*When someone is lying to you they will try to put distance between you. They may put a book or a drinking glass between you because they are uncomfortable with lying to you. They don't want to look you in the eye.
*If someone is telling you, "This is the honest truth, " while shaking their head no, they are lying.
*A liar may be very expansive in their body language. They may wave their arms and become very dramatic. Their voice may raise and they will talk rapidly and become very animated.
*If someone doesn't use pronouns, they may be lying to you.
*The Eyes: Children often refrain from looking into their parents eyes when lying. This is because they are afraid of seeing themselves caught in the act. They will often divert their line of sight long enough to lie and return when they are telling the truth. Adults have this problem too, with some extreme cases preventing liars from looking at you at all.
*Remember those that speak the truth do so in fluid, coordinated manner. Any discrepancies from the norm are clues that he or she is lying.
*Palms: Open palms signals honesty, which is the reason we shake hands to show acceptance to friends and strangers. Those who are innocent of crimes will often throw their palms in the air, while those who are guilty will hide them in their pockets.
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#1 - To start, the most common and well-known of body language signs that lies are being told: everybody knows that a liar avoids eye contact. Even the liar--which is an important consideration. So, just as often as eye contact is avoided during the telling of lies, a liar will often make too much prolonged eye contact while telling his/her lies. The body language can go the traditional way, or the liar may overcompensate to the other extreme when trying to hide the lies.
#2 - A liar often subconsciously seeks a symbolic protective buffer between him/herself and the receiver of the lies. Consider it a sort of liar shield. One of the more prominent body language signs, this usually takes the form of a liar absent-mindedly placing an object between him/herself and the other person.
#3 - When someone's body language assumes a defensive position, it can indicate lies. Most commonly, a liar will fold his/her arms or legs. A small step or two backwards falls into this category of defensive signs as well.
#4 - Lies are easiest to tell when they're not told per se. Evasive answers and statements (i.e., "Why would I do that?") can be a good indicator that the truth is being avoided by a frightened liar. Similarly, incredulous repetition of accusatory questions in lieu of responses can also point to forthcoming lies.
#5 - Watch for body language indicating a dry mouth. Commonly, the signs are frequent licking of the lips, swallowing, or sipping a beverage.
#6 - Silence is particularly uncomfortable to a liar. It provides opportunity for the other person to think over what's being said and to possibly detect the lies. At the very least, follow-up questions may arise. A liar will try to fill all pauses, often resulting in pointless or odd conversation and non-sequiturs, both telling signs to look for.
#7 - Body language that is reserved and stiff, as if to avoid drawing any attention, is one of the key signs of lies. This often takes the form of the liar holding his/her arms straight down and his/her head and legs rigid. This can even be looked at as a lack of body language.
#8 - A liar will usually be deliberate about gestures and expressions in an attempt to make the lies come across as believable. With attention to his/her body language, you should be able to pick up that the gestures and expressions are slightly misaligned with the statements. If the body language doesn't quite flow in a natural manner with the verbal language, it's being forced-probably for a reason. Such signs also include expressions that appear inauthentic (often a fake smile, notable because it doesn't narrow the eyes or wrinkle skin all around the face the way an authentic smile does).
close window#9 - Lies require thought and attention to detail, especially when they have to be told on the spot, unrehearsed. Body language indicating excessive or seemingly uncalled for thought processes (you can "see the gears turning") can be one of the more telling body language signs of a liar. Also--and there have actually been body language studies on this--when someone is trying to recall something that happened, they will usually gaze upward; conversely, when someone is pretending to recall something, they will usually gaze downward.
#10 - One of the more visible signs of lies is sweat. Most commonly, a liar will sweat on the forehead and palms. Forehead sweat is the easier to spot. However, watch for body language signs of sweat too: wiping the brow or drying hands on pants, a tablecloth, etc.
#11 - Two signs of an adrenaline rush can be indicative of lies as well. While sweat can fall under this category, which isn't so much body language as physical body changes, the two key signs to watch for are a flushed face and dilating pupils. Both together should definitely raise your suspicion that you're dealing with a liar.
#12 - Excessive gestures are important body language signs indicating lies. In a subconscious effort to enhance believability, a liar will promote his/her words with unnaturally pronounced gesturing. Also on a subconscious level, the body language serves to divert attention from the dishonest words and face.
#13 - Body language signs indicating nervousness are key to detecting lies. A liar often fidgets. This includes drumming fingers, biting or picking at fingernails, biting lips, twirling hair, and picking at or adjusting clothing. There are too many signs to list, but any similar body language can be taken as signs of lies.
#14 - A liar frequently mumbles or speaks in a lowered, monotonous tone, especially at the exact time lies are being uttered. Such modulations in speech are primarily signs that either the liar lacks confidence that the lies are believable, or that the liar feels guilty about telling the lies. From a body language standpoint, these signs are often accompanied by a lowered head and slouching shoulders.
#15 - Shifting from foot to foot is often the body language of a liar. Similarly, a liar doesn't always keep his/her feet flat on the ground (whether standing or sitting). This body language generally falls under signs of the "flight instinct" category, which stems from fear or discomfort--both emotions that are triggered by telling lies.
#16 - A liar usually tries to change the subject from whatever discussion is prompting his/her lies. Any conversational signs of this desire to move on before the subject is resolved of its own accord should make you wary of lies.
#17 - Similar to the previous entry, when you suspect lies, try changing the subject suddenly. Look for the suspected liar to have a noticeable, immediate change in overall body language. If the person's body language becomes more relaxed and comfortable, you've just witnessed one of the most telling signs of a liar.
#18 - When you notice someone keeping their body somewhat askew, pointed away from you, it can be one of the body language signs that lies are being told. It's debatable why a liar does this--it could be guilt, a flight instinct, facilitating a lack of eye contact, or any number of other subconscious body language workings.
#19 - A liar frequently interrupts his/her lies with throat clearing, small coughs, and/or sniffles.
#20 - Body language that almost seems to be trying to literally conceal lies is often just that. Most often, a liar will somehow cover his/her mouth and throat. This can mean touching these parts or holding something up in front of them. Such signs are among the more common and prominent. Touching other parts of the face with some frequency in any of a number of ways is also consistent with the behavior of a liar.
#21 - Finally, beware the person who uses (and particularly overuses) language like "honestly," "believe me," "to tell the truth," etc. S/he is almost certainly being deceptive.
