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How to catch a liar

Woman avoiding eye contact
For a few months this year, my son went through a maddening stage where he was lying to me all the time. Thankfully, he is a terrible liar: I could see through it every time. After months of behavior charts and doing everything I could think of to teach him the importance of truthfulness and trust, his lying just went away. I'd like to say it was because of stellar parenting on my part, but I think it was just a phase, and he worked through it.

But not everyone is as easy to spot in a lie as my son is. With a keen eye and some understanding of body language, you have a better chance of catching a liar in the act. Possible signs that someone might be lying to you include:
  • Starting a sentence with "The truth is..." or something of the sort.
  • Speaking with a higher pitch.
  • Lips pressed more tightly together than usual.
  • Hemming and hawing while telling a story.
Check out the AOL Body slide show for a full list of signs that someone might be lying to you. You may also enjoy a few previous DIY Life posts on this topic, Catch a liar in the act and Mind reading through simple visual cues, both by M.E. Williams.
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Catch a liar with a homemade polygraph test


Make A Lie Detector! - The most amazing bloopers are here
A polygraph or lie detector test records a subjects physiological responses while answer a series of questions. Do they tell necessesarily if somebody is lying? No. They do however notify the tester when the person exibits signs associated with the physical changes the occur when somebody is lying. This homemade lie detector isn't nearly as scientific as professional grade machines, nor are you a trained test administrator. Still, if you're looking to have a little fun, build a working polygraph machine and catch a lier then you'll enjoy this project.

The circuitboard assembly looks fairly complicated. You'll need some understanding of electronics, but the video has a helpful diagram and instructions. The video also shows this homemade polygraph in action. It measures the skin resistance which goes down when the subject is lying. If you want to back up your test with some behavioral science, check out M.E. Williams post on How to catch a liar in the act. I wouldn't do anything drastic based on the results of a homemade test, but it does sound like a fun experiment. Maybe you'll find out what people really thought of your Thanksgiving dinner?
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Catch a liar in the act

LIE! Just the word, by Flickr user ktylerconk.Many human relationships run on trust. How do you know if that trust has been broken? Can you handle the truth, or is it better to live in the dark? Most people would probably prefer to be in the know, regardless of how upsetting it might be.

If you don't have incontrovertible personal knowledge of the facts, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether or not someone is lying to you. The website Blifaloo has an interesting behavioral article: How to Detect Lies. They reveal some visual cues that show you someone might be less than truthful.

We'll discuss a few, and what you can do with them, after the break.

Continue reading Catch a liar in the act

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