Learning how to spot liars is not full-proof.
I mean, it’s human behavior, after all.
And human behavior, the psychology of human behavior, is more like economics than it is chemistry.
The human sciences are vastly different from the physical sciences, after all.
But there are telling signs that might let us make a better guess as to a given person being innocent or guilty.
Here they are:
Innocent people deny accusations and question what you are even talking about.
Guilty people ask for what evidence you have.
These guidelines, coupled with careful observation of one’s body language is a good place to start.
And, of course, this works best when sizing up an untrained speaker.
Good-luck deciphering the words of politicians who are trained by actors…
For example, if you accuse an innocent person of a crime, the accused generally responds by immediately denying the accusation and asking what is wrong with you for even asking. But the first reaction of guilty people, usually, is to ask what evidence you have. They need to know what you know so they can either double down on the lie or confess. Liars confess only if the evidence against them is airtight.
-Scott Adams, Win Bigly
