Liar, liar? Think someone is fibbing? How to become a human lie detector

The Sacramento Bee
October 23, 2005

This article also appeared in the Herald News of Passaic County, NJ on Oct. 30, 2005;  and in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on November 8, 2005

By CYNTHIA HUBERT

You think you can tell when he’s lying.

His eyes dart back and forth. He can’t keep his hands still. He stutters and stumbles over his words.

Deception is written all over him, right?

Not necessarily.

Nailing a fibber is not nearly as easy or instinctive as most people think, say scientists, authors and other keen observers of the art of deception.

“There is no simple checklist,” says Gregory Hartley, a former military interrogator who applies the techniques he used on enemy combatants in a new book for civilians, “How to Spot a Liar.”

But with a little practice, Hartley insists, you, too, can become a human lie detector.

It is a skill that has challenged us through the ages, says Dallas Denery, a professor of medieval history at Bowdoin College in Maine who is working on a book about the history of lying.

“The problem of lies and liars has been with us forever,” he says. “In the Judeo-Christian tradition, history really begins with a lie, with Adam and Eve and the serpent.”

Fast forward to modern times and a 2002 study suggesting that most people lie in everyday conversation. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts observed people talking for 10 minutes and found that 60 percent of them lied at least once, telling an average of two to three fibs. Some of the lies were benign, but others were extreme, including one person who falsely claimed to be a rock star.

“We didn’t expect lying to be such a common part of daily life,” one of the researchers, Robert Feldman, observed after the study was published.

Over the years, CIA agents, police detectives, psychologists, lawyers and others have tried a variety of methods to identify liars, from polygraph machines to “voice stress analysis” to analysis of barely perceptible facial movements that can give away hidden feelings. None of the techniques has been foolproof.

The science of liars and lying remains a hot topic in research circles, and book after book offers the latest theory about how to tell when a spouse is cheating, a witness is lying in court or a car salesman is overstating the value of a vehicle.

It’s enough to shatter your trust in humanity.

John Mayoue, an Atlanta divorce lawyer who has represented famous clients, including Jane Fonda in her breakup with Ted Turner, says lying is rampant in his business.

“In the courtroom, there is no end to the lying, particularly if money is at stake,” Mayoue says. “The more money, the bigger the lies.”

The greatest lie in relationships, he says, is “Honey, I love you but I’m no longer in love with you. That’s someone’s way of saying they’re cheating on you.”

The Internet culture has made lying practically a sport, Mayoue observes. “You just have to assume that you’re in the midst of a liar’s ball when you’re online,” he says. “It’s a fantasy realm.”

In court and in daily life, Mayoue believes, a person’s eyes tell the truest story.

“Looking at someone in an unwavering manner and answering the question is very telling,” he says. “When I see eyes shift side to side and up and down, it just causes suspicion.”

Hartley, the former interrogator, agrees that body language can hint at deception. But not always, he says. “Your eyes drift naturally when you’re searching for information,” he says. “I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t move their eyes when looking for details.”

The key to uncovering a lie, he says, is knowing how the liar behaves normally, when he or she is relaxed, and picking up on changes in voice patterns, eye movement and other body language.

“You’ve got to ask the right questions, then observe how that person responds,” Hartley says.

Signs of stress, which may signal that someone is lying, include flared nostrils and audible breathing, shaky hands and elbows moving closer to the ribs, according to Hartley.

For the most notorious liars, the tendency to fib may be biological, suggests a study by researchers at the University of Southern California. Pathological liars, the scientists found, have structural differences in their brains that could affect their abilities to feel remorse and learn moral behavior and might give them an advantage in planning deceitful strategies, the researchers discovered.

But the average, everyday fibber lies to achieve a goal, says communication expert Laurie Puhn, author of the best-selling book “Instant Persuasion, How to Change Your Words to Change Your Life.”

Most people lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, to avoid a commitment or a task, to cover up bad behavior or to elevate themselves professionally or personally, she says.

Puhn advises people who suspect someone is lying to ask unexpected questions, look for contradictions in their statements and ask a follow-up question a couple of days later about the suspected lie.

“If someone says they had to work late to deal with a new client and you are suspicious, ask them about it a week later,” she says. “They’re likely to answer, ‘What new client?’ It’s hard for liars to keep their lies straight.”

Joseph Tecce, an associate professor of psychology at Boston College who has studied liars and lying, identifies six types of untruths, some more egregious than others.

He classifies them as:

* The “protective” lie, which can shield the liar from danger.

* The “heroic” lie, created to protect someone else from danger or punishment.

* The “playful” lie, such as an angler’s fib about the size of his fish.

* The “ego” lie, designed to shield someone from embarrassment.

* The “gainful” lie, which somehow enriches the fibber.

* And the “malicious” lie, told to deliberately hurt someone else.

Honesty would have been their best policy

Lying may be common these days, but for these well-known people, honesty may have been a better policy:

President Bill Clinton

In January 1998, then-President Bill Clinton made this statement during a White House press conference: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time – never. These allegations are false.” Then, there was the blue dress. Ultimately Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate.

Jayson Blair

In 2003, New York Times reporter Jayson Blair resigned after he was found to have plagiarized or fabricated elements of dozens of stories. The reporter, who had risen quickly through the newspaper’s ranks, admitted writing national stories without leaving New York.

Martha Stewart

Homemaking and lifestyle maven Martha Stewart traded chenille for a prison uniform in 2004 after being convicted in federal court of lying about a stock sale. Stewart spent five months in prison and another five months sporting an electronic anklet to monitor her movements.

Pete Rose

For 15 years, Pete Rose denied he gambled on Cincinnati Reds games while he managed the team in the 1980s. But in his book, “My Prison Without Bars,” published in 2004, Rose admitted wagering tens of thousands of dollars on the sport before being banned from baseball for life in 1989.

Lil’ Kim

Breast-baring hip-hop queen Lil’ Kim is serving a 366-day sentence at a Philadelphia federal detention center for lying to a grand jury about a 2001 shootout outside a Manhattan radio station. Born Kimberly Jones, the rapper was convicted of perjury for refusing to acknowledge the presence of two friends during the shootout involving members of her entourage.

President Richard Nixon

Then-President Richard Nixon swore he did nothing to cover up after the break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign. But tape recordings the president himself had ordered revealed that he tried to deflect the investigation into the Watergate burglary, which was linked to the Committee to Re-Elect the President.

Rafael Palmeiro

In March, Baltimore Orioles baseball player Rafael Palmeiro appeared before a congressional hearing on sports and steroids and said, “Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.” But five months later, Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug.

Stephen Glass

In 1998, New Republic writer Stephen Glass admitted making up people and events, but not before creating fake notes, voice mails and faxes to deflect the suspicion of his editors. The then-25-year-old, who seemed like a reporting prodigy, has admitted being a pathological liar.

Janet Cooke

In 1980, the Washington Post published reporter Janet Cooke’s article about an 8-year-old heroin addict she identified only as Jimmy. The story, which turned out to be fabricated, provoked an outpouring of support and concern that only intensified when the article won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981.

Cynthia Hubert can be reached at chubert@sacbee.com.