How Our Bodies Reveal Our Lies
Who is happy being lied to? When we are projecting false emotions and being inauthentic with our words, our verbal and non-verbal behaviors disintegrate that will eventually result to the truest form of lie. Some lies hurt, while others will leave you cheated but not pissed such as White lies. For example, we all have friends who say they left home already and is about to meet us in 20 minutes only to find out they’re still in the shower. Surprisingly, according to a survey, this is one of the greatest white lies Singaporeans hear almost every day!
In a more serious context, A person who is trying to conceal his feelings for example, may command his gestures but will find it difficult to control his facial muscles, which are, considered to be the least obedient when it comes to covering a passing emotion.
Under those circumstances, it cannot be denied that the truth reveals itself through one’s actions and not necessarily words. So what are the surefire yet subtle signs that tell our bodies betray us when we lie?
- Head Movement is Out of Sync
When someone is lying, the timing of what he is saying and what he is expressing are usually a mismatch. A common sign to this is when a person is shaking his head signifying a “no” while responding yes to a question. Same is true when saying “I like it” supported by a frown for a box of chocolates.
- Shoulders
Shoulders are more often overlooked when we speak of non-verbal psychology but how shoulders look or move is a key component for those who are intending to prey on us. This body part can betray anyone who is lying or is lacking confidence to what he is saying. For example, a person may positively confirm something while at the same time his shoulders or maybe just one shoulder slowly rise up an inch, this may indicate uncertainty which is an opposite to what is being said. So take some time to do people watching and take a good look at the language shoulders.
- Direction of One’s Eyes
They say that eyes are the windows to the soul and therefore, it is not a healthy place for deception. For instance, the manner in which the person opts to move his eyes has something to do with what he is trying to remember or make up. One of the pretty common eye directions to observe is when a person is asked a question and looks toward his top right corner, it’s considered that he is trying to recall a particular memory. If however, the person looks up to their top left, he is using his visual imagination to construct or make things up but this tends to be the other way around for left-handed persons.
Pupils, on the other hand, are the only body part that we don’t have complete control of. They either dilate or contract depending on our emotional state. For example, dilated pupils are strongly related to love or romance, when someone is aroused, interested or excited, this dilation is very much evident that deep eye gazing to the opposite sex impossibly irresistible. Contracted pupils however reveal our negative mood towards something or someone.
- Say Cheese!
Did you know that a person’s smile and wrinkles in the corner beside his eyes are both determinants to distinguish a genuine and fake smile? True smiles create marked wrinkles beside the eyes while false ones only create crinkly eye effect or the ones we usually see when photographers say cheese! Furthermore, smiles are classified to different kinds: One of the common smiles is the tight lipped or concealment of teeth. This is not often used by liars but usually means a polite smile by someone who is trying to be nice. Smirking or two-faced effect can display either sarcasm or half-hearted smile. Teeth display is considered the most convincing smile as it makes the person look happier and positive.
- Blinking
On an average, a relaxed blinking of a person ranges from 6 to 8 blinks in a minute and people who are under discomfort or pressure especially in the case of lying will most likely increase it dramatically.
While there are still many indicators on how our own body language contradicts what we sometimes make up and portray, what is truly certain is that lies, in order to appear believable, requires hard work. After all, our body language speaks more than words.
