How to tell if someone is lying, according to a body language expert

These are the tell-tale signs that could suggest major dishonesty 

Sarah Jones
Saturday 07 October 2017 10:56 BST
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(Getty Images)

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You might have suspected it for days, maybe even weeks, but how can you tell for sure whether your partner is lying to you?

Deceitful spouses might think that they’re being sly but most of them unknowingly show hints of their trickery; you just need to know what to look for.

We’re all guilty of a little white lie here and there, but when it comes to major dishonesty one expert says there are potential signs performed by a man that could suggest he’s lying.

“Men tend to be generally rather bad liars, and the reason for that is women generally tend to act as though they believe their lives,” Judi James, a body language expert told Express.

“What that means is - without being challenged, they think their techniques are very good. So they’re probably using techniques they used when they were about five years old, so it’s not very sophisticated.

“Also that gives them confidence that overcomes the guilt.”

So, what should you be looking out for?

Known as the “windows to the soul”, James says that men’s eyes often betray their lies so if someone is fibbing you can expect them to make a lot of eye contact.

She also says that when someone is lying, their eyes often go up to the right hand side. The left hand side often means someone is recalling a memory while movement in the opposite direction means ‘I’m about to make this up’.

Secondly, a lot of hand movement, shrugging, big wide eyes and eyebrow raising could be a sign as James says men tend use body language as part of a performance, believing that it’s “a really good way to bluff their way through a lie.”

Interestingly, being untruthful also has a physiological effect on the body, which caused blood vessels to increase in size. As such, pay attention to whether or not someone is scratching their nose as fibbing can make them feel itchy.

Finally, James says that men tend to use a technique called ‘projection’ which means they’ll respond to your questioning with a long pause before trying to make you feel guilty by saying things like “were you snooping through my things?”

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