A body language expert has revealed the subtle clues that mean someone is lying to you. It comes after research found Brits hide their true feelings as often as three times a week. The poll of 2,000 adults found 34 per cent of Brits reckon they have an ace ‘poker face’ while 25 per cent are confident people can rarely tell when they aren’t being honest.
On the flip side, two thirds think they could tell when someone is lying, with too much, or too little eye contact, nervous laughter and fidgeting being the key giveaways. This is followed by a different tone of voice, blushing, and sweating, according to the research by OnePoll.
While these coincide with the tell-tales Brits say they are mostly likely to adopt when they are lying. Expert Judi James, who has teamed up with lottoland has revealed these signals don’t always mean people are lying. In fact, it could be the opposite.
She said: “Body language is not a precise science and it’s important to be aware of what is called The Othello Error, where what we believe to be lying traits are actually symptoms of a truthful person feeling under pressure to be believed.
“Both lying and proving your honesty can produce a stress response that can emerge as identical non-verbal signalling. TV programmes like The Traitors showcase this perfectly.
“People trying to prove they’re genuine Faithful’s to the other contestants will often look more guilty than the lying traitors.”
Two thirds of Britons believe it’s crucial to conceal their emotions in public to avoid conflict and prevent awkward situations. While some do this to spare someone’s feelings, many maintain a professional facade, with 28 per cent most likely to suppress their true emotions in a work environment.
A spokesperson for Lottoland.co.uk commented: “The ability to deceive does make an excellent poker player – it’s all about not giving anything away in your facial expressions.
“It seems many people are confident in their own lying abilities, and they do it often, but I do wonder if they are as good as they think. A lot of the tactics they use to hide their emotions, for example fidgeting and avoiding eye contact, does also appear in the list of things people look out for to catch a liar.”
