How to spot a liar, according to a behavioral scientist
How to spot a liar, according to a behavioral scientist
Lying might make for great TV—just ask the contestants on FOX’s new reality competition show "The Snake"—but spotting a liar in real life is a whole different game.
CHICAGO - Lying might make for great TV—just ask the contestants on FOX’s new reality competition show "The Snake"—but spotting a liar in real life is a whole different game.
What we know:
The series, which premiered Tuesday night, features 15 contestants living together and competing for alliances, power and a $100,000 prize.
Each week, one player secretly becomes "the snake" and influences who gets eliminated, using deception, strategy and charm to stay in the game.
"You need a great poker face. You also, more important than anything, you need to be an easy hang… That's something even more difficult because you can't fake being enjoyable to be around," said host Jim Jefferies.
While contestants lie for entertainment, behavioral scientist Dr. Abbie Marono trains federal agents to detect deception.
She said people often form snap judgments about trustworthiness in less than a second—and sometimes, those gut instincts are right.
How to Spot a Liar:
Marono shared four common nonverbal cues that may signal someone is lying:
- Body freeze: Contrary to popular belief, liars don’t always fidget—they may freeze entirely.
- Self-touch: Lies trigger stress, which can cause people to touch their face, neck or hands.
- Blocking displays: Subconsciously, the body tries to protect itself under pressure.
- Body angle: If someone shifts their body away, even slightly, your brain takes notice.
But she cautioned that no single cue guarantees a lie. Instead, deception is usually revealed through a combination of nonverbal signals and what’s being said.
"The non-verbals are very, very important, but you have to couple it with smart questioning and verbal approaches too because the non-verbals are the what and then the verbals will get you the why," she said.