Liabilities of Lying

Telling a lie is a battle against human nature; it is attempting to replicate the natural habits to an unfathomable degree. This leaves space for mistakes, habits that leak the true feelings and thoughts of any person. Through mere observations, people have learned to detect lies. This is due to the fact that, with any common aspect, human nature has patterns; observing these aspects, such as lying, causes these patterns to become clear.

A common way in which people reveal their true thoughts is through body language, so it is no surprise that it doesn’t fail to reveal when a person is lying. A liar will most often turn away from the person he or she is speaking to; this can mean the entire body, just the legs, or just the head. Not to mention, the resistance to looking the other person in the eye; the liar will usually look up to the right, stimulating the creative side of the brain. A more elaborate lie will require more imagination; therefore the liar will look up to the right more often. Additionally, the dishonest person will attempt to simulate the responses of an honest person; this can either hurt or help. For a liar who has not yet mastered his or her facial expressions, they seem stiff. Authors refer to this habit constantly within their writing; it’s always something along the lines of “he smiled at me, but the smile did not reach his eyes.” This role is commonly left for the lover that lies in attempt to spare the other. Also, the liar will become unbearably fidgety. A continuous stream of motions will spill from their veins; they’ll twist and untwist their fingers or place object after object in between the liar and the innocent. The body language can range from something as blatant as placing a bowl of popcorn in the middle of two people, to something as subtle as the motion of the hazy-green eyes that twitch to the upward-right corner of the room.

Actions may speak louder than words, but that does not mean that the words do not speak. Even words in text, plainly written for any eyes, can be picked apart. While this is vague and requires more of a background to the person, a small hint about contractions can help sway previous thoughts. It’s simply that contractions flow more fluently through honest writing, while a liar will attempt to sound sophisticated and more knowledgeable on the subject. When a question is asked, the lie will most commonly be treated as an open response question. The liar is pulled back to the days in elementary school, where his English teacher taught him to answer a question by simply restating it. It’s even the short responses, like “yes, I am okay,” that can seem awkward or out of place for a certain person to be saying. Of course, this comes when the person isn’t attempting to give the ever-classic half-lie, which is only a statement that implies the lie. Teens favor this form of lying, especially when it comes to their parents and a party with no adult supervision. Not to mention, there’s always that one girl that will prattle on about the smallest of tasks. A simple “how was your weekend,” turns into an hour long speech, until it reaches the point where it seems unctuous. With words, a lie will sometimes flow just like the body language, stiff and unfamiliar, while other times it will be the complete opposite and give too much information.

To detect a lie, it doesn’t necessarily require understanding why, but it requires an understanding of human nature. The signs and patterns weave throughout life, begging to be understood by anyone who thinks ignorance isn’t bliss.

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