Have you ever told a lie? There’s a high chance that the answer is yes. Even the best of us have told a lie at one point or another. However, some people lie frequently like their lives depend on it. Lying is their second nature. They lie so often to a point where you begin to wonder how they do it.
You’re about to learn how to catch a liar red-handed from these signs.
1. They Breathe Heavily
Have you ever been talking to someone and then suddenly they start to breathe heavily? What does that tell you? It means they are in an uncomfortable situation. No matter how good someone is at lying, it doesn’t change the fact that when they’re telling a lie, they feel uncomfortaable.
Naturally, they begin to feel tense and nervous. When that happens, their heart starts to beat faster, making them breathe heavily. It’s just like when someone is in danger. In that moment, the liar is in danger. It might not be physical danger, but the fear of being caught feels like it, and that makes them uncomfortable.
They may also begin to talk in a high-pitched voice. Their voice becomes thin and shaky. You can tell something is wrong because that’s not how they usually sound.
When you’re talking freely, do you get nervous? Does your voice get tense? Of course not, because you have nothing to hide. But when someone is lying, they are hiding something, and they don’t want to get caught.
2. They Repeat Words and Phrases
When someone is lying, they begin to repeat themselves. They know that what they are saying isn’t true, so they begin to say it over and over again just to convince themselves that it's true. Somewhere in their mind, they believe that the more they repeat themselves, the more convincing they will sound to you.
Another reason why people repeat themselves when they're lying is that they are buying time to come up with more lies to tell you. The more you lie, the more details you need to cover your tracks, because when you run out of things to say, it's going to be evident that you are lying.
When you're being truthful, when you're telling the truth, you just want to go straight to it. There's no time to waste because you have so much to say to prove your innocence. But when you're lying, you go over and over.
3. They Give Too Much Information
When someone goes on and on talking non-stop, giving you information that isn’t necessary to the topic at hand, there's a very high chance that they are lying. They believe that talking so much and giving you all that information will make them sound believable.
Remember, they aren’t telling the truth. They are trying to cover their tracks, so they want to overwhelm you with information to the point where you will lose track of the relevant details and get carried away with all the irrelevant information.
The truth is what it is. You don't need to color it. You don't need to exaggerate it. But when you're telling a lie, it's the exact opposite. You want to color it, make it sound believable, and beautify it. But all of that isn’t necessary if you are telling the truth.
4. They Overthink
When you're being truthful, you are simply recounting your experience of an incident. You don't have to create any imaginary detail. You just say it as it is. Lying, on the other hand, is the opposite. The incident never happened. You're creating things in your head. So, in doing that, you'll overthink things. You need to take your time to make them, articulate them, and then voice them.
No matter how great someone is at lying, they still need some time to get their story together, especially when you begin to ask them questions. They never saw it coming, so they couldn't have adequately prepared. If you ask them a question they never saw coming, they would need a moment to think and craft the perfect response. And in overthinking, they begin to stutter because they are not sure of what they are saying.
Overthinking is also a tactic to avoid getting caught. Liars think that they're very smart, so they don't just say things. They have to evaluate it in their head before voicing it. This is even more obvious, especially if the person speaks fast. So, why are they suddenly overthinking? Why are they suddenly speaking slowly?
5. Their Story Is Inconsistent
When someone is being truthful, they have nothing to hide. The truth is constant. When you call on them to tell you what they told you earlier, they simply repeat the exact details. It's a totally different game when the person is lying because they made it all up.
There’s hardly a perfect liar. This is because a liar is first and foremost human. Their natural behaviors and reflexes will come into play. They use specific body language cues that give them away without realizing it.