WASHINGTON — Spotting a lie isn’t as quick and easy as it looks on television. With time and training, it is possible to get a good sense of when someone is deceiving you, experts say.
“It’s really about how to observe very carefully,” said Pamela Meyer, author of the book “Liespotting” and chief executive officer of the private firm Calibrate, which trains people and companies about how to spot deception.
Some clues:
• Establish a baseline or sense of what people are like when telling the truth, then ask open-ended questions and look for changes in verbal and nonverbal behavior.
• Look for verbal changes in language and grammar. Ask for a disjointed or backward timeline. Constructed fake memories are harder to call up backward.
• Watch for nonverbal changes such as smiles that only affect the mouth but not the eyes. Also watch for smiles of contempt with one corner curled as if the liar thinks he’s getting away with something. Despite the myth, fidgeting is not a sign of lying.
