10 tips on how to catch a liar

Some people will say that lying is necessary for certain circumstances. We all must have lied at some point in our lives. No one is truly innocent of this act. For instance, we may have told some family and friends that they look good, whereas they do not. We may have told concerned people we were fine, whereas we are not. All these are lies even when the intention is noble. But some lies are so smoky, even the devil himself will love to take lessons.

These lies are often damaging. As humans, it is best to learn how to catch a liar at least for your survival (yes, it is that serious).

If you agree, then learn these 10 helpful tips on how to catch a liar.

Table of Content hide 1How to catch a liar 1.11. Ask innocent questions first 1.22. Look out for inconsistencies 1.33. Ask unexpected questions 1.44. Read their body language 1.55. Pay attention to fake emotions 1.66. Spot the micro expressions 1.77. Too many details 1.88. Look for contradictions 1.99. Listen to your gut 1.1010. Tell the story in your own words

How to catch a liar

1. Ask innocent questions first

The first way to catch a liar is by making them feel comfortable with an innocent question. You are not doing it because you are a good person. No, you just want them to be relaxed enough to catch them off guard later. When you gain a liar’s trust, the truth will spill out unintentionally from them. But when you let them know from the beginning that you think they’re lying, you are simply giving them time to build up their defence.

2. Look out for inconsistencies

A lot of liars do not know how to sustain their lies. They will say one thing in a moment and twist it around to mean another thing in the next moment. Look out for such inconsistencies. Here is a tip: ask the person to go over the story again and again. If they lie, the details will keep changing, ultimately exposing the storyteller to a liar.

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3. Ask unexpected questions

Some are lying gurus. As in, their Pinocchio level is beyond high. You can’t catch them easily because they have most likely rehearsed their lies over and over again until even they will believe them. In this case, you do not have to watch out for any inconsistencies because you may likely not find them. Just throw in an unexpected question and watch their reactions. It will throw them off balance because they did not prepare for it.

For instance, if they said they went to church, ask them for the church’s name. Go further by asking which of the parishes they attended. Also, ask what were the activities that occurred in the church and the name of the pastor/priest who preached the sermon/homily. The name/topic of the sermon is also a detail that the storyteller must explain.

If the individual is lying, believe me, you will know.

4. Read their body language

Sometimes, what you say with your mouth does not correspond to your behaviour. You may be saying “I love you” but your eyes are telling a different thing. Watch out for such tell-tale signs. A liar may appear confident in their lies but few details give them away. It is usually in the body language. Are they avoiding eye contact? Are they making too much effort to make eye contact? Is the smile too bogus? Do they look uncomfortable? Are they being unnecessarily defensive? Then, they are most likely lying.

5. Pay attention to fake emotions

The default emotion of a lying woman is fake crying just to make you pity her and stop asking questions. For a lying man, the default mode is being aggressive. As in how dare you question him? Do you know who he is and what he is capable of? If they are displaying those types of emotions, just know they using them to cover up their lies or avoid being put on the spot.

But do not let it stop you from getting the truth out of them especially when it is crucial. You may never get another chance if you let them get away with their fake emotions.

6. Spot the micro expressions

Microexpressions are very brief expressions that are quickly concealed. For instance, a person may briefly show you they are scared but quickly cover up with a cheerful smile. Liars are like that. No human can sustain a fake emotion for long. One way or the other, they will show you what they are even if it is just a flash. Whether the concealed emotion is fear, anger, happiness, or jealousy, they will appear on the face in the blink of an eye. Train yourself to spot it.

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7. Too many details

When a person gives you more details than you need, he or she is likely lying to you. A lot of liars believe that supplying many details to their stories will make them look authentic for some reason. On the contrary, too many details are glaring giveaways.

For instance, you may ask: “Where were you?” And the person replies with something like: “I went to Somadina’s place and they served me nsala soup which tasted like chalk but the fish was delicious sha. Only that I didn’t like the swallow which was too hard…” and on and on and on they go.

8. Look for contradictions

This is almost like body language but slightly different. Anything that a person does with their voice or their gesture that does not fit the words they are saying can indicate a lie. For instance, a person is saying yes while shaking his or her head to indicate no.

Another example is when a person is saying they are fine while they are writhing in pain. Such contradictions are indicators that somebody is not saying the truth for a reason which can be genuine or not.

9. Listen to your gut

If your gut is telling you that this person is lying, do not ignore it. Instead, find out why you feel that way. It is okay to be suspicious, that is part of being human. The question is: what are you going to do about it? Will you choose to ignore or find out the truth? Either way, do not ignore your guts. Many have been saved because they listened to their guts. Your own can save you a lot of trouble.

10. Tell the story in your own words

When you suspect someone of lying, tell the story of how you think it happened even if you do not have all the details. This is a perfect trap to catch a liar. They will be tempted to fill in more details that you know are lies.

For instance, if your boyfriend is denying claims that he cheated, the lady can say something like: ” I saw you kissing that girl you’re following on Instagram.” You’ll likely hear something like: “I didn’t meet her on Instagram.” That confirms that he kissed a girl, thus cheating on you. Little details like that are perfect giveaways.

Finally, do not allow mistrust to rule your life. There are times when you just have to trust someone just for the sake of peace. However, when a person’s lying attitude is disturbing your peace, it is a clear sign that you should keep a long distance.

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