Do You Know How To Spot A Liar? The 8 Types Of Lies
We all know the famous Disney character called Pinocchio, whose nose grew every time he lied. Well, more than one person would have to stretch this organ of the respiratory system, because we lie more than we believe.
That seems to indicate a study published in the book “Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception” by author Pamela Meyer. As this text explains, People usually lie between 10 and 200 times a day, since we usually tell parts of the truth In other words, we say only those phrases that people want to hear, those that are considered socially acceptable.
Furthermore, lying is more common when we have just met someone new. In another book called “The liar in your life”, University of Massachusetts Psychology professor Robert Feldman explains that: “We lie two to three times in the first 10 minutes of the first conversation with someone we just met.” How is this explained? According to Feldman, Lying is an automatic self-esteem protection mechanism that is activated when we meet someone for the first time
But the relationship between lies and the nose, which characterizes the famous Disney character, is not only science fiction. Research from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Granada has discovered that the temperature of our face increases when we lie, especially in the nose area. This is what is known as the “Pinocchio Effect.” To carry out their study, they used thermography: a technique that detects body temperature
The truth is that human beings are very bad lie detectors. This is confirmed by a study from Brigham Young University in the United States, which concludes that, when we have a person in front of us, we only realize that the other person is deceiving us between 54% and 56% of the time. And if it is difficult to catch a liar in person, it is more difficult to catch them when we talk on WhatsApp.
How to detect lying people?
These are the main key ideas that it is recommended that you base yourself on when detecting the lying people you come across daily.
When people lie, they are more likely to show less initiative in communicating, thus avoid showing inconsistencies in what they explain This means, among other things, that they are less inclined to talk, something that is especially noticeable in extroverted people, but is more difficult to notice in introverted or shy people.
2. Not very detailed explanations
This key idea for detecting lies is closely related to the previous one, but in this case, rather than focusing on the quantitative, we focus on the qualitative: to the mentor, we usually provide less details about what we explain, since remembering the nuances of What we know for sure or have experienced firsthand costs much less than inventing it, taking care not to create contradictions.
3. An artificial way to manage eye contact
In general, people have more problems looking into the eyes of who we are lying to; either we look away, or we keep it in a very fixed and artificial way exercising voluntary control over our eyes and stopping paying attention to everything else.
3. Nervous hand movements
Repetitive movements with the hands or fingers are one of the signs of nervousness most associated with lying. For example, scratching your nose, pulling out a strand of hair on your head, etc.
The 8 types of lies
We have all lied at some point, but… Are all lies the same? Certainly not. There are lies that are used to avoid harming someone, lies that are used to achieve something, and lies that are the result of exaggeration.
Next We present the different types of lies in a practical guide that can be useful to be prepared for your appointments and in your daily life.
1. White lies
We could say that white lies are lies that are justified and, for many, are forgivable This is because white lies have a benevolent intention. For example, if someone gives us something that may be special to them, but that you don’t like and, furthermore, you know that you are not going to use it in your life. You will probably lie to him and tell him that you loved his gift. Basically, in this example, lying is used to avoid hurting another person’s feelings.
2. Broken promises
The broken promises are a failure to maintain a previously spoken commitment, and they are characterized because there is a kind of implicit contract. Broken promises can be especially harmful when the person who made the promise had no intention of keeping their word from the start, because they create hope in the other person.
Sometimes a white lie can also be a broken promise. For example, if a girl you have asked to go out for a drink, she accepts your invitation to look good. But then, when the time comes, she stands you up because at no point did she have any intention of going out with you. That is to say, she only did it so that you wouldn’t feel bad at that moment and she could get out of that compromising situation.
3. Intentional or instrumental lies
Intentional or instrumental lies They do not have a benevolent character, but quite the opposite: they seek self-interest These types of lies have the characteristic that they are used to get something, for example, a job.
There are many people who have lied on their resume to get a job. As you see, these lies do not have to have a malicious intention. Although, in some cases, people can use them to harm another individual.
4. Lies to oneself (self-deception)
These types of lies are unconscious and have to do with our beliefs, because it is difficult for us to question them. Also, sometimes, it is difficult for us to accept reality and it is easier to lie to ourselves to avoid the fear of uncertainty, because then we do not have to leave our comfort zone.
Cognitive dissonance It is one of the most frequent causes of self-deception A classic example of this phenomenon is that of smokers. They know that smoking can cause cancer, respiratory problems, chronic fatigue and even death. Even so, the vast majority continues to smoke because they deceive themselves with phrases like: “what’s the point of living a long time if you can’t enjoy life.”
5. Rumors
Rumors have to do, more than with the intention, with the effect that a lie produces. One of its characteristics is that several people participate in the rumors. a rumor is information whose veracity is in doubt or cannot be corroborated, because it is not known with certainty whether it is true Someone can intentionally spread a rumor although there does not have to be an underlying intention.
For example, a man named Antonio saw a co-worker leaving her boss’s office with a very friendly attitude and they gave each other a hug. Surprised, and since his boss is not exactly the kindest person in the world, he runs to tell another colleague (Juan). Juan, who has not seen the event, but because of Antonio’s reaction thinks that there is something serious between the boss and the employee, another office colleague tells him the next morning. The latter tells it to another colleague, who does the same until the entire office knows. The last person who tells it has received distorted information, and the details about what happened have been exaggerated in such a way that it really seems that there is a romantic relationship between both actors.
Rumors can cause a lot of damage, and in fact, it was one of the strategies used by the Nazis to get the German population to reject the Jews during World War II.
6. The hype
Surely you have ever come across someone who tends to exaggerate everything they say. For example, that he has flirted with many girls when in reality he has only had success with one. Well, the exaggeration is nothing more than that. They tend to be stories that have some truth to them, but are usually exaggerated to impress others
In addition to stories in which lies are added, there are also lies of omission, characterized by the fact that the person does not invent the story, but omits relevant data.
7. Plagiarism
The plagiarism refers not only to lying, but also to theft It consists of copying the work of another, while passing off as our own merits or knowledge what we should not attribute to ourselves. Ultimately, in this case we are lying about ourselves. Plagiarism is a serious act and can have legal consequences. Some students have failed courses for this, and some professional writers have been denounced for having copied works from other individuals. Furthermore, plagiarism is voluntary; it is an act of bad faith. That is why it is one of the most reprehensible lies, because it combines both the appropriation of work that is not one’s own and the fraud.
8. Compulsive lies
Compulsive lies These are the lies that compulsive liars make, over and over again They are usually caused by a serious problem (for example, low self-esteem) so these people usually require attention. In fact, a compulsive liar may have difficulty stopping their impulse to lie, and they often tell lies even when it is easier to tell the truth.
