Nonverbal signs of lying

What is a lie?
Definition

• The Oxford English Dictionary says: „[…] in modern use, the word
[lie] is normally a violent expression of moral reprobation, which in
polite conversation tends to be avoided, the synonyms falsehood and
untruth being often substituted as relatively euphemistic.”
Types of lies
• Lying has many forms and names (white lies,
faking, bluffing, etc.)
• Concealing: withholding information without
saying anything untrue
• Falsifying: in addition to withholding true
information, false information is also presented
• Often they are combined (Ekman, 1985)
 Verbal
Signs of
lies
Nonverbal
 Verbal signs of lying

• Liars likely speak slower and in a higher pitch

• More speech hesitations
• Frequent speech errors (stutters, repetition of
words, ect.)
• Longer, frequent pauses in their speech (Vrij,
2000)
Nonverbal sings of lying

• folk wisdom is that people are able to control the verbal but not the
nonverbal components of their behavior (Zuckerman, 1981)
• Ekman and Friesen (1969a, 1974) suggested that certain nonverbal
channels are more controllable than others.
The face

• The face is able to send multiple messages at a fast rate

• It is almost always visible and attended to by others
• Microexpressions: very brief muscular movements of the face, only
detectable on film
• They provide deception and leakage cues
• Gaze aversion: liars might show gaze aversion (Vrij, 2001)
• Indicates nervousness and cognitive load
Which one in
true?
The face
• In a game of poker players need to control both
• Sunglasses cover their eyes
• „Poker face” to suppress emotions
• Deliberate control of our emotional expressions
influences how we perceive others’s emotions
(Schneider 2013)
• This can make us lose the game
The body

• Freud (1905): “if his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips;
betrayal oozes out of him at every pore”
• Liars believe that movements will give their lies away (Vrij & Semin,
1996)
• They tend to avoid nonessential movement
• This can result in a high degree of rigidity
The body
• Study shows that while lying, participants made
fewer illustrators than while telling the truth. Vrij
2001
• However, stillness can convey certanity and
reassurance (Dr. Ali Mohamed AlShehri, 2015)
• The body language of Angela Merkel reflects
this
Bibliography
• AlShehri, A. M. THE BODY LANGUAGE OF POLITICS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE READING IN THE GOP
AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, AUGUST 7, 2015. International Journal of Advanced Research (2016),
Volume 4, Issue 7. 2016

• Ekman, Paul. Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 1985.

• Kraut, R. E. Verbal and nonverbal cues in the perception of lying. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
1978, Vol. 36, 1978

• Schneider, K. G., Hempel, R. J., & Lynch, T. R. That “poker face” just might lose you the game! The impact of
expressive suppression and mimicry on sensitivity to facial expressions of emotion. Emotion 2013, Vol. 13, No. 5,
2013

• Vrij, A., Edward, K., & Bull, R. Stereotypical Verbal and Nonverbal Responses While Deceiving Others.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2001

• Zuckerman, M., DePaulo, B. M., & Rosenthal, R. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication of Deception. Advances in
Experimental Social Psychology Volume 14, 1981
Thank you!