Reading body language to know if a person is lying applies not just to ordinary people but even to professionals, as well. The police use it to determine if the person is guilty of a certain wrongdoing or not, teachers employ it to find out if the child really has or hasn't done his or her homework and parents apply it to find out if their teenagers really did go to a group study session as they said they would.
In the past, it seemed like reading body language to judge guilt may not have been in effect, at least in some cultures. Tribal groups of centuries back used to figure out if a native committed a crime using pain tests, such as dipping a hand in boiling water, walking on fiery coals, and others.
For instance, a native whose hand came out scalded after a dip in hot water is considered guilty at the time. Luckily, no such judging process exists anymore and we have the chance to disprove allegations by appearing in court and giving our statements. However, it may not be easy either, because it requires knowledge of reading body language.
How can you tell if the other person is lying through his teeth? There are several ways to tell. One is when the other person is unable to look you in the eye as he tells his lie. Thus, if you ask your partner if he has been cheating on you, you will know that something is amiss if he says he hasn't but looks elsewhere while he says so.
Of course, there are people who have perfected the art of lying that the eye test does not always work. Other indicators of lying include restless hands (that is, he keeps touching his face, his arms, fixing his clothes, or tinkering with something), ill timing of gestures (that is, his body language seems to be off-kilter and awkward), or increased defensiveness. A person who has been accused of lying gets rather anxious as he tries to disprove the allegation.
Here's another way you can also tell if the person is lying. When you suddenly shift to another topic, he also shifts to a more comfortable and relaxed state. A person who lies will want to avoid talking about the tense subject as much as possible, so he will most definitely try to stay at the lighter topic and try to expand on that so that you will forget about the original issue.
Most people have lied one way or another in their life. In fact, lying has become part of human nature. Sometimes we have to tell lies in order to avoid hurting somebody else. As the saying goes, what the person doesn't know won't hurt him. However, if discovering the truth is what you're after, then these tips mentioned here will help you find out if you're being duped or not.
About the Author
Michael Lee is the author of
How to be a Red Hot Persuasion Wizard... in 20 days or less, an ebook that reveals mind-altering persuasion techniques. Get a sample chapter and highly-stimulating "Get What You Want" advice at
http://www.20daypersuasion.com/. He is the Co-Founder of
http://www.self-improvement-millionaires.com and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.
