How to Spot a Liar: Identifying Deceptive Behavior

Spotting a liar requires a good read on visual clues, but cross-examination and critical thinking are even better

By Daintry Duffy

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Gordon breaks physical behaviors down into three categories: emblems, illustrators and adaptors. An emblem is a nonverbal response that expresses a person's complete feelings with no words required. For example, when asked how he feels about being interviewed, the subject puts a hand to his face and scratches his nose with the middle finger extended. He may not be conscious of the message he has sent, but the raised middle finger means the same thing here that it means when he does it on the highway at rush hour. "Emblems are very accurate to a person's true feelings," says Gordon.

Illustrators and adaptors are nonverbal responses that accompany a verbal response. Illustrators enhance the listener's ability to understand the meaning of the verbal message. Adaptors distract from it. When a subject puts his hand on his heart and says, "I didn't do it!" that physical gesture reinforces his statement. Illustrators are generally a sign of honesty. If that same subject professed his innocence while wiping his hand over his mouth, that would be an example of an adaptor. This physical response makes his verbal message harder to understand. In this case, this would be a sign of deception.

By observing a subject's body language during an interview, you can glean quite a bit of information. Truthful people tend to present an open posture, while deceptive people will cross their arms defensively or stretch out their legs to increase the distance between them and you. A subject who gestures away from her body while speaking may be subconsciously trying to distract you from herself as the topic of conversation. Stressed people often pat themselves on the leg or stroke their own arm for tactile comfort. The crossing and uncrossing of legs can be a sign of discomfort. Yawning also can signal a person's stress as the fight-or-flight response kicks in and a nervous subject's body requires more oxygen. (A yawn can also mean fatigue, or convey a defensive posture, the way a lion bares its teeth when threatened.)

It's also important to be aware of how cultural differences can affect a subjects physical gestures and their interpretation. Gordon points out that a lack of eye contact, or changes in eye contact, are generally interpreted as a sign of deception in U.S. business culture. But in the Hispanic community, for example, it is considered disrespectful to stare in the eyes of a superior.

Finally, you have to be aware of your own body posture during an interview. People will often subconsciously mimic the body posture of a superior to curry favor—putting their hands in their pockets or crossing their arms when their boss does because they want to project that "I'm like you." Make sure you present an open body posture during the interview. This does two things. First, it prevents a subject from accidentally mimicking a defensive posture. Second, if a subject deviates from truthful posturing to a deceptive posture, it makes that change more meaningful.

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