How to lie and not look as though you are lying

By James Borg Published: 7:00AM GMT 01 March 2010

If you are lying and wish to costume it, keep your eyes and your hands ease Photo: GETTY

Society would fast fall were it not for the dozens of small lies we assent ourselves each day. Mostly we make use of this for elementary great manners. For instance, when violation up with a partner, we encourage them that "It"s not you, it"s me", when in being it majority positively is them.

We all sense to distortion at such a immature age: each primogenitor will recognize the impulse where a kid initial puts their palm to their mouth prior to saying a obvious lie. From that moment, we get usually improved at lying as we grow older, progressively enlightening the technique until by full adult life we are all experts in the art of deception.

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Of all human amicable behaviours, it is maybe the hardest to detect. That said, there are assorted things we can see out for to assistance us know when someone is lying.

Are they only nervous?

Lying can have really identical symptoms to anxiety. In most situations when we competence be tempted to lie, we can additionally simply be shaken perplexing to cover up the mistakes or woo a probable partner. The pretence is to settle what a person"s "baseline" poise is, and afterwards see for deviations. If someone is routinely relaxed, afterwards blinking and discerning eye movement, beating of the lips and in contact with of the face can all imply lying.

Covering up

Look for gestures that indicate stealing the face or body. Touching the nose is a classical sign of anxiety. Bill Clinton, when testifying prior to a grand jury about his attribute with Monica Lewinsky, adopted neutral physique denunciation when giving patently loyal answers. But when he was being quizzed some-more exactly, he overwhelmed his nose each 4 minutes, or twenty-six times.

Excessive fidgeting

Look for scratching or fiddling with clothing. If you are lying and wish to costume it, keep your eyes and your hands ease but ostensible unnatural. Nobody looks as shaken as somebody perplexing not to.

Smiling through

Despite the picture of the "grinning liar", studies have found that people grin some-more when they are revelation the truth.

Trust your instinct

We are mostly some-more skilful at lie-detection intuitively than scientifically. In the end, the old proverb is probably correct: if you think someone is lying, they probably are.

• Adapted from "Body Language" by James Borg (Pearson Books), accessible fromBooks at �10.99 and �1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1515 or revisit books.telegraph.co.uk