The Quickest Way to Spot a Lie

Patti shared her insights on the quickest way to spot a lie with the Today Show.  See her insights highlighted below and check out the entire article at the link below.

https://www.today.com/series/one-small-thing/quickest-way-spot-lie-t114710

The Quickest Way to Spot a Lie

Sure, you may think you’re pretty good at reading people. But can you really catch a smooth liar in action?

It’s possible, and body language is the crucial clue: your body language, that is. It turns out that you may actually be able to detect deception by paying attention to your own body’s reactions.
“Typically we think about watching and observing the other person to catch them in a lie,” body language expert Patti Wood, the author of "Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language & Charisma," told TODAY. “Paying attention to your body can be incredibly useful.”
That’s because your subconscious picks up thousands of cues per minute, Wood said — far more than you could ever detect by watching someone for a particular tic. Typically, liars subtly demonstrate a number of stress cues that your body will pick up on, she explained.

As it takes in those subconscious cues, your body will start to respond: You may feel a little nauseous, get a headache or funny feeling in your stomach, start sweating or change the pace of your breathing. According to Wood, that’s because your body is actually alerting you that something is not quite right — that the person in front of you is stressed for some reason.

Body language and communication expert Dr. Lillian Glass agreed. “When someone lies, your own autonomic nervous system can pick it up,” she told TODAY. Your face might then react, for instance, you might automatically purse your lips, squint your eyes or cock your head to the side, Glass said.
“If you pay attention to your own reactions in terms of the nuances of your own body language, it can help validate that you have just heard a lie,” Glass said.

There are a few caveats, though. First of all, an experienced liar (such as a sociopath) may not give off as many stress cues, meaning your body may not react the same way. Furthermore, you could be creating that stressful situation yourself if you go into a situation trying to “catch” someone in a lie, Wood said — meaning you can’t trust your own body’s responses there, either. Instead, try to cultivate a demeanor that is credible, honest and trustworthy, so someone feels safe entrusting you with the truth, Wood advised.
And always remember exactly why you’re hoping to catch someone in a lie.

“We sometimes are looking for these cues so that we don’t have to have a difficult conversation with somebody,” Wood said. “Ask yourself, what is the result that I want?” Be honest with yourself about your motivations — because even if you do catch someone in a lie, you have to be prepared to handle the truth after that.

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

5 Reasons Women Believe Their Cheating Lovers Aren't Lying

The media piece I did last week on the body language signs of cheating just came out this morning.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/alpha-male-body-language-cheating-relationships-partner-expert-infidelity-a7892791.html

That piece inspired me to write:

"5 Reasons Women Believe Their Cheating Lovers Aren’t Lying” 

by Patti Wood professional speaker and author of 

"Snap Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma"

If you read this and suspect your sweetie of cheating talk to him. You may get an honest response. Do know that if you see the signs and wonder why you didn’t notice and fell for the deceit you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it. Here are four reasons you may have been fooled.

Loving body language is the opposite of lying body language - I share in all my Establishing Credibility and Detecting Deception programs that the research on deception shows that the person you love can lie with the greatest ease. In part because loving body language is the antithesis of deception body language and in addition your love makes you want to trust.

Let’s just look at just a few of the body language cues that can confuse you. When people lie they tend to withdrawal, not touch you and not match and mirror your body language. Your love partner may be physically close, sleep in the same bed, touch you, match and mirror you and even continue to make significant eye contact, and other loving cues that can fool you into thinking they are truth tellers. Most people feel guilty when they lie and or fear being discovered so they show stress cues when they lie and have difficulty lying well. So Everyday liars have tells! 
Professional liars such as undercover cops, may not feel guilt because they need to lie to do their job and survive. And liars who have mental health issues may not have tells because they just plain don't feel guilt or remorse.  

Your love can create a “Truth Bias”- Research shows that as we become more trusting, we also become more confident, but less accurate at determining when the truth is being told (Levine & McCornack, 1992; McCornack & Parks, 1986)

When people are in love, they of course feel close and trust in their romantic partners and know them well and think they know everything about them. While this trust provides people with a sense of security and comfort, it creates an opportunity for deception called the “truth bias.” Your blind faith in your love makes you ripe for deceit as the very foundation of intimacy is that you trust so who is a better victim than the person who believes you the most!

You may think you have gained an extra special ability detect lies from your love- Because you spend so much time with them and believe their is intimacy you think you know them like no one else knows them. In fact, as intimacy increase so does your confidence in your ability to read you man. Even when part of you feel there is something wrong if someone else tells you, "He is lying", or "He is dating someone else." You may feel or say, "Oh, I know him, he would never do that."

You may have lost trust in yourself that would help you be discerning - You may also get lost in the instability of the crazy tilt and whirl. Even when you do know something is wrong, and talk to your partner and they continue to lie, to the extent you begin to lose faith in instincts and question your very honest and accurate feelings of insecurity. You can tilt back and forth between absolute trust and absolute lack of trust. You can look them in the eye and say, “I know something’s wrong.” And they can look you in the eye and say, “Darling I would never do anything to hurt you,” and lean in to kiss you and rub your back. You feel at a gut level the  mismatch of love and deception being presented together. It can be intense and painful. You want to claim the love message’s truth but at some level you know something is wrong. This may swirl you into a crazy tilt and whirl of instability. Again the messages of love and the messages of a lack of love that feel like the lack of love or decent, "I love you I want you I need you, but I have to go out of town for a week and I will be out of touch." The cheater can even create this crazy tilt and whirl without malice. They may love you, but they lie because they just happen to also love and or be attracted to someone else too. Or they may create the crazy ride out of more selfish reasons, such as the desire for power, control, thrills or mental health issues such as narcissism. (Google the term Love Bombing for more information for more information on the more malicious form of this crazy making.) 

Some lovers are really good at lying - Lying over and over again on a sometimes daily basis to your lover can make you an expert liar. That doesn't make them inherently horrible people, just people that may no longer give you the normal nonverbal and verbal signs of deceit. Some lying lovers may justify their lying by saying to themselves, "I don't want her to know because it would hurt her and I want to save her pain." and therefore not show nonverbal signs of guilt. Their fear level may be low, as they know they have succeeded at lying in the past. Conversely lying lovers may have a desire for excitement and or feelings of power that living on the edge, and undercover may provide. They may get some of that power derived from the “dupers delight,” that thrill some people get at fooling someone. They also may be “good” at lying because they generally love the partner they are cheating on or may think that in order not to lose them and or their lifestyle they must lie. Survival liars can also rationalize their lies in a way that reduces and eliminates normal deception cues. The carnival ride that the cheater can create that may allow them to continue their deceit and from which, in some cases, may allow them to continue to feel powerful, and or believe that they had a right to cheat because you are needy or crazy. Fascinating because they are the instigators of that instability, they run the crazy tilt and whirl.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/alpha-male-body-language-cheating-relationships-partner-expert-infidelity-a7892791.html

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

You’re more likely to lie later in the day. Research

I have been reading some interesting studies about why people lie. There are several new studies out about self-control and deceit that are interesting.

Do you notice that you are more likely to lie later in the day.

Here is the link to easy to understand article on some of the research.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/afternoons-turn-us-lying-cheating-lazy-jerks-8C11505058#

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Casey Anthony's Body Language during the Closing Arguments

For most of the prosecutor's closing arguments you would swear the film that shows Casey is on Freeze frame. Her head is held in vice grip add mixture of glaring eyes and petulant pouting lip and downward turned sad brows.
As the prosecutor says, “When you have a child that child becomes your life Casey could have shaken her head yes, as most parents who have lost a child would. As it has been in the rest of the trial, Casey’s body language does not match the baseline of what we consider a normal parents, a normal mothers body language the norm of a grieving mother.
703: The class between the expectation and the life that Casey wanted to have. Four seconds later Casey shake her head not small slow shake delayed, so it appears she had to think in her neocortex about what the instinctual limbic brain would feel and show in response to his statement.
When Caylee was born Casey was saddened with Expectorations not only from her parents but from society, Casey is shaking her head no quick shallow shakes with a furrowed angry brow and petulant mouth.
When Casey is faced with a problem her solution is to change the lie. She shakes her head twice, not fully committed to following through with her disagreement, and scowling in anger.
When Casey wants to do what Casey wants to do she lies. Again to delayed glare
No movement at all when he talks about the imaginary Nanny “Zanney” so still like a squirrel caught in headlights in the freeze response to stress.
You see the Guard move to protect his belly a comfort he gives as the prosecutor discusses her fathers suicide note, but she seated in the front of the guard is ice frozen in fizzy cocktail .
The absence of affect (facial expressions of emotions) No shake of the head no, no emotion at all. When the prosecutor discusses how Casey was at her boyfriends while Caylee is in all likelihood in the trunk of her car dead and decomposing.
Small shift, to her right side a look down to her right her thinking rational side to contain herself. And adjustment, apparently she thought it was too much work for her (to bury her) so she decided to throw her in the swamp. She rocks herself back and to the side a few more times. At this. I think she is actually upset here, feeling caught.
Prosecutors paralanguage the nonverbal nuances of the voices are emotional, Caylee was in the trunk off suburban drive decomposing. Voice gets caught, at times so low on the gruesome details as to be almost inaudible.
Imaginary Zannies Imaginary Accident, Casey starts to look away and look down, as her lies are retold by the prosecutor like a grandfather telling a bedtime fairy tale. She has trouble staying still she turns pages and then her head held with the chin up and lips petulant finally comes down. Most interesting her head twists down and sideways showing it is painful for her to hear her lies here, she fains reading something but her discomfort with everyone hearing these lies is evident.
33.33When the prosecutor talks about timer 55 her face book stalls till Caylee’s birthday. Head goes down not with true shame but with a mixture of feigned disinterest and denial. But then in one minute and 3 seconds later her head is up and frozen again.
Barely moves “When he discusses car being found and mother catching her and her lie “She is at Zannies” She barely moves just minute shifts from left to the right.
Until 42:56 Problem comes up Dec 11 2008 could I have the state present 2008 please Casey bends over and cough/sneeze her head going down and staying out of site instead of bouncing up naturally as it would in a real cough sneeze. This lets her head go out of the frame of the camera and when we see her again she is bent over, while holding her lowered four head in stiff upraised fingers. Suppressing tears as the prosecutor says, “Calies remains are found.” Casey is recalling with grief not the day her daughter lost, not the day she died and the grief she felt as a mother, but the day her daughter’s body was found and she was caught in her lies. Casey put her fist up to her face to suppress her tears; the fist gesture reads that she is mad that her daughter’s body was found. This fist to face to suppress tears is a movement I see when a parent hears what someone else did to their child when someone not when a child is found. There is typical kenning and outpouring of emotion when the news a child body being found is discussed. She stays with that fist. A number or items are found the damming evidence she ….then she rubs her nose and grasps her head again hiding her eyes from view, guilt? Trying to push in her thoughts or maintain focus she rocks herself side to side in the chair more obviously now.
Casey Anthony: Closing Arguments - Part 3 - 7/3/11 State
Very eerie body language.
8: As he is calling into the evidence of 224, as he says, “This is the bag that Caylee was found in,” Casey grabs her head symbolically pulling the bad thoughts out of her head fall through her fingers like dust and then she grasp her fingers together as if she is trying to decide to strike out her hand in anger and instead holds her downward held head in her soft fist. Significant she keeps frozen in that position through the most gruesome evidence, over 6 and half minutes.
Then as he recounts what her story about her father waking her yelling where is Caylee and laying Calyee's body in front of her yelling this is your fault. She's wiping a tear with her pinky finger only once after and when the prosecutor changes repeat her fathers yelling, Where is Caylee? Where is Caylee? She presses her tears in. Open unrestrained sobbing would I think make us feel that her story was true the little pinky tear stop feels fake and forced.
At 8:29, In fact moments later as the prosecutor begins discussing reasonable doubt Casey's chest begins to heave up and down and she begins to really cry needing a handkerchief and holding her nose with the bad smell of the words, “An abiding conviction of guilt.” She then begins wiping away real tears. At first she does this tentatively, and then big long wipes down over her face. Her chest heaving up and down more.
20:18? As he talks about the order of decomposition Casey covers her nose with the Kleenex using both hands and then does that odd dramatic wiping of one eye at a time as if wiping away the evidence from her view. He ( the scientist ) examined the evidence she takes her hands covers her nose and mouth and her lower lids with both hands and wipes as if she is covered with the sickening sight and the smell and wants to wipe it off.
At 20:21 her body comes up again into a more erect posture and she goes into that petulant face again. Slightly angry eyes as he discusses the evidence of the odor.

Look at 28:40 to 28:51 notices her stillness then look at her head swivel to him and the glare on her face as he finished repeating the evidence the most damming evidences of the hair with the bands of decomposition. She does this eerily after he pauses and there are two beats of pause then she turns and glares.

She gets up does a comfort adjustment pulling her shirt down.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Patti Weighs in on the Body Language of Casey Anthony on the Nancy Grace Show

I was a guest on the Nancy Grace show Tuesday, May 10th at 8 pm. Nancy asked me to weigh in on the body language of Casey Anthony during the jury selection for the upcoming murder trial of her 2 year old daughter Caylee which is scheduled to be held in Orlando, FL. Below are some of the videos that I reviewed before my appearance. I will be posting the actual video from the show in a later post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEWa6kgsOl0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyhbXdEbFMs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkdWEHknchQ


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Are They Lying?

Patti Wood, body language expert and professional speaker, shares her insights with Auto Success Magazine about deception detection. The general population is only able to detect deception 50% of the time. Patti gives several steps which will increase your accuracy as soon as you begin to use them. Check them out at the link!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34851975/Auto-Success-Are-They-Lying

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Answers to Deception Detection Quiz

Answers to the deception quiz for the particapants in my Credibity and Deception Detection Program.

Answer Two answers c. Overall Liars have longer pauses, shorter answers and longer times between a question and a response than someone who is merely nervous. but the other answer is D. It depends on their personality type.

1. Answer b. Our faces and eyes hide the truth more easily than the rest of the body. The body, especially the lower portion, is under less conscious control. The feet tend to be the most honest portion of the body,

2. Answer c. Your body language needs to match what you’re saying.

3. Answer c. Keep your palms open. Rehearsed liars tend to keep their hands, especially the palms, hidden and still. Loosely at your sides is all right.

4. Answer a. This is tricky. Leaning toward the interviewer makes you appear open and interested. Liars tend to close entrances to the body to hide the truth. With the exception of the liars lean.

5. Answer c. Be careful of pursing or licking your lips. A smile is the most common facial expression used to mask emotions.




Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel

Lies a computer or TV sales men

Seven lies you will hear from a salesmen at an electronic store

1) "The Service Plan covers everything" In fact, it doesn't cover most things. 2) "I'm going to give you a discount"
Always shop around and find out how much things are worth, and watch what the items scan in at instead of taking his word.
3) "This model is a " " exclusive"
4) "Setup will avoid hours of work"
This only applies to computers,
5) "You're saving on x"
7) "You have to buy x"
Source http://consumerist.com/356135/7-lies-youll-hear-from-salesmen-at-electronics-stores
For information of public seminars Patti is giving on body language and deception detection in Philadeliphia in the summer of 09 though Paliani consulting please contact us or go directly to the Paliani site. You can always contact Patti at Patti@PattiWood.net

Youtube video of body language and deception

Gisela, a sixth grader at Mesa Grande Elementary School, decided for her science project to see whether she could tell if a person was lying based on their facial expressions. Here is the result: Part 1,Part 2 (Youtube videos).

As part of the experiment she asked people questions and observed their expressions to see if they were lying. The six questions she asked were:
Please describe the American flag.
Please describe an elephant.
Please describe a giraffe.
Please describe what you are wearing right now.
Please describe what type of weather we are having right now.
Please describe what your hands look like.

As part of the experiment Gisela and her brother Victor are filmed lying and telling the truth.

How to detect lies through body language

Here is a homework assignment for my Deception Detection class: read a novel by Aaron Elkins then use your class workbook and notes to figure out whether his forensic anthropologist protagonist could have figured out the clues he did from the evidence presented.

Who is most accurate at detecting lies?

In a previous post I shared with you that to increase your ability to detect deceit you needed to be accurate in detecting honesty. Another way to increase your lie detection ability is to receive adequate feedback on your reads. So who gets the most feedback? One of the groups who gets the most feedback about their reads are prisoners. They must read their fellow inmates communications accurately in order to survive and thrive. Research comparing
prisoners, police detectives, patrol police officers, prison guards, customs officers, and college students showed that prisoners where the most accurate at detecting deceit. Previous studies, mainly conducted with college students as subjects, showed that people have some incorrect beliefs about behavioral clues to deception. In this research study it was hypothesized that prisoners would have the best notion about clues of deception, due to the fact that they receive the most adequate feedback about successful deception strategies. The results supported this hypothesis.

Detecting Deception is More Than Lies

Those of you that follow my blog know that I have been researching nonverbal cues of deception and training people on deception detection for many years. You may not know that my programs are actually teach people to distinguish truth tellers from someone who is lying. I also teach people how to build their personal credibility. Why do I train people to detect honesty in a deception detection course? Because the research deception detection indicates that you can train people to detect deception but unless you also train them to detect the truth they will end up with a deception bias . That bias acts in conjunction with other errors in detecting deception such as suspecting people of lying when they are merely nervous or reading normally introverted people as liars to increase the simply introverted that increase false deception detection judgments. Though some research shows the a deception bias increases ones ability to detect deception I believe that a balanced approach creates a higher degree of accuracy