Tips on detecting liars
Emotions that appear on one side of the face only (asymmetrical), or which involve the mouth and not the upper part of the face, are more likely to be simulated than real. This is because different neural pathways are involved in consciously manufactured emotions as against those that are spontaneously felt.
Longer than usual pauses in a narrative and delays in answering a question may suggest lying. This often happens when a liar is unprepared for a question and needs time to concoct a plausible answer. Generally speaking, liars under questioning tend to slow down their account to give themselves time to think.
The pitch of the voice also denotes emotion. A person’s voice tends to be higher when they are anxious or afraid and this may be due to an attempt to deceive. Stammering, voice tremors, mumbling and fumbling for words indicate stress, which is perhaps, in turn, caused by lying. (Note, however, that there are other causes of stress apart from lying that produce voice impediments, and that practised liars do not necessarily stammer.)
Tall stories often contain a paucity of detail, particularly when the storyteller is not highly imaginative or accomplished as a liar. Their concern is that any particular detail may be shown to be fabricated, providing solid evidence of untruth. Hence there