Is he lying? His body may tell the truth

Monkeying around with the truth
There they sit, the three wise monkeys, one with its hands over its ears, another with hands hiding its eyes, and the third monkey covering its mouth. And of course you know the expression that goes with this iconic Japanese image: Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Perhaps these three wise monkeys have become universally known because they exhibit precisely the signs we humans make when we’re not telling the truth. Psychologists and students of body language (including groups as diverse as human resources professionals and law enforcement investigators) look for these “hand-to-head” movements as indicators of lying.

For example, a liar will often put his hand near his mouth, as if to cover up the mouth and the lie. He may also touch the face near his eyes or even begin rubbing his eyes when speaking an untruth. The ears too come into play, with liars frequently tugging at an ear lobe or actually scratching the inside of the ear. Finally, even the nose can display subtle telltale signs of lying (remember Pinocchio?), with liars often pulling it or rubbing it as if they’re about to sneeze. Some liars wrinkle their noses ever so slightly and usually very quickly when telling a lie, giving the impression that something smells bad (like what they’re saying, for instance). Flaring the nostrils can also be a sign that you shouldn’t believe what you hear. Each of these hand-to-head gestures and actions can be a result of the stress and anxiety one feels because of telling a lie.

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Eyes and lies
Darting eyes, as we’ve said, are a strong sign of lying behavior, as are firmly fixed eyes. But there are two eye movements you may not associate with lying. First, and this may sound odd, but please do what we ask — we want you to recall the name of the last movie you saw. Chances are in thinking about the answer, your eyes moved up and to the left. That’s where most of us move our eyes when we’re trying to recall a fact, when we’re thinking of something from the past. Eyes up and to the left. Now, we want you to think about what you’re planning on doing this upcoming weekend. OK, where did your eyes move? Up, yes, but this time to your right. That’s the eye movement most of us make when we’re thinking about the future. Up and to the right.

Here’s how you can use that knowledge of universal eye movements to help you determine if you’re being lied to: At the appropriate moment, ask the suspected cheater a question relating to an event you’re particularly suspicious of. For example, if he told you he was working late last night and you suspect he was really with his lover, ask him a question that would require a specific answer that includes some detail, such as, “So, what exactly were you working on last night?” If he indeed did work on the new marketing plan, his eyes will go up and to his left, the position of recall. But if his eyes go up to his right, he’s thinking of something that hasn’t happened, and he’s forming an answer, not recalling an actual event. In other words, he’s lying. While not a foolproof test of honesty (as you might not ask a question that lends itself to a specific answer), it is an uncannily reliable tool. If you do employ this tactic a few times, and in every instance, instead of his eyes moving to the recall position of up and to his left they move to the “future” position of up and to the right, you can feel confident that he’s lying.

Body signals
Other body signs to watch for include agitated movement of the hands, arms, feet, and legs. Because a liar feels tense and nervous, his hands and feet tend to move with more frequency and often in rather jerky, awkward ways. Along with these motions, notice if he rhythmically opens and closes his hands or places them in his pockets (to hide how nervous he feels). Placing his palms downward may also indicate that he’s not telling the truth. (The opposite movement, placing your opened palms so they face the other person, is an almost universal sign of innocence saying, “You can believe me.”)

Even if your spouse manages to still his hand movements, you may instead notice that he’s doing the liar’s shuffle, tapping his feet nervously, or that he’s crossing and uncrossing his legs at a fast rate. Both are signs of anxiety brought on by having to conceal the truth. Also watch for the full body movement — usually away from you. If you happen to be sitting next to him while he’s lying, he may shoot up and move across the room, because it’s harder to lie to someone who’s in close proximity — the farther away, the easier it is to lie.

Few of us relish telling a lie. This is why a person who is lying will often turn his head, and sometimes his entire body, away from the person the lie is directed to. To feel additional protection while telling a lie, it’s also common for the liar to place symbolic barriers between himself and the person being fed the untruths, including folding his arms over his chest in a defensive motion or crossing his legs tightly. The barriers don’t have to be part of his body either; he might place a newspaper, coffee cup, eyeglasses, or some other object directly between himself and the victim of his lies.

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