In all Honesty, Here are Some Ways to Spot a Liar

Understanding human behavior is a passion of mine. So when a reader, Carol, sent me this article on lying from Forbes.com, I immediately read it.

"In all Honesty, Here are Some Ways to Spot a Liar" starts off...

According to an oft-cited 1996 University of Virginia study led by psychologist Bella DePaulo, lying is part of the human condition. Over the course of one week, DePaulo and her colleagues asked 147 participants, aged 18 to 71, to record in a diary all of their social interactions and all of the lies they told during them. On average, each person lied just over 10 times, and only seven participants claimed to have been completely honest.

Here are a few among many of the key take-aways:
- "Most of the time we're just trying to be nice."
- "Liars often give short or one-word responses to questions, while truth tellers are more likely to flesh out their answers."
- "Liars are often reluctant to admit ordinary storytelling mistakes. When honest people tell stories, they may realize partway through that they left out some details and would unselfconsciously backtrack to fill in holes. Liars 'are worried that someone might catch them in a lie and are reluctant to admit to such ordinary imperfections,'" says psychologist Bella DePaulo.

Look for the red highlighted text about half-way through the article to see a slideshow with 11 pictures and descriptions of when someone is generally lying. Look for: Forbes.com slideshow: 11 way to tell they’re lying.

Keep in mind, reading non-verbal cues is not an exact science. It takes years and years to master.

Additional Resources:
- Bella DePaulo, social scientist (PhD, Harvard). Author of the initial study quoted in the article.
- John E. Reid & Associates, developer of the The Reid Technique of Interviewing®, used by law enforcement professionals nationwide.