Have you ever had the experience of talking to someone and you think they are lying? Well, you are not alone. We’ve all had that feeling. But did you know that there are several things you can look for to see if you are being lied to?
Sometimes you can tell if a person is lying by observing what they do with their body. When people are lying they tend not to move their arms, hands or legs very far from their body. They don’t want to take up very much space because they don t want to be noticed. Sometimes a person who is lying will not look you in the eyes. Other times people who lie try to look at you in a strong way because they want to convince you they are telling the trugh.
Liars also use deflection. For example, if you ask a liar the question “Did you steal Fatima’s bag?” they may answer with something like “Fatima is my friend. Why would I do that?” In this situation the person is telling the truth, but they are also not answering the question. They are trying to deflect your attention. Liars may also give too many details. They may try to over-explain things. They do this because they want to convince you of what they are saying.
Often when a person is lying, they do not want to continue talking about their lie. If you think someone is lying, quickly change the subject. If the person is lying, they will spear more comfortable because they are not talking about their lie any longer. A little later, change the subject back to what you were talking about before. If the person seems uncomfortable again, they may be lying.
It’s very hard for a liar to avoid filling silence created by you. He or she wants you to believe the lies being woven; silence gives no feedback on whether or not you’ve bought the story. If you’re a good listener, you’ll already be avoiding interruptions, which in itself is a great technique to let the story unfold.
Just because a person is showing these behaviors, it does not mean they are lying. They might be shy or nervous. But, if you think someone is lying, you might want to use some of these techniques. Hopefully, you won’t need to very often.
【小题1】According to the passage, a person could be lying he or she ________.
| A．offers more information than necessary |
| B．appears to be shy or nervous |
| C．the subject of the conversation |
| D．speaks very fast and vaguely |
【小题2】Which of the following can be learned from the passage?
| A．Liars always try to avoid direct eye contact when they tell lies. |
| B．We can make people lie by changing the subject in a conversation. |
| C．Liars are often expansive in hand and arm movements while talking. |
| D．We make liars uncomfortable by giving no feedback in a conversation. |
【小题3】The passage mainly talks about ________.
| A．who deceives us | B．why people tell lies |
| C．how to detect lies | D．what to do with liars |
