Q&A for How to Detect a Liar

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  • Question
    How do you confront a liar and get the truth?
    Kelli Miller, LCSW, MSW
    Psychotherapist
    Kelli Miller is a Psychotherapist based in Los Angeles, California. Kelli specializes in individual and couples therapy focusing on relationships, depression, anxiety, sexuality, communication, parenting, and more. She is the author of “Love Hacks: Simple Solutions to Your Most Common Relationship Issues” which details the top 15 relationship issues and 3 quick solutions to each. She is also the award-winning and best-selling author of “Thriving with ADHD”. Kelli co-hosted an advice show on LA Talk Radio and was a relationship expert for The Examiner. She received her MSW (Masters of Social Work) from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Sociology/Health from the University of Florida.
    Psychotherapist
    Expert Answer
    You should always try disarming the other person first. Confront them in a way to make them less defensive and more open to seeing their behavior and to think about it. For example, you could say something like, "Is there something that I'm doing that makes you feel uncomfortable? Because it seems to me that you are hiding something or don't want to tell the truth in some capacity."
  • Question
    How do you detect a professional liar?
    Community Answer
    It would be difficult, as a professional liar would know his "tells" and take measures to prevent them. If the person is avoiding eye contact and trying to change the conversation, these could be signs.
  • Question
    Can an expert of psychology lie perfectly?
    Shibesh Dhungana
    Community Answer
    Not necessarily. Being an expert in psychology does help a person to understand others' minds and they are able to manipulate others easily, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are perfect liars.
  • Question
    How do I know if the person I love is lying about their feelings for me?
    Community Answer
    Does he go out of his way to spend time with you? Does he seem to genuinely care about your thoughts and feelings? If so, he probably cares. Why would he lie? If not, you need to have a conversation about the relationship and how you're feeling.
  • Question
    Is it dangerous to tell a pathological liar that you know they are lying?
    Community Answer
    It really depends on the pathological liar. If you are uncertain whether or not they may try to harm you, the best option would be to keep it to yourself and try to cut ties with that person.
  • Question
    What Is body language?
    Community Answer
    Body language is communicating through conscious or unconscious movements or gestures. For example, someone who is lying may communicate (unintentionally) that fact through nervous hand washing, which is a form of body language.
  • Question
    How do I know if someone I love is lying about his feelings when I don't notice any strange behaviour coming from him?
    Community Answer
    People who are lying usually have difficulty maintaining good eye contact and may seem fidgety.
  • Question
    What ae the most reliable tells for a bluff at the poker table?
    Community Answer
    Bluffs tend to be unique to each person. It could be anything from various facial expressions to body movements, etc.You have to recognize a baseline (how they typically act in a truthful situation) and then pay attention to what changed before you can expose a bluff.
  • Question
    What's the most reliable way to detect the liar's lies?
    Community Answer
    Your powers of observation are going to be your greatest asset here. Look at how the person normally behave, then when they lie, you may be able to tell a difference (fidgeting, blinking a lot, averting the eyes, etc.).
  • Question
    I have this friend who said that she's not allowed to talk to me because her mom doesn't like me. I caught her lie in another time but not the same situation. How can I detect she is lying?
    ConnorFisher
    Community Answer
    Try engaging her in conversation on a different topic and note some of her behaviors (body posture, how often she blinks, how quickly she speaks, etc.). Then shift the topic to the issue of her mom disliking you. Ask for more information, and see if her body language and speech patterns change. This may indicate that she's lying.
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