Most of us tell a lie or two occasionally to cover up a mistake or to avoid disappointing people. Some people tend to do it more often than others, and with practice, they get so good at it, it becomes difficult to know if they’re being dishonest. The body has a way of communicating certain truths to us, only if we are willing and able to decode the language. Below is one sure way of knowing if you’re being lied to.
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The body talks
You may have heard of or caught someone in a fib through the tone of their voice, bodily movements and facial expressions. Although some of these may work, many liars still manage to get away with deception. Maybe they’ve just mastered the art or the signs went over your head. According to Dr. Gary Brown, a licensed family and marriage therapist based in Los Angeles:
It can be tough to accurately interpret someone through their body language, since someone may feel tense or look uneasy for so many reasons.
However, body language experts (or are they called body linguists) say you should keep an eye out for this one sign if you want to catch a liar.
Hands don’t lie
Often times, people who are not telling the truth tend to employ gestures after speaking as opposed to during or before a conversation, according to Traci Brown, a body language expert. She explains that:
The mind is doing too many things, including making up the story, figuring out if they’re being believed and adding to the story accordingly. So normal gesturing that might normally happen just before a statement happens after the statement.
A 2015 study found that people who lie are more prone to gesture with both hands than those who are being honest.
Also, if this is someone you know quite well, you have an idea which of their hands is the dominant one. If they make gestures with their non-dominant hands when talking to you, there might be more to what they’re telling you.
According to experts, one give-away of Bill Clinton’s public denial of the Monica Lewinsky affair was his use of his right hand during the speech.
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