Have you ever been in a conversation and wonder if the person you are talking to is lying? Wouldn’t you love to know for sure if a person is lying? Psychology has spent decades studying this topic.

There are numerous channels of communication between us, verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication involves the body language, eye contact and body posture. When we communicate all the channels convey the same message. For example, when a person is angry their verbal communication matches nonverbal cues like dilated pupils and tense body among other signs. When we lie, our verbal communication can contradict nonverbal cues.

To help us evaluate if a person is lying or not we can use these three tips:

1) Microexpressions

Microexpressions are facial expressions lasting less than a second. This is a reaction to an emotional invoking comment. Usually liars may be conveying a message, but if you mention something that should evoke an emotion or reaction, they may show one expression followed by another facial expression. Keep in mind these elements happen very fast and it takes a keen eye to notice this reaction.

2) Contradicting Non-verbal cues

Body language can speak louder than words. There are numerous non-verbal cues that can help us identify a liar. For example, the constant shifting of body posture may reveal the person may be in a high emotional state. Another type of nonverbal cue is eye blinking or low eye contact. Other non-verbal cues include dilated pupils or exaggerated facial expressions. Not all cues may be noticeable at the same time. One would have to evaluate the situation and the person you are talking to.

3) Speech

Psychologists have discovered that people’s speech may be different when they are lying. The term paralanguage is used to describe this shift in speech. Liars tend to speak slower and less fluent. This can be noticed when they are re-editing sentences. For example, a person may say something, stop and rephrase it again. Studies have found that a slight higher pitch in a person’s voice is noticeable when they are lying. Paralanguage, in conjunction with body language, is one of the most noticeable cues when people are lying.

These tips are not foolproof. Remember there are professions where deceiving is a part of the business. Professions like sales, politics and marketing are all about steering people into a specific action (see critical thinking). What we can gain from this is the sum of all the variables. We can evaluate the message and the messenger stating the information. Remember that lying is a deliberate action to mislead a person. Unfortunately, this action can be costly to the person receiving the message.

What is your view about liars? Do you have a technique you would like to share?