Nonverbal Gestures: The Body Language of a Liar
by Laurie Wilhelm
Body language in communication can work either for us or against us. If you’re speaking to someone who you suspect to be lying, there are a few gestures they may make that gives them away. Look for examples of non verbal communication in their body language – the body will tell you what their words won’t.
As an aside, lies don’t have to be malicious. They can be said to spare someone’s feelings, avoid a confrontation or said to be ‘nice’. This is pretty common when someone wants to steer clear of an uncomfortable situation or feels badly about what he’s saying as he tries not to hurt someone.
The most obvious tell-tale signs of someone lying are:
- covering his mouth
- scratching his nose
- rubbing his eyes
- pulling on his ear
- scratching or rubbing his neck
- pulling at his collar
Also, he’s likely to be unable to maintain direct eye contact with you for long or, alternatively, he may look at you for an unnaturally long time. He may blink less, as if he has to be on extra alert to be sure he’s not found out. Alternatively, his eye movements may be all over the place, looking at you, then at something else and something else again before looking back at you, then to something else – you get the idea.
And watch which direction his eyes are going. When we’re trying to remember something, we’re envisioning it and look to the right. Looking to the left is for creative thought – or a creative lie.
The rest of his body will likely be stiff and his gestures limited and when he does move, his gestures are restricted or are drawn inward to take up less space. He may even turn his body or head away from you or even place an object, such as his coffee mug, between him and you.
Note that his facial gestures won’t coincide with his words. He may, for example, compliment you and then smile. If it were sincere, he would be more likely to compliment and smile simultaneously. Also, his facial gestures will be limited to his mouth – he will be smiling, but his eyes and forehead will not move to match a normally friendly facial expression.
When someone is lying, he may be at least somewhat uncomfortable and is more likely to fidget. He’ll play with a pen, shift from foot to foot, or move his hands needlessly. He’s also more likely to slouch. Truths are more often said with confidence and openly so we tend to stand or sit tall when we’re saying the truth.
He may be looking down when telling his lie. When people are telling the truth, they look up and at the people they’re speaking with. Try it yourself. Tell a story about what happened last week and you’ll find it difficult to tell it and look at the floor. If you’re lying, you need to get away from the distractions around you so you’ll look down. Looking at the floor helps you to concentrate on what you’ll say next and keep the story intact. Try looking up and lie while you tell a story and notice you’ll likely have the urge to look down.
Finally, watch his hands. If he’s showing his palms, he’s likely telling the truth. However, if his palms are down, he’s most likely hiding something from you.
While these gestures are not restricted to the body language of a liar (for example, some people always look down when they speak because they’re shy), they can indicate if someone is telling you the truth or not.
