How to Tell if Someone is Lying

Everybody lies at some point in their lives. It could be something as simple as a little white lie or it can be a massive lie that may lead them into trouble. No matter what kind of lie it is, though, we can always tell if they are actually lying from little giveaways.

Whether you suspect someone of cheating, talking bad about you behind your back, or you’re just unsure of whether or not you can trust someone, these ways to tell if someone is lying can help you out an awful lot in deciphering who can be trusted and who can’t.

You won’t be able to tell immediately if someone is lying because these different methods take practice on your end to notice and realize whether or not they’re actually lying. Here is exactly how you can tell if someone is lying.

1. They Act Weird

Someone who is lying is feeling guilty and they can’t help but show that in one for or another. More than likely you’ll start noticing that they’re acting a little too weird. Since you probably know this person pretty well you’ll be able to tell if they’re not acting like their usual self. They might seem a little on edge or even nervous. Their face might even turn red!

2. They Won’t Make Eye Contact

People who lie have a tendency to avoid eye contact because looking at you directly in the eye might make them feel too guilty. If you notice that when this person is talking to you or explaining a situation and you just can’t catch their eye it’s because they’re purposely avoiding looking at you. This is a huge sign that someone is lying because they can’t actually help this for the most part. It’s a natural reaction to look away when being dishonest and this can help you catch the liars!

3. They’re Giving You too Many Details

Liars – that are bad at lying – tend to give you way too many details in order to back up the fact that they’re telling the truth even though they’re lying. By giving you so many details they’re hoping that you don’t ask any specific questions and force them to lie even more. If you notice that someone is just going on and on about something when they really only needed to give you a simple answer, it’s because they might be lying to you.

4. They’re Fidgety

It’s truly amazing how much your body can giveaway without you noticing. Lying is something that goes against human instinct. We’ve created a life and evolved from telling the truth in order to protect those around us and when we lie our bodies just don’t like it. This means that you’ll notice liars get fidgety and act as though they can’t sit still at all. If the person you’re talking to keeps shifting between their feet or picking at their clothes or fingers then you might want to be careful because you may have a liar on your hands.

5. They Change the Subject

People don’t actually like to lie. I don’t know a single person who would rather lie than tell the truth but for some reason they do because they feel they have to. This means that a person is going to want to avoid lying. They’ll change the subject whenever possible to get away from the topic of what they’re lying about. So if you’re around someone who keeps changing the topic from a certain thing then they may be lying about it.

6. They Get Defensive

One way to get someone to stop asking you about something is to get mad about it. Naturally, people are not confrontational people. We don’t like getting into fights or making other people angry. So when someone is lying they may try to dissuade your focus on their lie by getting mad and defensive about it. If you ask them a follow-up question showing that you’re skeptical and they immediately get really mad and annoyed, it’s because they’re lying and want you to avoid that topic.

7. Their Emotions are Fake

Humans are fairly good at detecting fake emotions and insincerity. It’s easy to tell if someone isn’t expressing real emotions because they just don’t reach their eyes. Unless they’re a professional actor, you should be able to tell when their emotions just aren’t real. In this sense, they’re probably lying about whatever it is they’re faking the emotions for. This one might take practice to catch on to but the best way to notice this is if you spend time with them when they’re truly feeling those emotions so you have something to compare it to.

8. Too Much Eye Contact

I mentioned earlier that no eye contact meant they were lying but they could also be giving you way too much eye contact. Pretty much everyone – including those liars – know that when someone is avoiding eye contact it’s because they’re lying. This means they’re going to try to convince you they’re not lying simply by consciously making eye contact. The problem with this is that people naturally don’t hold eye contact for very long during conversation. If you notice that they’re holding your gaze for way too long it’s because they’re lying.

9. They Take Long Pauses

Liars have to make things up on the go. This means that if you ask them any follow-up questions and they take a long time to respond it’s because they’re making up a lie to go along with the lie before it that would make sense and make it sound true. If the person can’t answer immediately then they’re more than likely lying.

10. Their Story Changes

When someone is lying they just can’t keep all of their stories straight. Even the best of liars slip up sometimes and can’t make their lies all make sense or match what they told someone else. If you notice that their story keeps changing then they’re absolutely lying and you caught them.

Liars are no fun and nobody wants to be a victim of their lies. These tips can help you tell if someone is lying easily and you can call them out on it. Have you ever caught someone in a lie?