ('Did you rob the bank?' -- 'No, I did not rob the bank.')

...say 'a' when you might expect 'the' (or vice versa).

...make speech errors.

...leak signals then cover up fast.

...smile with the mouth but not the eyes.

...forget to control the lower body (which may twitch).

...'act', using exaggerated movements.

...have eye pupil dilation.

...shrug and grimace (usually for very brief periods).

...give the game away with lower-body signals.

...fidget, with hands and feet.

...move hands more.

...blink more.

...swallow more.

...move faster.

...speak less clearly.

...place barriers in front of them, from arms to books to tables.

...touch themselves in comforting ways.

...gesture towards themselves.

...get angry and play 'hurt'.

...say 'you cannot ask that' or otherwise defines what is allowed or not.

...assert themselves as being the expert.

...use put-down language, such as 'Actually...' or 'As a matter of fact...'.

...launch a provocative personal attack.

...respond to questions with questions.

...changes the subject.

...adjust their clothing.

...start by speaking slowly, until confident.

...ramble on about inconsequential things.

...has slight delays in speech-body alignment.

...go back and make quick corrections.

...start with 'well', 'actually' and other words that delay.

...try to keep neutral.

...look in a different place (usually up and often up-right) to where we look when remembering (as opposed to constructing) a picture.

Draw the scene from non-first-person perspective (eg. plan view).

...use less personal possessives (eg. 'the car' rather than 'my car').

...flatly deny presence or involvement.

...use distancing language, such as euphemisms, jargon and indirect statements.

...exclude themselves when drawing the scene.

...use disclaimers ('you may not believe this, but...').

...use more excluding words such as 'but' or 'without'.

...point a part of the body (eg. foot or knee) towards the exit.

...lean away from you (or towards the exit).

...give short answers.

...make excuses and try to leave quickly.

...rubbing affected area, particularly palms and head, especially neck or the side of the nose (as salt irritates skin).

...shake their head side-to-side, even when saying yes.

...use very brief micro-expressions, such as turning down mouth corners or pouting.

...body language contradicts speech (eg. nodding head when saying no).

...touch the nose.

...is attentive and interested.

...is smiling and cheerful.

...makes few negative comments.

...offers helpful information.

...offers compliments, from how you look to your skill in interviewing.

...keep a 'frozen face' to avoid leakage (but may still leak lower down the body).

...hold themselves still with hands and arms.

...stare (blinking less).

...go too rigid.

...go into excessive detail.

...show no discrepancies at all.

...wear dark glasses.