[Music] What if you didn't need a lie detector? What if your knowledge of psychology and human
behavior was enough to tell if people were telling the truth? Some people are inherently born with the ability
to spot a liar. Others study and practice for years before
they can call people out on their dishonesty. Well, we're about to give you a crash course
on how to spot a liar. Here are ten of the most obvious signs: evasiveness;
one study on lying, found that evasiveness was one of the biggest signs of dishonesty. But what is evasiveness? Basically, when people are lying, they are
less likely to be specific. They might say "I don't know" or "I don't
remember". In terms of lying, this is a massive red flag. Inconsistency; Liars can't keep their story
straight. That's basically what psychologists mean when
they say inconsistency. And studies have proven it's a big sign of
lying. This is a common tactic used by police during
interrogations. They ask the suspect to repeat their story
again and again hoping to poke holes in it when certain details are inconsistent. Simulated facial expressions; although this
is another huge sign of lying, it's very hard to spot. Why? Because some Liars are just really good at
acting. One study showed that only certain facial
muscles are activated when people are experiencing genuine happiness. These muscles are called the orbicularis oculi,
otherwise known as cow’s feet. But, you'd have to be a serious expert the
spot which muscles are being activated in the face. They can't tell their story backwards. If you ever doubt that someone is telling
the truth, ask them to tell their story backwards. Studies have shown that when people are lying,
they have trouble telling their false version of events in Reverse. When people are lying, they have an increased
cognitive load. This basically means that liar’s brains
are working much harder than those who are telling the truth. When you ask a liar to tell their story backwards,
this might push their cognitive load over the edge leaving them unable to keep their
story straight. Not maintaining eye contact; this has to be
one of the most obvious signs of a liar. Eye contact is linked with truthfulness, and
multiple studies have linked lying with the inability to look someone in the eye. Although this has been explored by research,
it only takes a little bit of common sense to see why this is true. Once again, it goes back to evasiveness. They can't handle unexpected questions; like
we've mentioned previously, Liars are using their brains much more than those telling
the truth. Honest people don't have to think too hard
about what they're saying, they're simply telling the truth. Liars on the other hand are inventing entire
stories and situations clearly out of their own imaginations. Sometimes, they plan out their responses and
stories long in advance. That's why when we ask them unexpected random
questions, it often catches them out. It's another technique that police often use;
simply asking them what they were wearing or what they ate could be enough to leave
a liar stuttering. Micro-expressions; this is another sign which
is incredibly hard to spot. Research has shown that facial expressions
linked with genuine emotions might only last a few milliseconds. As a general rule, shorter expressions are
usually real. Longer drawn-out expressions have a higher
chance of being fake. A liar is essentially trying very hard to
show everyone what they're feeling, as opposed to genuinely feeling these emotions. The problem is that these genuine micro expressions
are very hard to spot. Sometimes, they're impossible to even see
because they're so quick. Blinking; but there might be an easier way
to spot what psychologists refer to as masked emotions. Just take note of how often someone is blinking. Research has shown that frequent blinking
is linked to masked emotions, a clear sign of lying. Their facial expressions and their emotions
don't match up. This is something most of us aren't familiar
with. Sometimes, people just give us a strange vibe. Often, this is because their emotions and
facial expressions seem totally disconnected. They might be smiling when their body language
seems sad or vice versa. Studies have shown that this is a major red
flag when it comes to lying. Play devil's advocate; now we're getting into
expert territory. This might be hard to pull off but it's a
great way to spot a liar. Let's say someone says that they love roller
coasters, but you have a sneaking suspicion that they're actually terrified of them, all
you need to do is play devil's advocate. Talk about how scary you think roller-coasters
are and situations where you've been terrified, they'll probably agree with you on some level. Now, all you need to do is compare that statement
with what they initially said about loving roller-coasters. Which statement seems more genuine? The answer should be pretty obvious. This is a technique which has been backed
up by quite a few studies. Tell us about your stories of when you caught
a liar. What were some of the signs that made it obvious? We hope this helps you in getting the truth
out of people in the future. What did you think of this video? Does it help you spot a liar? Comment below and tell us which of these tactics
you use to catch a liar in the act.
