5 Things Chronic Liars Say Often

Jan 09, 2019 by apost team

Nobody likes being lied to. Unfortunately, some people lie so often it's nearly impossible to know when they're telling the truth. You can't force a liar to accompany you to your local police precinct for a lie-detector test, so how can you tell when someone is lying?

A liar's pants won't spontaneously burst into flames when they're being deceitful, so you'll have to look for more subtle clues. Pay close attention to the language a person uses when they're speaking to you. Chronic liars have a tendency to overuse certain words and phrases.

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Liars often feel guilty about their behaviour. Sometimes their guilt gets the best of them, and they accidentally give themselves away. Chronic liars deny they did anything wrong before they're actually accused of doing anything wrong. That's why the police allow suspects to do most of the talking. Many criminals accidentally confess to a crime without knowing why they were a suspect in the first place.

Liars also try to justify their actions. You don't have to ask them why they said or did something, they'll tell you anyway. Once again, they feel guilty and need you to see things from their point of view.

Another common tactic used by both chronic liars and criminals is using short sentences. They're afraid if they give away too much information, you'll know they are lying.

Do you know someone who starts every other sentence with the word "honestly"? They might be lying to you. Normally, we assume someone who is speaking is being honest. If they feel the need to remind you they are being honest, they're probably feeling defensive. Are they used to people not believing them? Are they trying to make you believe something that isn't true? Either way, it's a huge red flag.

Liars use words like "always" or "never" to make themselves seem honest and predictable. These words are absolute words, and nothing in life is absolute. Most people can say they are usually on time, but hardly anyone can say they've never been late in their entire life.

The University of Texas at Austin conducted a study involving lie detection. They found liars avoid using first-person pronouns like "I." Instead, they use "he/she" or "they." It helps them avoid accountability. There were some other interesting findings from the study.

Chronic liars are more likely to describe negative emotions. When someone is talking about something they hate, chances are they will exaggerate or tell an outright lie. Researchers were able to use the data from the study to develop lie detection software. This software analyses a subject's vocabulary to determine if they're truthful.

The program is 67 per cent accurate. That's a pretty impressive number when you consider the fact that humans only spot a lie 52 per cent of the time.

Some seasoned liars know a lack of details causes suspicion. So, what do they do? They overcompensate. Chronic liars will create elaborate backstories to make their lies seem more realistic.

For example, a liar might say "I saw her leaving a store at exactly 3:45. She was wearing leggings and a grey sweater with black boots. She was talking to a tall man with dark jeans and a green jacket".

Who pays that much attention to what two different people are wearing? Why did they look at a clock at that exact time? They could have a photographic memory, but it's more likely they're lying to you.

Researchers from Michigan State University estimate that 40 per cent of the population lies. The majority of lies, however, are told by 5 per cent of the people. It appears a small percentage of people tell a lot of lies while the rest of us only lie occasionally.

How do you spot the 5 per cent of the population that lies chronically? Look for people who are continually fidgeting. Chronic liars will pick at their nails, play with their hair and frequently touch their face. Instead of avoiding eye contact, chronic liars will maintain eye contact the entire time they are speaking.

It may seem like they're daring you not to believe them. Finally, liars point their feet away from you. Their body is subconsciously preparing to flee.

Do you have a sure-fire way to spot a liar? What's the best way to deal with a liar? Tell your friends in the comments so they won't get fooled by a chronic liar!