Lying is an art. Detecting a lie, however, is something of a science. While a lack of eye contact and profuse sweating are among the most obvious tells, there are more subtle ways to figure out if she’s hiding something. Ginger, perhaps our most slippery XX columnist, reveals the tricks of the trade.
1. Touching: If she’s touching her face or throat, or if she’s scratching behind her ear, then she may be hiding something. If, on the other hand, she’s touching her chest or heart with an open hand, she’s probably being sincere.
2. Timing: If the timing is off between expressions and words, she could be faking it. For example: She opens her birthday gift and says “I love it!” Then, a beat later, she smiles.
3. Smiling: If expressions are limited to mouth movements instead of the whole face, she may be imitating an emotion, and not expressing it genuinely.
4. Defending: Guilty people, when confronted, tend to get defensive, specifically denying the charges of which they are guilty. By contrast, an innocent person will often go on the offensive. If she’s over-explaining, she’s probably hiding something.
5. Repeating: If she repeats your accusation, she’s likely sticking to a script. If you ask, “Did you have dinner with Ben last night?” and she answers, “No, I did not have dinner with Ben last night,” she probably went to dinner with Ben last night. And she probably enjoyed it.
(Photo courtesy of luana ribeiro from Flickr)
