PREVIOUS : How to STOP Lying, #3

SITE : “Why can’t I cry even though I’m sad?”  (& How to cry if  you want to)

ACoAs :
For some of us, allowing ourself to cry is very difficult – all our tears seem to be died up. They could molest, beat, belittle us, punish or made fun of as a cry-baby…. but early on we determined we would never let them see that they won. We had to “be strong”, had to pretend their abuse didn’t hurt…. so we swallowed our tears, & now we can’t seem to access them!

For others, as adults we seem to cry at the drop of a hat, whether at a sad movie, a big disappointment, being frustrated or very angry. All our accumulated pain is right on the surface, easily triggered.  Before recovery, one highly sensitive ACoA quipped : “I’m an emotional hemophiliac. Touch me & I bleed! ”

THIS set of POSTs is mainly aimed at the first group.
The reality is that we have tear-ducts built into our body for a reason!  just as the ability to feel emotions is built into our brain, from the amygdala, as part of the limbic system.
Among other things, this is part of our brain that automatically detects danger.
But since most ACoAs grew up in very dangerous families & environments, we had to be constantly on alert, hiding, placating or fighting. So it makes sense that our whole limbic system got overworked & then shut down. 

CRYING is a natural response to a range of emotions, from deep sadness & grief to extreme happiness & joy.  It’s an important safety valve, since tears release /expel endorphins like oxytocin. If you always suppress tears, you may not be able to express emotions in a healthy way – called repressive coping.

Physically, repressive coping has been linked with a less resilient immune system, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, auto-immune diseases…. Psychologically, not crying about painful emotions can lead to mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, & dissociation.

Even though at first you might feel exhausted when the tears stop flowing, crying has long been considered beneficial. Its medical value has been known as far back as in Classical antiquity. Thinkers & physicians of ancient Greece & Rome asserted that tears work like a purgative, draining off impurities.

Today’s psychological thought emphasizes crying as a mechanism to release stress & emotional pain. It has also been shown to increase attachment behavior, encouraging closeness, empathy & support from friends & family.

Popular culture has always known the value of a good cry as a way to feel better – maybe even to experience physical pleasure – as proven by the millions of people who watched classic tearjerker films such as West Side Story or Titanic, among others.

Crying AMOUNT
Some people are more likely to cry than others. Researchers at the Tilburg University in the Netherlands studies crying extensively, & found that average amounts by country vary considerably. EXPs: pr. month : women in China only cry about 1.4x . Men in Bulgaria reportedly cry a mere 0.3x .

Averages in America are on the higher side  = pr. month : women cry 3.5x, men cry around 1.9 x .
Other research :  overall, US women cry 60% more than men, but experts aren’t sure why. It could be because men:
♛ Have smaller tear ducts
♛ Usually have more testosterone, which may inhibit crying
♛ Have less prolactin, a hormone that might promote tears
♥︎ Are often encouraged to not cry

What are tears made of?
The outer oily layer prevents tears from drying up too quickly, while the inner mucous layer allows the tear film to stick to our eyes, always coating the eyes around the cornea (clear outer layer of eyeball). The middle watery layer is the thickest, keeping the eyes wet, nourishing their tissues.

Tears are also filled with electrolytes, which explains their salty taste. Electrolytes are essential minerals with an electric charge, necessary to many bodily functions. They’re in our blood, sweat & urine. When we lose a lot of electrolytes via sweating, crying, or using the bathroom, we need to replenish them by drinking water & eating electrolyte-rich food.

NEXT : Part 2

PREVIOUS : How to STOP LYING (#2)

⬅️ SITE : “Story Time: Honesty always pays”

1. DECIDING to stop
2. MAKING a Plan

3. STAYING Honest
a. Recognize patterns that cause you to slip. The more you you get into the habit telling the truth, the patterns in your thinking that lead to lies will be easier for you to notice. These include the Toxic Family Rules & Cognitive Distortions they lead to.  Stay awake for how you have been obeying these mental traps, which lead to lying – so you won’t automatically fall back into the lying-habit.

• Short circuit these patterns by learning ways to identify & soothe childhood anxiety at the root of lying. Develop a variety of strategies  you’ve practiced & often rehearsed – that’s put in place to help you cope when asked something triggering, so you don’t have to lie.
EXP : just smile & be silent, ask the other person about themself….

• Do not ever be hard on yourself when you slip. The addiction to lying is a hard ‘habit’ to break. Go right back to being honest – like getting back to a diet, or getting up after falling off a bike….  Don’t give up or let the old patterns hijack your life again.

b. Make honesty the core of your character. Honesty is a highly valued character trait across many cultures & societies. It’s developed through early childhood being in heathy smiles, & honed by consistently being strong in difficult situations – year in, year out. Let Truth  (a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality) become your automatic response when faced with stressors in life.

• Recognizing honesty in others can be helpful when trying to live an ethical life. Who do you admire & respect?  Ask “What would Jose or Salima say in this situation?” & learn from them, applying your own way of doing things.

• Find other honest role models – bible characters, spiritual leaders, honorable characters in literature, philosophers, leaders of social movements….. No one can be honest sometimes all the time, but principled people pick themselves up & keep doing the right thing to the best of their ability.

c. Build good relationships.
The more regularly you tell the truth, keep your commitments & treat others with respect, the more they’ll trust you, which feels good. With   the right people, trust leads to great friendships, intimate relationships, & a feeling of belonging. It minimizes loneliness by being a part of community. Not hiding behind lies provides the opportunity to be accepted for who you really are – your True Self.

• It is never too late to become an honest person
• IF you’re with the right people – who are both intelligent & kind, you can disclose to them some of the things you’ve hidden
• If you’ve been lying for a while, it’s better to tell them as soon as possible, which can help to clean up misunderstandings & betrayals.

d. Get outside help
You might think you’re alone in your effort to stop lying, but there are people who have been through this & can be supportive. It’s tough to quit any addiction by yourself. Reach out to people who can provide good advice, as well as hold you accountable for reaching your goal.

• It’s not shameful to work with a skilled therapist. It’s worth talking with someone who has experience helping people who need guidance & validation that you can change a life-long parer. They can help to uncover some of the underlying reasons for this addiction, such as childhood neglect, sexual  &/or physical abuse, emotional manipulation…. This will be extremely valuable to help transition from frequent lying to consistent honesty

• Talk to the people you’re close to. Specific people will want to help you stop lying, even if they’ve been hurt by your dishonesty in the past. If you feel safe enough, tell your parents, siblings, or a close friend about your goal, so they can provide encouragement

• Join a support group. Sharing with other people who understand exactly what you’re going through is crucial. Look for an online groups that meets on line or in person near you.

NEXT : Song “This is Me”

PREVIOUS : How to STOP LYING (#1)

SITE : about “Radical Honesty

1. DECIDING to stop

2. MAKING a Plan
a. Identify your triggers. To stick to your goal, it’s imperative to identify the People, Places & Things (PPT) that trigger you so you to avoid telling the truth. As they become clearer, you can either avoid situations that scare or anger you, or find better ways to deal with them.
☞ Do you tend to lie when feeling anxious about a task to project, to temporarily ease that emotion?
☞ Do you lie to specific people?  Your mate, so they won’t leave, parents or children so they won’t be disappointed, bosses to not get fired?…..

b.  Learn to face consequences. At some point, telling the truth will put you in a situation you’ve always wanted to avoid by lying.  In ‘recovery’ you’ll have to own up to the times you didn’t follow the rules, admit you’re unemployed, didn’t get the part you auditioned for, or tell someone you are not actually interested in a relationship…..
Facing your uncomfortable emotions & consequences from others – is still truly better than lying because it strengthens your character & builds trust with other people.

• Be prepared for other people’s reactions. Maybe someone hearing the truth will make a negative comment or do something you don’t like. Even so, you can be proud of yourself for being honest, & that you’re handling problems with strength instead of the easy way out.

• Work on building trust with anyone who may not believe you at first. It may take a while before they’re sure about you, so keep working at it. Repairing damaged relationships is not magic. The next time you tell a lie to that person, you’ll are back at square one.

c. If you can’t say something true, don’t say anything at all. When faced with a trigger & you simply can’t be honest in the moment, it’s better to be quiet or change the subject. You are not required to respond to questions you don’t want to answer, or reveal information that’s private.

• If someone asks you a question directly you’re not ready to answer truthfully, it’s legitimate to tell them you’d rather not answer. It may feel a little awkward, but it’s still better than lying (OR over-explaining!).

• Avoid situations that have typically stir up the need to look good or important by lying – such as in group conversations where everyone brags about their accomplishments.

• Pay attention to physical ‘tells’ indicating you’re about to tell a lie. You might look down instead of at the person, feel your heart beating faster, or that you’re sweating a little. As soon as you notice, get yourself out of the situation so you won’t ‘have to’ lie.

d. Actively Practice telling the truth.  If you’ve been lying more often than not, telling the truth really does take practice. The key is to think before you speak, taking an extra second or so to decide if you can say something that’s truthful. It doesn’t have to be special, important or interesting. Just real! Remember, if you’re asked a question you can’t answer honestly, don’t answer, or deflect. The more you practice, it can become your ‘new norm’….

• Try practicing with strangers, or in an online forum. Telling the truth to people you don’t have a relationship can be freeing, since there are (usually) no consequences.

• With people you do know, practice by talking about neutral subjects you feel confident discussing. Offer genuine opinions about anything, give basic information about your weekend plans , or what you had for breakfast.

• If you have trouble talking about yourself – discuss the news, sports, philosophy, business ideas, a recipe you love, a favorite to band or show you want to see, your pet….. The point is to practice, practice, practice – saying things that are true.

NEXT : How to STOP LYING (#3)

PREVIOUS : Dealing with Liars

SITE : “Fight, flight, freeze, and fibbing: Lying as a trauma-based behavior”

Loosely based on wikiHow

1. DECIDING to Stop
Being consistently dishonest may not seem to cause harm, but it’s often used to manipulate other people’s behavior & their attitude toward the liar. Exposed to a liar over time slowly whittles away at the victim’s free will & their right to make choices based on truth.

a. Figure out why you lie. Is it a way:
✴︎ to protect yourself from being abused (socially, verbally, physically….) ? A child may have few or no other ways to find some safety – a neighbor, teacher, best friend…… AND as an adult – if you’re in a truly dangerous situation, keep looking for a safe way to escape, so you won’t need lies to cope.

✴︎ to have some control over situations? When you can see an obvious way to get what you want by telling a lie, telling the truth is tough.  You may believe dishonesty is the only way to make other people do what you want, since you haven’t developed internal permission to get your needs met directly.

✴︎ to make yourself look better?  If you’re low on self-esteem, it seems like a shortcut to boosting your status at work, in your social circle, even with loved ones – until you’re caught! People with healthy self-regard (not arrogance like narcissists) don’t need or want to lie, unless in an emergency.

✴︎ to comfort yourself ? Telling the truth can be very hard. In specific situations it can causes you awkwardness or anxiety (making a difficult statement, asking for a need….). And it can make others uncomfortable – if it’s something they don’t want to hear. Lying to others, and even more to yourself, prevents from having to face painful emotions & situations

b. Determine why you want to stop
If you don’t have strong enough reasons for quitting, it’s a lot harder to give up lying about yourself or to others. Consider seriously what effect it’s had on your sense of self & on your relationships. Sticking to this defensive pattern undermines your ability to develop self confidence & self worth. A deep part of yourself knows you’re not living from integrity, even though you may think you’re protecting yourself

Some reasons to work on changing:
• TO experience yourself as a valuable person. Lying cuts you off from reality when you camouflage large parts of yourself by projecting a fake image to the world

• TO express real emotions & opinion, so your True Self can be seen & valued. Being able to feel good about yourself is the main reason to stop lying. You may find it’s a relief to show the best parts of yourself that have always been there. This means slowly shedding the False Self developed in a toxic family environment, which need lies to keep it propped up.

• TO connect with others . Under everything – we want to connect with others, to not feel isolated & alone. Lying gets in the way of that deep need. Positive relationships are based on compatibility – and the ability to express our native personality to each other. With the right people, the more each one reveals, the closer we get.

• TO gain back people’s trust. Naturally, this refers to your relationship with people who have known you a long time & know your tendency to distort information, so they know they can’t rely on whatever you say – even when you’re telling the truth.

Having caught you in lies, they’ll protect themself from frustration & disappointment by keeping you at arm’s length or ending their connection. If that matters to you, you’ll need to start being honest – a little at a time – & continue until they can depend on your word. This may take years, so don’t be surprised & don’t give up.

c. Make a commitment to stop
Treat lying as you would any other addiction, making a serious commitment to change. It requires a lot of hard work & self-awareness, so❣️set the worthwhile intention every morning – as you start your day that “I will stop to think, & then tell one less lie today than I want to perpetrate”.
Follow thru & see how that feels. Over the weeks, make it 2 less a day, then 3 …..

NEXT : How to STOP LYING (#2)

PREVIOUS : LYING & the BODY

BOOK : “Big Liars – What Psychological Science Tells Us About Lying and How You Can Avoid Being Duped

🚫 HOW to MANAGE being around them

🔸 Consider the Source
When hearing facts that don’t add up, our first instinct may be to assume someone is lying to hurt us, & so approach them with that attitude. Before reacting, stop to consider who this person is to you, & base your response on that.  Are they a close friend who is typically supportive & appreciates all your good points?  or a colleague who is jealous, & constantly puts you down?….

🔸 Look Inward
It may be hard, but it’s worth asking yourself what’s your reaction to hearing the actual (brutal?) truth from someone? If you get hurt, offended or angry every time, you should expect people to start omitting details or even lying to you.

Would you rather be lied to, like getting an insincere complement on a new blouse, or more seriously – a buddy agreeing with your idea of going for an unrealistic goal, even knowing it wouldn’t work ? Be honest with yourself about your expectations of others, & see if you may be holding them to an unfair standard.

🔸 Document the Evidence
If someone is gaslighting you – making you feel crazy for questioning things – it’s very important to document the evidence,  journaling your experiences, not just your opinions. Some people who lie are very clever at demolishing your sense of reality, so keeping a record is an excellent way to stay grounded in “I know what I know”.

🔸 Have Realistic Expectations
The reality is that some people will continue to lie. Accept what you know – identifying what you can & can’t count on them for. That will save you a lot of future heartache.
IF you must stay in contact, based on their role in your life (parent, addicted adult-child, boss ….), decide to relate to them only superficially, & never rely on them for the truth.

🔸 Think Before Confronting
When you want to talk to someone you know has been lying to you, first identify the main points you’ll want to get across. Next, practice saying them out loud – alone or with a neutral person. When emotions are intense, it’s easy to lose focus & get sidetracked – especially by the liar. Rehearsing ahead of time will help to stay anchored when the time comes.

🔸 Express Boundaries 
Knowing your boundaries – in any situation – is important for self-esteem & self-empowerment, but especially in any relationship that’s been fractured by dishonesty.
Boundaries are not about telling someone what they should or should not do. It’s about setting limits on what you will tolerate & stating what you do find acceptable. Make the consequences very clear about what you will or won’t do if someone doesn’t respect your boundaries, & be ready to enforce it.

🔸 Give them a Chance to Rebuild Your Trust
IMP: This does not apply to compulsive, narcissistic, pathological liars!
Being lied to can trigger a grief process, which you won’t get over quickly. If the other person admits to their harmful behavior (is accountable) & understands how/ why they hurt you, that’s a good sign. If not, the relationship won’t grow. Sometimes the only realistic, self-caring option is to distance yourself. Either way, take your time to heal.

🔸 Practice Kindness
Consider – what you heard may not be what was said or meant. It could have been a misunderstanding. If you decide to confront someone about a lie, start out with a willingness to give them a chance to explain. Share how you found out about the lie & ask for their take on it. Accusing someone of something big requires big evidence.

🔸 Stay Levelheaded
When planning a conversation about someone lying – even if it’s an important lie, try to stay in charge of your feelings & behavior.  You don’t want to turn into someone you don’t respect. Your emotions of anger, frustration, disappointment…. are valid.  You have a right to an outlet for them – so express them appropriately, rather than in a way you’ll regret.

🔸 Take Time for Recovery
From white lies to big omissions, lying covers a broad range of untruths, & so are our reactions. You may feel annoyed, scared, shocked…..  Stop to experience your emotions, write about them & maybe share what happened with a trusted confidant – so they don’t come out sideways later on.

For a big lie, like an affair, you’ll need lots of time to collect yourself & recover. When your reality has been shaken, do things you enjoy as a great way to soothe your wounded heart, & use grounding exercises like deep breathing ,  polyvagal exercises…. to calm your nervous system.

🔸 Therapy
A therapist can be a great short-term tool or an ongoing resource. You don’t have to wait until things become unmanageable or as a last resort. Therapy can be situation-specific & end when the issue feels resolved.

If lying has created a wedge between you & your partner, a neutral person in couples therapy can help to process painful emotions, examine each person’s beliefs, underlying needs & expectations, as well as explore where you want the relationship to go from here..

Modified from EVERYDAY💚HEALTH article by Hilary I. Lebow

NEXT :

PREVIOUS : Lying & the EYES

SITE : “….When Your Mate is LYING ALL the TIME”

Signs of a Lying Mate
Your mate may think they’re hiding the truth from you, but if you pay closer attention to both their words & non-verbal language, you’ll admit you’ve been seeing signs from early on in the relationship – maybe even on the first date!

WHY it’s Hard to be Sure a Mate or Partner is Lying
In spite of the assumption that the most reliable cues of lying are nonverbal, research suggests that when it comes to the truth of another’s story, the most accurate cues are verbal, which included how plausible the story was.

1. Crossing the Line. It’s uncomfortable & seems impolite to accuse someone of lying. Our sense of family training & social etiquette often keeps us from being correctly suspicious. And without being able to cross-examine the potential liar, it makes the lies much harder to notice & acknowledge to ourself

2. Differences in Motivation.  A lying mate may have a deep need to successfully deceive you. Unless there are blatant reasons for you to be suspicion, you may not be very motivated to test the truth of your mate’s ‘stories’. You may say to yourself – “I’m just not sure”.

3. Differences in Skill. Lying successfully is a skill that can be developed over time. Your mate may be a much better liar than you are a being a human lie-detector. In fact, there’s good evidence that even people who are specifically trained to catch the signals don’t get that much better at it. Good liars tend to have the upper hand.

4. Trusting Bias. Research clearly shows that we trust others too much. Even in studies where people are told that they will hear 50% lies and 50% truths, they choose to believe well over half as “truthful.” (70- 90%). Naturally, this trusting bias is even stronger toward people we love. In everyday interactions with those close to us, we bend over backwards to give them the benefit of the doubt.

6. You Fear the Consequences. Many times in relationships, we don’t want to test our mate’s honesty because there can be severe consequences. It may drive a wedge between the 2 of you, with a threat of emotional abandonment or divorce.  They may become very angry & in some cases violent….. So, for many people, not knowing the truth may be more bearable than the alternative. (from : R. E> Riggio, PhD)
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IMPACT of a Lying Partner
A lying mate hurts the entire family system. Some effects include loss of intimacy, increased conflicts, & divorce. Once an ugly truth comes out it leaves the spouse & children feeling confused, rejected, angry, sad, scared, even foolish. Previous trust in the lying mate is damaged, & depending how big the lie is – it dramatically changes the family’s relationships with each other, & can be very hard to recover from.

HOW to RESPOND
If you’re talking with your mate & become aware that they’re lying, it’s best to address it right away. How much you say & how you say it – is ultimately up to you, but there are some things it’s best to always do, regardless of the situation :

❥ Immediately.  As soon as you think or know your mate is lying, speak up. Always listen to your body & mind – you have intelligence & experience. Let them know what they did or said that triggered your gut reaction.

❥ Be assertive – but not aggressive, if possible.  If you suspect your mate may be lying, state your concern about wanting to be able to trust them. Clearly identifying the honesty you need & expect in your relationship. Set healthy boundaries for what is & is not acceptable, being prepared to leave if your mate consistently violates them.

❥ Check their understanding. Do not assume your mate fully understands your objections to their lying. Be sure they understand what you mean you by asking them to repeat back or paraphrase your point. Encourage them to ask clarifying questions, to prevent any misunderstandings.

💔  Leaving a Lying Spouse
A mate lying is a major violation against you & the union. With lots of patience & perseverance (couples therapy, 12-step Program, church) – the emotional damage may be repaired & trust restored.
However, if you’ve been hurt too much & for too long, or your mate doesn’t have what it takes to change, it may be time to walk away.
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PREVIOUS : LIARS & the BODY (Part 3)

SITE : “How to Read People’s Eye Direction and Behavior”

Eye Contact is among the most basic ways of social communication used by humans. In Western Cultures people tend to make eye contact 45-65 % of the time while talking, & 65-85% of the time while listening.
• Too little eye contact indicates the person is avoiding telling you something.
• Too much can mean they’re trying to convince you that what they’re saying is true.
Watch their eye direction. A person may have a favorite side – left, right, up, or down – when thinking of something. Any dramatic shift can alert you the a listener that they might be stressed or anxious.

The MOVEMENT of someone’s EYES shows what part of the brain they’re accessing. 
Estimating a subject’s looking-direction is a challenge, but eye contact can now be effectively captured by a wearable point-of-view camera.  One group of scientists developed a deep neural network model to automatically detect eye contact in egocentric video, the first to achieve accuracy equivalent to human experts.
You can tell if someone is constructing made-up information or genuinely recalling what actually happened – by which direction their eyes move to. ⬇️ Chart : as you look at someone
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FEAR micro-expression are closely linked to shock. When we’re scared & widen our eyes, our field of view increases. This lets us see any threats that might lurk nearby.
A 1996 study found that when we see someone showing fear on their face – obviously or by micro-expression – we too may feel frightened. EXP – watching an actor in a scary movie makes us feel anxious in reaction, triggered by mirror neuron activity in our amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotions such as fear

Watch for Eye-blinking Changes
There’s some truth to the saying, “The eyes are the window to the soul”,  especially when it comes to spotting deception.
When someone is lying, it’s common for them to stare into your eyes & avoid breaking eye contact, “gauging” if you believe them or not – in an effort to control & manipulate.

The Science: Researchers have evaluated various physical measures. In one case, they wanted to determine if changes in eye blinks could be used to detect a person’s false intention. The study concluded that eye blink rate decreases when lying. After lying has finished, that person will tend to yawn & blink more, to refresh their eyes. 

The Key: However, some will blink more when they’re lying. To become a more accurate lie-spotter pay attention to how someone normally blinks, & then compare.   So look for inconsistencies.
If someone is usually an eye-contact champion but suddenly seems like they’re tracking a fly buzzing around the room, or staring at you so hard you wonder if they’re competing with you, that’s your cue. Or vice versa. It’s all about changes in behavior.

Baseline their eyebrow movements.
Are they expressive, free?  OR – look for a combination of HINTs:
• brows stay motionless like a tree stump
• brows are raised & drawn together, usually in a flat line
• upper eyelid is raised, but lower lid is tense & drawn up
• upper white part of the eyes is showing, but not the lower white
• forehead wrinkles are in center between the brows, not across

NEXT : Lying MATES

PREVIOUS : LIARS & the BODY (Part 1)

SITE : “Nonverbal Communication and Body Language“

GENERAL HINTS
BODY
✒︎ Grooming behavior  – playing with / twirling hair, pressing fingers to lips, picking at or brushing off imaginary lint, rubbing excess sweat off back of neck
✒︎  Indifferent or bored posture  – to avoid expressing their emotions. Crossing arms at chest – as self-protection. A rigid stance can be a red flag, since small, relaxed, automatic movements are natural in a truthful conversation

✒︎ Pulling the center of their body inward (concave).  Shrugging one or both shoulders – trying to make themself smaller & less noticeable. Movements can be stiff & awkward

✒︎ Putting barrier-objects between self & another person, on lap if sitting….. When you hit a nerve in a liar they instinctively cover vulnerable body parts (throat or neck, chest, stomach area)

✒︎ HEAD : suddenly jerks head away when asked a direct question abut a lie. Breathing can become rapid & labored

Watch The NECK – Telling a lie doesn’t always come from the mouth. It can get stuck in the neck on the way down (from the brain), making that a great hotspot to notice deception.

If a person touches their neck, it can indicate increased sweat from anxiety about being caught. If they’re wearing a collar, they might instead tug at or adjust it, to seem less obvious.
The act of lying has been found to cause tingling in facial & neck tissues, so a liar will scratch their neck to soothe it, on an average of 5x whenever it itches – rarely more, rarely less.

✒︎ FACE : Touching the face, as if trying to calm themself down. Changing color to a light shade of pink, or blushing.

Mouth is open, with lips slightly tensed or stretched & drawn back.  Watch a person’s smiles — being genuine always includes the entire face, with crow’s feet at the corners of eyes, & contracted cheek muscles.

But when lying : lips are pressed together or are being bitten. The smile looks forced or tense (not from pleasure or as a welcome), & it “does not reach the eyes” which show other emotions such as anger, contempt, disgust, or fear

Other hints :  Swallowing or yawning, voice getting shallower as they breathe heavier. If they’re smoking or chewing gum, it’ll likely to be at a faster pace. Putting a pen or pencil in mouth, chewing on a fingernail, tapping teeth….

The liar may unconsciously cover their mouth to avoid answering a question – an indirect form of dishonesty, or place the hand near it, as if to prevent a lie coming out, which stops communication.

✒︎ HANDS : People tend to fidget the lying, which is a displacement activity that indicates nervous energy. EXP: turn a ring, bracelet watch. Wring their hands, or if sitting, rub palms on pant legs. Chatter with fingertips or hide hands.

It’s very hard to lie with gestures. Say “3” but hold up 4 fingers. However, liars get defensive when caught, which can make them waive their arms, or point a lot with an arm or finger to try to con others into believe their point.
EXP: When asked about Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton clearly looked to his left – as he lied – but pointed directly ahead with his arm. This gesturing disconnect is a surefire symptom.

✒︎ FEET : When people lie, nervous behavior shows by their feet doing a little dance, often unconsciously. This could include squirming, tapping, wrapping one foot around the other, or Pointing in a direction away from the conversation – toward an available exit.

Some may cross their ankles, then pull their feet under the chair. Some alternate crossing legs at the knees & then at the ankles.

Nitty-Gritty: The feet are generally considered the most honest part of the body – because people rarely try to control their feet when spinning a tall tale.  It’s psychological “leakage” when hidden feelings are repressed or hidden, & feet are a main body part for this leakage.

Disclaimer: Fidgety feet don’t always indicate lying. Instead they may indicate boredom, discomfort, or a need to move. But when combined with other suspect cues, they’re a helpful hint.
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PREVIOUS : Liars’ LANGUAGE & SPEECH (#1)

SITE: “How to Lie“

While most people only focus on considering realism when trying to decide if a statement is T or F, this research strongly indicated that both a. & b. are needed to accurately evaluate communications.

Liars seem to have a problem with this complexity, which shows up in talking & writing.  These can be signs of emotions that don’t fit what’s being talked about (smiling when describing a tragedy) or of thinking too much when an answer shouldn’t need much time.
EXP: to give themself time to come up with a lie, they may making qualifying statements that leave them an out : “As far as I recall… If you really think about it…What I remember is…” Since the task of lying causes mental strain, small pieces of the story will be overlooked & left out, such as :

🫦 Missing Subjective mental states: People who are telling a true story will often add their own emotions & feelings about what they were experiencing. They might talk remark about how cold it was, how tired they were, the fear they felt or anger …. Liars tend to leave these things out unless specifically asked for them, but offer less than those telling the truth.

🫦NO Contextual embedding: Details of time & place are left out, which normally would indicate the context for a word appearing in a sentence or document. Liars, generally motivated to use an ‘unverifiable-information’ strategy, tend to avoid providing context. The proportion of such details can be used to separate T from F accounts

🫦 NO Story specifics  : Notice – Does the person include quotes to validate their version? Do they report specifically what they said to others & what was said to them? Do they say what they thought to themself at   the time (inner dialogue) ?
These are natural parts of a true story. Liars often skip them.

🫦 NO Irrelevant or Unusual details: True stories often include odd details that don’t belong or don’t seem relevant but that represent part of the person’s experience —”I heard the Johnson’s dog barking,” “A jet went overhead.”
Instead, liars tend to leave out such extraneous details, whether because they’re concentrating on getting the story right or because they haven’t considered mentioning them

Cues to the liar’s motivation & attempts to sound accurate or trustworthy :
🧠 NOT admitting poor memory skills: Liars assume that the truth should be seamless, read or spoken like a scripted tale. Someone remembering a real event will occasionally have memory lapses & easily admit it.
A liar may not. While they may claim a lack of memory, it’s usually from a different motive – as an excuse for missing some detail rather that being self-corrective

🧠 NOT expressing doubts about accuracy:  Honest witnesses are very aware their stories are incomplete or faulty, & acknowledge it.  As mentioned, liars tend to think their stories have to be perfect, They will swear on their mother’s life that every word is true & almost infallible (or so it would seem).

🧠 NO spontaneous correction: People telling the truth seldom go straight through their story & then will revise some detail. Liars stick to the script they’ve prepared, like politicians with talking points. Since they believe that self-correction or a revision will make them look unreliable, &/or because it will mess up their ‘flow’, they usually don’t risk it.

From: Prof. Richard Gray. Fairleigh Dickinson U.

NEXT : Lying & Body Language, #1

PREVIOUS : Types of LIARS (Part 2)

SITE : “How Do We Stop Listening to Liars?” (Breaking denial)

❖ DETAILS
Compared to making a truthful statement, it’s harder for ‘normal’ liars to stick to their false story and use complex language.…. This is because of the increased cognitive load & the mind’s finite processing capacity in the moment, so the harder it gets for them to concoct a believable response, the more they resort to simpler language.

People usually avoid specific details when being deceptive, but occasionally will let one slide through. When that happens there are ways to tell if they’re lying.
EXP :  You’re having dinner with someone, & they tell you this whole story about their fancy new job, but you think they’re lying, not just exaggeration.

If you ask about it, they keep dancing around the point, giving a bunch of vague answers. So you decide to hone in on something specific – you ask where their office building is – & they say something general like “Oh it’s downtown. ”

When you want details, like – what are the cross streets it’s at or near – you get “It’s confusing”. If they had been telling the truth they’d consider this a weird Q. but easy to answer. After all, they have to know how to get to work.
But when lying, they’ll start floundering for a response, or suddenly change the subject. Either way they’re caught red-handed.

A 2012 study published in the journal ‘Group Decision and Negotiation’ found that lying has a huge impact on the way we speak. It discovered around 150 potential indicators of deception, & narrowed them down to 7 powerful constructs (abstract, theoretical concept) used when lying.

🔸 One is vocal diversity. Tone of voice is like the rifling in a gun barrel – which are the grooves that spin the projectile so it will fly accurately & hit its mark. Without proper rifling, the bullet starts to tumble as soon as it leaves the barrel & will go wild. When listening to someone’s story, ask yourself  “How diverse is their language? Are their answers hesitant”?  Pay attention ! You can actually say : “Hmm, you sounded a little hesitant. Why is that? Is there anything else you’d like to tell?…”
🔹 Another is vocal uncertainty, (“uh, umm, well, see…) subtle ways liars distance themself from admitting their dishonesty – to themself.  It’s the same reason they avoid using first person (“I, me, mine, myself”), since including them would indicate the speaker is admitting the lie. Instead, they create as much wiggle room as they can.

Others hints include using:
• more negative emotion words such ‘hate, sad, worthless”, liars being anxious & sometimes feeling guilty
• fewer exclusionary words such as “except, but or neither/ nor” which would normally distinguish what they did from what they didn’t do.
• verbal stalling technique, like ‘Why do you ask that?’ or repeating the other person’s question – with a tilt at the end “Where was I yesterday?” — rather than a direct & open response.

Fraud-speech tends to be more “fuzzy”, with strategies used to distance themself, using :
— short & uncertain statements
— formal language, non-contracted denial (“I did not have…)
— vague or hedging language (“I guess, maybe” or “could / might”)
— convincing language “To tell you the truth, In all honesty …”
— repeated words & phrases (“I didn’t… I didn’t…”)

At one extreme re. details – (maybe ACoAs, Introverts….) – if a guilty person is being questioned about an action or a motive, they can find it harder & harder to talk – at all – as when a child, a mate…. is forcefully challenged : “Why did you….?”
When someone’s under stress causing high anxiety, the automatic nervous system decreases salivary flow, drying out the mucous membranes of the mouth.

At the other end (more likely Extroverts) – a liar can actually give away too many details – even if some or all are made up! A nervous liar may go on & on with too much information – especially adding what has not been asked for.
And experiences liars can end up telling longer & more detailed stories, with fewer negative & more positive emotion words – to make themself sound more convincing.

NEXT : Lists & the Body