7 ways to reveal a compulsive liar

While more than 80% of lies tend to go undetected, here are a few tips and tricks that may help you determine whether someone is lying to you:

1. Ask neutral questions: Start with a few basic, obvious questions and try to get a sense of their pattern of speech, tone of voice, and eye contact during the conversation.
2. Observe body language: Take note of their facial expressions and body language when lying. 
3. Listen carefully: Changes in tone, cadence, or sentence structure may signal that they are lying.
4. Throw in the unexpected: After a while, throw them an unexpected question that does not give them time to plan an answer.
5. Look for inconsistencies: Point out any inconsistent or vague stories that seem to be manipulative or contradictory.
6. Look for changes in behavior: You may notice a sudden change in the way they normally act, for example, a sudden nervousness or sweating when talking.
7. Trust your instincts: Sometimes an intuition or a gut feeling are the only reasons that assure the stories heard are manipulated ones.

What are the signs of a compulsive liar?

You may not have a sense to judge someone’s trustworthiness, but trying to notice, trusting your instinct or closely monitoring these signs could help point out someone who is trying to deceive you.

• Touching the face, mouth, or throat often: This type of body language can indicate that someone is lying.
• Pausing before an answer: An abnormal pause to an easy or obvious answer may indicate that they are trying to keep the lie going.
• Change in speech patterns: Repeating phrases or stammering may be a sign they aren’t telling the truth. Using a lower or higher pitched voice may also indicate that they are lying.
• Avoiding eye contact: Glancing at the door or a watch is a subconscious way of avoiding eye contact.
• Not blinking: Some people will overdo it and stare at you without blinking to prove that they aren’t afraid of making eye contact.
• Contradictions: Compulsive liars tend to forget the previous lies and contradict their own stories.
• Non-verifiable details: They may provide you with details that cannot be cross-checked.
• Fake emotions: They may fake a smile or yawn to avoid getting caught lying or to cover up a hole in their story.
• Too many details: Providing too many unnecessary details can be a sign of a crafted lie.
• Talking too much or too little: Compulsive liars may try to cover up their lie by talking either too much or too little.