Lie detection

Do you ever feel that someone you are talking to is lying? Well, you are not alone. (1) ............................... . However, did you know that there are a few things you can look for to check if that person is really lying to you?

Try observing their body language. When people are lying, they don’t want to move their arms, hands or legs very far from their body. They don’t want to take up very much space because they don’t want to be noticed.

Sometimes a person who is lying may not look you in the eye. However, (2) ............................... because they want to persuade you they are telling the truth. If someone does either of these two things, they might be lying. Liars may also touch their face, their ears or the back of their neck. Another thing a liar might do is turn their head away from you when talking.

Liars also use distraction. In other words, (3) ............................... . For example, if you ask a liar the question ‘Did you steal Jack’s wallet?’, they may answer with something like ‘Jack is my friend. Why would I do that?’ In this situation, the person is telling the truth, but they are also not answering the question. They are trying to distract your attention. Another thing liars might do with language is to avoid using contractions. For example, (4) ............................... . Liars may also give too much detail. They may try to over-explain things. They do this because they want to convince you of what they are saying.

Just because a person is showing these behaviours, it does not mean they are lying. They might be shy or nervous, but if you think someone is lying, (5) ............................... . Hopefully, you won’t need them very often.