There are a few tell-tale signs that are visible when someone is lying, such as:

• Body language: When someone is telling a lie they might play with their hair, by shrugging or being expressionless. There are also self-soothing gestures like touching the face and mouth to ease stress and anxiety.
• Repeating questions: Someone might be perceived as lying when they repeat questions instead of answering them immediately. This happens because they haven’t thought of the lie yet.
• Speaking in fragmented sentences and dissociating: A person lying will want to distance themselves from a lie, so there will be a lack of “I’s” and “my”. A liar will give shorter responses than someone who is speaking the truth.

A person who is lying will start coughing out of the blue. Picture: freepik.com

• Be aware of odd noises and random words: Someone who is lying will randomly laugh or start coughing out of the blue. Odd words are words such as probably, possibly, maybe.
• Direction of eyes: People who lie will maintain eye contact during a conversation, they will avoid looking away because they are aware of their eye contact and whether or not they seem dishonest.
• Pitch and tone of voice: Someone who is lying will start slow and soft and then it changes speed and the tone of their voice.

Liars tend to hold eye contact much longer. Picture: pixabay.com

Business Insider reports that it's crucial to keep in mind that nonverbal clues don't always indicate that someone is lying to you.

Asking for additional information is the most crucial thing you can do since the more information you can gather, the more likely it is that you will find out whether or not you are being given the truth.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame cg