Yodster

Truth or lie?

As a person, law practitioners or any profession, it is important for us to recognize others. First impression and content of speech can be created, but are all of these trustworthy? Here are some indicators to determine whether the person you’re talking to is faking or telling the truth.

1.    Eyes

Liars usually avoid eye contact or on the contrary give intense stare and tend to be excessive, as if challenging and saying “I am honest…” While talking, the eyeball movement is random, blink a lot or often close the eyes.

2.    Hands

While lying, usually the natural reaction of the hands are moving to cover mouth or nose, scratching body or nervously playing the pen, tearing tissue or any activity to distract nervousness and uncomfortable feeling. On the extreme contrast, hands becoming very stiff and “sit graciously” folded like kindergarten students, or hid under the table or at the back.

3.    Lips

Appeared to smile but the whole face and gestures are not synchronized. Forced smile usually lasts so rapid then the face will return to “serious mode”. Genuine smile occurs like blossoming flower, slowly, lips opened and not only impacting the lips, but also the facial muscles around cheeks, nose and eyes. That’s what makes the difference between a genuine smile from a friend and a formal smile of shop attendant.

4.    Voice

Drastic change is there, from fluently speaking to suddenly stuttered, or voice becoming husky, vibrated or decreasing volume. It can also be the contrary, speak fast, changing accent or followed by chuckling, coughing or begins with “Ummm”

5.    Breath

The tension while lying will trigger the heart beat which can be detected with lie detector machine. But without the instrument, it can also be detected through excessive sighs. Sound as if so tired, while indeed haven’t done any tiring activity.

6.    Gesture

In general, liars will look clumsy. Conversation while be escorted with excessive expression such as raising eyebrows, rubbing palm, clapping, tapping elbow or the shoulder of whom he/she is talking to, in myriad or clumsily to show impression as if nothing happen. Or the contrary, by turning face away, shook head or raising shoulder.

7.    Content

Usually liars don’t like to be questioned in details. Or the contrary, without being asked to explain, directly giving specific information which seems has been prepared. Conversation felt as people who memorize dialogue from a script. Test it also, by wrapping questions with different wordings, or asking the same question in different range of time to test the consistency of answer

Other lying indicators

1.    Unsynchronized or delayed emotion

Example:

“Wow, thanks! I am glad to hear it,” Said by someone with plain intonation and little expression. Few seconds later, then smile given quickly, with a glance of eye contact, head moves slowly as if reluctant to look, lips are closing and conversation ended.

2.    Pause, confusion, excessive details, using the truth is.. Honestly…

Example:

“So.. it is… at the time, mmmm… around two o’clock and I was there, honestly I was just passing by. The house is already opened from the outside, and the stuffs are all in mess. A television is gone, 21 inch, Sini brand, it was bought no more than a year ago, I remember, the truth is, yes true.. and the TV was here.”

3.    Sarcastic humor or comment

Example:

“Damn! It is impossible, am I so stupid to do such a thing?!”

4.    Quickly change topic

While you’re asking as interrogator and finding lie indicators, try to change the topic of conversation. Usually liars while seen more relax and showing opposite reactions of the lie indicators when topic has changed. Then afterward, try to return to the initial topic.

5.    Eyeball movement

There’s a saying: Eyes cannot lie. While talking, eyeballs movement explain mental process happening in someone’s brain.

Moving upward                                     : Imagining something (Visual)

Moving laterally                                     : Imagining voice or sound (Audio)

Moving downward                               : Remember something, feeling or situation (Memory)

Further more, the right and left movement has more specific meaning (for left handed, the right and left are reversed)

http://www.blifaloo.com/info/lies_eyes.php

Up-Right (Vr)                            : Visual remembered, something remembered by sight

Up-Left (Vc)                             : Visual constructed, something imagined by sight

Center-Right (Ar)                      : Auditory remembered, remembered voice

Center-Left (Ac)                       : Auditory constructed, imagined voice

Down-Right (Ai)                        : Internal dialog, talking to him/herself

Down-Left (F)                           : Feeling, remembering a feeling or situation

When someone asked “With who were you yesterday?”

·         Honest reaction is talking with eyeballs moving to Down-Left, remembering something that has happened

·         Lie reaction is talking with eyeballs moving to Up-Left, imagining something which never happened

All that you’ve just learned are just indicators. What we must have is the mindset in general and not merely remembering symptoms. Indeed these indicators cannot be valid evidence to decide that someone is guilty or not. But at least, this basic knowledge can be a guideline while doing interrogation or asking information from eye-witness.

+ yoDi +

This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 11:02 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.