Introduction
A liar’s performance is measured by his ability to convince the other person that what he is saying is true. Because the phrases that are significant in identifying a liar are ones that are frequently used when someone is not telling the truth. Below, you can learn about how someone who does not tell you everything about oneself or herself but claims to have more information than he or she actually has may use lying language. The liar hides behind a veil of secrecy while saying things that appear confusing and complicated because he or she does not want you to believe or know certain facts.
Psychological level
We hear 10 to 100 lies every day, and we’ve spent much of history creating techniques to detect them, from medieval torture devices to polygraphs, blood pressure and breathing monitors, voice stress analyzers, eye trackers, infrared brain scanners, and even the 400 pound electroencephalogram. While such tools have proven effective in specific cases, most may be fooled with proper preparation, and none are considered reliable enough to be acceptable in court. But what if the issue isn’t so much with the strategies as it is with the basic message that lying produces physiological changes? What if we took a more direct approach, examining the lies themselves using communication science?
On a psychological level, we lie to paint a more true image of ourselves, linking our dreams with the person we want we could be rather than the person we are. But, while we sleep, our brain misses out on a lot of information. According to the literature on reality monitoring, our conscious mind only controls about 5% of our cognitive function, including communication, while the other 95% occurs outside of our awareness, and stories based on imagined experiences are qualitatively different from those based on real experiences.
This means that developing a story on a personal issue needs effort and resulting in a particular pattern of language use. Linguistic text analysis, a technology, has allowed in the discovery of four such prominent patterns in the subconscious language of deceit.
Indications of a liar
First, liars make less connections to themselves while making false remarks. They write or talk more about others, usually using a third person to distance themselves from their falsehoods.Which of the following is more likely: “there was no party at this house” or “I did not hold a party here?”
Second, liars are more negative because they are psychologically ashamed of lying.
A liar, for example, would say something like, “Sorry, my phone’s battery died. I hate that item.”
Third, because our brains struggle to produce a complicated lie, liars often describe events in basic words. Our brains have a difficult time processing judgement and criticism.
“I didn’t have sexual relations with that woman,” a prominent US president once declared. Finally, while liars keep their descriptions brief, they tend to use lengthier and more complex sentence structures, introduce unnecessary words, and insert irrelevant but factual-sounding information to pad the falsehood.
In response to the issue, another president stated, “I can confidently say that this investigation indicated that no one on the White House staff, no one in this administration now working, was involved in this extremely unusual episode.”
Linguistic analysis
Let’s look at some prominent cases using language analysis. Consider Lance Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France champion. When a 2005 interview in which he denied using performance-enhancing drugs was compared to a 2013 interview in which he acknowledged to using them, his usage of personal pronouns jumped by over 3/4.
Take note of the difference in the following two quotes.
“First, you know, a man in a French, Persian laboratory takes up your sample, you know, Jean-François so and so, and he tests it.” Then you get a phone call from a newspaper saying, “We discovered you to be positive for EPO six times.”
Second, “I got lost in all of it.” I’m sure there would be others who couldn’t take it, but I certainly couldn’t, and I was used to having complete control over my life. “I had complete control over every aspect of my existence.”
In his denial, Armstrong portrays the hypothetical incident as being centered on someone else, thereby removing him from the circumstance. He owns his words in his admission, diving into his inner feelings and intentions. However, the use of personal pronouns is only one sign of dishonesty.
Consider this example from former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards: “I just know that the baby’s apparent father has publicly stated that he is the father. I have also not participated in any action that asked, committed to, or supported payments of any type to the ladies or the apparent father of the kid.”
Not only is it a somewhat lengthy way of expressing “the kid isn’t mine,” but Edward never refers to the other parties by name, instead referring to “the baby,” “the ladies,” and “the apparent father.”
Let’s see what he said afterwards when he admitted paternity: “My name is Quinn. I will do everything I can to give her the love and support she deserves. The message is brief and to the point, mentioning the child by name and his significance in her life. So, how can you use these misdirection skills in your daily life?
First, keep in mind that many of the lies we face on a daily basis are significantly less serious and may even be harmless. However, it is still important to be mindful of red flags such as minimum self-references, negative language, easy explanations, and confusing phrasing. It might save you from an expensive stock, an useless product, or even a bad relationship.
Conclusion
It may appear hard to differentiate between a lie and the truth, especially when trying to detect a lie from someone you know. However, there are ways to determine whether or not someone is dishonest or misleading. Recognizing and noticing telling indicators is a valuable talent that will come in helpful in a number of circumstances, both personal and professional.
References
[1]Noah Zandan. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0-WkpmTPrM&ab_channel=TEDEd