The Telltales Of A Liar.

I was brought up to see the good in people and as a result, I have been deceived and lied to more than often. I was always prepared to believe a person until given enough reason not to believe him any more.

But this is no longer so. I don’t know exactly when this change came about but it was with some mild shock that I came to realize that I no longer trust people. Sometimes I even doubt people who had never given me reason to do so.

Of course, I never tell people that I don’t believe them; nor do I alert them by probing for the truth. A liar at ease will soon betray himself.

Having been a college lecturer for more than 20 years I had to listen to countless excuses why a task was not completed in time or why a lecture was missed. I did not take such lies personal; they were gambling with their own futures, not mine. Being the keen observer of people that I am, I learned the telltales of a lie with time.

Liars will often place extra emphasis on the denial by the use formal language and will unconsciously send signals of anxiety by adjusting a tie or touching the hair. They may unconsciously smile when they believe that they have deceived you again. Sweating may also be a sign but the person may just me nervous.

They tend to give too much information in an effort to cover up their lies. They will have problems repeating the events around the lie in reverse sequence because it did not happen that way.

They will often repeat the entire question before starting to reply to it. This is to buy time to think about what to say. A person speaking the truth will maintain eye contact for about 60% of the time while a liar will often keep eye contact for much longer in an effort to create an image of honesty.

True emotions ‘leak’ through the best disguise when lying and is best witnessed when a person nods his head while denying something or shake it when confirming. Your body will often betray a lie. Liars often change their vocal tone when lying and will be hesitant in their speech.

A liar will subconsciously point his feet to the exit and will attempt to place physical barriers, (like water jugs or glasses) between himself and his questioners.

Unlike a liar, an honest person – when falsely accused – will be furious. However, they will still be co-operative and helpful while interrogated.

You will probably never see all these signs at the same time but when you see two or three the warning lights should flash. More than that and you can safely assume that you are being lied to. However, knowing that you are being lied to, is only part of the problem. Getting to the truth is another matter and this is where I play dumb and wait for the truth to surface.


Greeting to all of you from a hot and sunny Capetown.