Some lie through their teeth and others lie badly, but all leave telltale signs, according to a leading researcher.
Deception expert, Dr Richard Wiseman, a research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, last night opened the British Association for the Advancement of Science's annual Festival of Science with a talk that included tips for spotting liars and the use of deception in magic.
"Most of us are not very good at telling if people are lying," Dr Wiseman said. "We look for the wrong signals like fidgeting and looking away." Dr Wiseman, who has been studying the psychology of deception for 10 years, said confident liars often maintain eye contact and sit very still.
His experiments involve studying the body language of students and business people, some telling the truth and some lying. He has picked out key telltale signs that allow employers to see if a candidate is lying at interview. "The main thing is that there is too much eye contact," he said. "They don't correct themselves and their stories are too good. Liars often give a very smooth account." These signs can also be used to spot fraudsters and may even be used to detect liars at police interviews, he suggested. Dr Wiseman, who used to be a professional magician, also discussed the use of deception in magic.
Deception is different from lying as it done by omitting information and using camouflage rather than deliberately saying something untrue, he said.
Emma Napper is a research scientist and British Association Media Fellow