THE BODY LANGUAGE OF A LIAR
When you analyze the body language of a liar, you need to carefully observe all of the changes and
movements in his or her breathing, skin, posture, position or stance, arms, hands, and feet. In this
chapter you will discover the specific body language ―tells‖ that may reveal that someone is being
dishonest.
BREATHING CHANGES
Often the first thing you will notice when someone lies is a change in his or her breathing. When
people are calm and relaxed, they will usually breathe in such a way that you’ll be able to see their
abdomen moving up and down as the air goes in and out of their lungs; the abdomen rises upon
inhaling, and flattens out upon exhaling. But when someone is lying, or at least showing signs of
deception, he/she will often breathe in such a way that instead of seeing the abdomen moving up and
down, you’ll see his/her upper chest and shoulders rise and fall.
Photo 7-1: Lance Armstrong during his Oprah interview, showing tenseness in his shoulders and
upper chest breathing. Photo credit: Getty Images Entertainment.
Oftentimes there is visible tension in the upper chest area, indicating anxiety. This was most
evident in the interview that Armstrong gave when he admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he had engaged
in doping. While he appeared forthright in many of the things he revealed, from time to time you
could observe a visible tenseness in his shoulders as he breathed. These may have been times when he
was not being completely truthful as he fielded Oprah’s penetrating questions.
When someone is engaged in deception, you will often see him suddenly puff out his cheeks as he
exhales. What he is doing is oxygenating himself. His autonomic nervous system is working overtime
because of a sudden buildup of carbon dioxide in his system. Therefore, he immediately draws a large
breath and then blows it out in order to regain equilibrium. This helps the liar regain his composure as
he releases the buildup of tension caused by the lying. Thus this blowing out of air is often a huge
―tell‖ when it comes to detecting a liar.
Photo 7-2: O.J. Simpson forcefully blowing out air through his mouth during his Las Vegas trial for
burglary, robbery, and assault. Photo credit: Daniel Gluskoter, Splash News.
Here we see a photo of O.J. Simpson in court during the second day of jury selection for his 2008
trial for burglary, robbery, and assault, at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas.
Notice how his chest is raised and expanded as he fills his lungs with air, and his cheeks puffed out as
he prepares to release a sudden burst of air in order to release what was most likely overwhelming
stress and tension. This photo was taken the day a jury of his peers was being selected.
Based on his past experiences in the courtroom, during both his criminal and his civil trials for the
deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman, Simpson was likely well aware of the importance of
picking a jury in terms of the outcome of the trial. His sudden upper chest breathing and intense burst
of air illustrate the stress he was most likely experiencing during the jury selection process.
SKIN CHANGES
When people lie you can often observe changes in their skin, in terms of the color of the skin and
the presence of perspiration. In lighter-skinned people, the skin may become flushed, red, or blotchy.
Usually the redness can be seen on the cheeks and nose, but may also appear uniformly over the entire
face, from the forehead to the neck, as well as on the ears. The redness or blushing can range from a
light pink to a very dark red. This color change is the result of an increase in adrenalin and the
concurrent changes in the blood vessels and capillaries. In darker-skinned people, the skin can become
paler or ashier.
Photo 7-3: Former Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards blushing and perspiring (two
signals of deception)—and even smiling—in his mug shot. Photo credit: Splash News.
Here we can see disgraced former Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards’ mug shot
photo, after he was arrested for finance fraud. The lie he is telling in this photo is that he is happy and
that all is well. Even though his lips are smiling, it is very much a fake smile (more about the fake
smile in Chapter 8). His ―happiness‖ is also belied by the darkened and blotchy or mottled skin on his
face and the sides of his neck. (In the original color photo, the blush is much more obvious, with his
face an assertive pinkish-red.)
Photo 7-4: Lance Armstrong showing sudden darkening (reddening, in the original photo) in skin
color on his nose, cheeks, neck, and ears as he is asked a question about his doping. Photo credit:
Jennifer Lorenzini/Splash News.
You may also see redness on a liar’s ears, nose, and cheeks when he feels that his lie is about to be
revealed. Even though Lance Armstrong’s skin was normally tan, the contrasting redness on his ears,
sides of his neck, nose, and even his mouth during the interview revealed the sudden change in his
autonomic nervous system and the resultant increased blood flow. Along with a flushed color, veins
may suddenly appear on the forehead, as they too enlarge due to the increased blood pressure and
flow.
Sweat
Perspiration on the face may also indicate deception. Sweat will often break out on the forehead,
nose, cheeks, chin, and upper lip. In the photo of John Edwards, you can see the visible breakout of
perspiration on his face as he puts on a happy face for his mug shot. Facial sweat is the result of the
body generating heat, which also accounts for the concurrent redness and blushing. In the body’s
attempt to cool down, sweat is released through the pores of the body and the face.
Photo 7-5: Perspiration can be seen over President Clinton’s upper lip, forehead, cheeks, and sides of
his nose as he lies to the American people about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Photo credit: Joyce
Naltchayan/Getty Images.
But since the upper lip muscles usually tense up during deception, it is not uncommon to see beads
of sweat actually accumulating in this area. This is often a clear giveaway that the person is lying.
While we all noticed Clinton’s angry finger-pointing, few were able to get close enough to see that he
was also sweating profusely as he spoke. If you look closely at this photo, you can actually see little
beads of perspiration and shininess over his upper lip.
President Clinton was not the only one who sweated it out as he lied. Even when Armstrong wasn’t
out riding his bike, he was still doing a lot of sweating during his interviews. As early as 2006, in his
ESPN.com interview for Outside the Lines, the perspiration beads over his upper lip were clearly
visible throughout the entirety of the interview as he blatantly lied about not taking performance enhancing drugs.
This telltale signal of upper-lip sweat was also what alerted the suspicions of U.S. Customs
inspector Diana Dean regarding Ahmed Ressam, a.k.a. the ―Millenium Bomber.‖ Ressam tried to
enter the United States from Canada on December of 1999, driving a car that contained the makings of
a bomb. As he left the ferry from British Columbia to Port Angeles, Washington, inspector Dean
conducted her routine questioning, as she did with all passengers. What gave her cause for concern
was seeing Ressam’s upper lip break out in beads of sweat. She immediately called on her fellow
officers to search Ressam’s car, where the raw materials for bomb-making were discovered. If she had
not noticed Ressam’s sweating, there could have been a very serious terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
POSTURE CHANGES
When people engage in deception, you will notice sudden changes in their posture. Often their
posture will stiffen up, and both shoulders will become rigid and roll forward. Their head may also
droop down in a slight forward movement. According to Los Angeles Police Reports, in February
2009, before they were to attend a Grammy Awards celebration, Rapper Chris Brown assualted his
girlfriend, Rihanna Fenty, after he tried to push her out of his car. He was subsequently arrested on
domestic violence charges. When he went to court in April 2009, even though he pleaded Not Guilty
to his crime, his body language suggested that he was feeling very guilty, indeed.
The normally square-shouldered and cocky Chris Brown looked anything but when he appeared
before the judge in a Los Angeles courtroom. His shoulders suddenly hunched over and he bowed his
head and looked down, as you can see in the photo on the following page. His posture fairly screamed
―shame‖ and ―guilt.‖
A similar postural change could be observed the exact moment Notre Dame football star Manti
Te’o lied as he talked about his nonexistent girlfriend before the scandal broke. As he spoke to Kate
Sullivan of WBBM, a CBS affiliate in Chicago, you can see his posture tensing up and his shoulders
rise up in a tense shrug. Even though he claimed he had nothing to do with the hoax, his posture, with
rounded shoulders and head bowed forward and down in a turtle-like position, indicated that he was
likely still being deceptive. He was most likely continuing to lie about his nonexistent, dead girlfriend,
even after the hoax had been exposed. His body language also reflected his shame in being caught in
his lies.
Photo 7-6: Chris Brown pleading Not Guilty as his posture belies his innocence. In a plea deal to get
probation, he ended up pleading Guilty for abusing Rihanna. Photo credit: Pooled Pictures/Splash
News.
One of the reasons liars will assume this quasi–fetal position is because they are feeling
emotionally vulnerable and/or embarrassed. Therefore, they literally minimize themselves by taking
up less space, reflecting that they are feeling ―small‖ emotionally. It is also the body’s instinctive way
of protecting itself. So when you suddenly catch a person in a lie, you will often see a hunched over,
turtle-like fetal position similar to the postural change. We saw this when Barry Bonds was caught
lying by omission at a press conference. While he was taciturn on the subject of his steroid use, his
protective body language spoke volumes.
You can also see this hunched-over posture in John Edwards’ mug shot. Usually Edwards’ posture
was ramrod straight, with his shoulders back and head held high as he brimmed with self-confidence.
But in his mug shot we see that his shoulders are rounded and pulled forward. This is the body
language of shame and sadness. So his body is actually telling us the truth—that Edwards is not happy
at all, but instead feeling shame and distress about his arrest for campaign fraud.
Photo 7-7: Former Presidential candidate John Edwards with hunched-over shoulders in his mug shot.
Photo credit: Splash News.
When someone loses self-confidence you can often see his or her posture change into this hunchedover fetal position. This is particularly evident when you see someone who is convicted of a crime go
from a ramrod straight, cocky posture, complete with a self-assured swagger when he walks, to a
hunched-over, turtle-like posture with head bowed, as he begins to realize that he will not be getting
away with his crime. When Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was first accused of child
molestation, his straight posture and upright head position shouted to the world that he was confident
nothing would happen to him, and that he would simply shake loose all of the allegations against him.
But as time passed, and more and more people came for ward with their claims, Sandusky’s once-erect
posture became more and more hunched over and turtle-like. His feelings of guilt (or at least his
anxiety over being caught) must have been almost unbearable as he realized that he would have to
face the consequences for his egregious actions. In the most recent videos and photos taken of him
attending a post-sentencing hearing (about a possible re-trial, which was denied), even though he still
proclaimed his innocence, his body language and posture of guilt and defeat belied his claim.
This turtle-like postural change is also often a telltale sign for law enforcement officers when they
are questioning suspects. They know to become more direct and probe more deeply with their
questioning.
Shrugging it off
When someone suddenly shrugs his shoulders when speaking about a critical issue or answering a
pointed question, chances are he may be lying to you. Former Major League baseball player Barry
Bonds often shrugged his shoulders during press conferences, as he refused to answer questions (lying
by omission) posed to him by reporters concerning his steroid usage. Lying to the wrong people—
Federal prosecutors, for starters—resulted in Bonds being indicted on four counts of perjury and one
count of obstruction of justice in a government investigation. He was convicted on the latter count in
2011 for giving an evasive answer to a question under oath. Because of his lies, he was also denied
entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Another person whose lying was all-too-evident in a courtroom was O. J. Simpson. At his
sentencing hearing in a Las Vegas courtroom, O.J. Simpson stood up in his shackles and offered an
apology for what he did. As he did so, he tilted his head to one side and shrugged his shoulders, as you
can see in the photo. This indicates that his apology was likely anything but sincere. Specifically, he
shrugged his shoulders as he said, ―I didn’t want to hurt any of these guys.‖ This belied the fact that
his intention was indeed to ―hurt these guys,‖ as he came into their hotel room with a gun in order to
retrieve what he saw as his property.
The presiding judge, Judge Jackie Glass, clearly saw through O.J.’s ―apology‖ for what it was:
deception and manipulation in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence. She rejected his apology out of
hand and said that what he did was ―much more than stupidity.‖ She ended up sentencing him to 15
years in prison.
Photo 7-8: O.J. Simpson shrugging his shoulders as he gave his apology during his sentencing hearing.
Copyright: Getty Images.
Backing up
When people realize they’ve been caught in a lie, sometimes their entire body will suddenly,
automatically, and uncontrollably jerk backward. The liar has literally been ―taken aback‖ that his
deception was uncovered.
The liar’s back is literally ―against the wall‖ as he makes a sudden, slight jump or jerk backward. In
doing so, the posture quickly becomes both rigid and erect. There is also visible tension in the neck
and shoulders, as you can see in the photo of O.J. Simpson, taken during one of his most revealing
interviews, given on the 10-year anniversary of his wife’s murder. We see him literally backing up as
Catherine Crier’s question clearly strikes a nerve.
Photo 7-9: O.J. Simpson literally taken aback by a question posed to him during his interview with
Catherine Crier. Photo Credit: AdLIB Design/Splash News.
Leaning forward
People who lie want desperately to be believed. Therefore, in their desperation, they will lean into
the person they are talking to as a means of ingratiating themselves and appearing affable and likeable.
It’s basically a manipulative attempt to entice others into believing them. As a result, you may often
see them lean for ward when they are engaged in one-on-one communication. It is an attempt to create
a false sense of intimacy and make you think they are telling you the truth. The photo on the following
page captured the only time O.J. leaned for ward during the entire interview; it was likely an attempt
to drive home the point that he was not involved in his wife’s death. In my opinion, this sudden
leaning for ward, combined with the finger-pointing, appear to indicate deception.
Photo 7-10: O.J. leaning forward during a Court TV interview with Catherine Crier on the 10-year
anniversary of his wife’s murder. Photo Credit: AdLIB Design/Splash News.
We can often see this behavior in criminals who are interviewed prior to their conviction. When
Scott Peterson was interviewed by Diane Sawyer, we could see him leaning forward throughout the
whole interview, likely in a feeble attempt to appear ingratiating and believable. He gave this
interview before his wife Laci’s remains were found along with those of their unborn child. As he
leaned for ward, he continued to lie about not knowing the whereabouts of his pregnant wife, when all
along he knew that her body was at the bottom of the bay. Peterson did this with another interviewer
on CBS, as well. Even though the journalist confronted him about his lies regarding his girlfriend,
Amber Frey, Peterson still remained in that forward-leaning position.
We also observed this posture with convicted wife-killer Drew Peterson on the Today Show, as he
tried to convince Matt Lauer and the world that he had nothing to do with the death of his third wife,
Kathleen Savio, or the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. We also saw it with convicted
boyfriend-killer Jodi Arias as she spoke to 48 Hours and tried to come across as a sweet and likeable
girl, even though she knew that she had killed him by stabbing him multiples times in the shower.
Another common thread with each of these forward-leaning criminals is that they rarely, if ever, move
from this position during their interviews.
Former Presidential candidate John Edwards leaned forward like this during his interview with
ABC reporter Bob Woodruff, as he denied that he was the father of his mistress, Rielle Hunter’s child.
FIDGETING OR STAYING TOO STILL
Another telltale signal of deception is fidgeting. The reason for this is that the autonomic nervous
system is once again taking over in a primitive ―fight-or-flight‖ response. Oftentimes people will want
to literally flee from stressful or uncomfortable situations. So if a liar knows he is going to be
interrogated or interviewed, the innate biological instinct kicks in to physically get him out of there—
hence, the excess energy and extraneous body movements.
On the other hand, a liar may not move at all. This may be a sign of the primitive neurological
―fight,‖ rather than the ―flight,‖ response, as the body positions and readies itself for possible
confrontation. When you speak and engage in normal conversation, it is natural to move your body
around in subtle, relaxed, and, for most part, unconscious movements. So if you observe a rigid and
catatonic stance devoid of movement, it is often a huge warning sign that something is off. At the very
least, this person is trying too hard to keep control over himself and his conversation; at most, he may
be trying to manipulate and deceive you. This very same thing could be observed in the body language
of convicted wife killer Drew Peterson. In his many interviews, he would sit rigid and stone faced as
he proclaimed his innocence. He insisted he was innocent of his third wife, Kathleen Savio’s murder,
and insisted he knew nothing of the whereabouts of his fourth wife, Stacy, who had suddenly
disappeared. With his hands firmly clasped in front of him, Peterson never moved from that position.
When a suspect is being interrogated by law enforcement and seems rooted to the spot, it is usually
taken as a red flag that the suspect knows a lot more than he’s letting on. Further, if he’s gripping his
arms or hands, he is literally attempting to ―get a grip‖ on himself so he won’t reveal what he wants or
needs to keep secret.
Photo 7-11: Nicki Minaj (far right) exhibiting a fixed body position, with clasped hands and crossed
arms over her knee, throughout the entire panel discussion as she tries to conceal what were most
likely negative feelings toward her fellow judge Mariah Carey (far left). Photo credit: Getty News
Entertainment.
Nicki Minaj consistently and vociferously denied being involved in a feud with her fellow judge,
singer Mariah Carey. However, the fact that Nicki sat rigid and immobile and refused to even look at
Mariah, spoke volumes about the truth concerning this feud. This unnatural behavior is usually a red
flag as far as deception is concerned, precisely because it is unnatural. The liar attempts to
micromanage her body movements so that no one will think she’s lying; ironically, however, it is this
very behavior that is letting people know that she is in all probability being deceitful.
CHANGES IN HEAD POSITION
When someone has been caught in a lie, you will often see various odd or awkward head
movements. The head will be (a) retracted or jerked back, (b) bowed down, or (c) cocked or tilted to
one side. If you see someone suddenly make any of these movements, particularly after you have
asked him a pointed question, it’s possible he’s not being completely honest with you.
The head jerk
We often saw the sudden head jerk during death row inmate Scott Peterson’s trial for the murder of
his wife and unborn son. His head would suddenly move backward when he heard something in the
courtroom that pointed to the truth about his involvement in their deaths. You can see this in the
following photo of O.J. Simpson during his interview with Catherine Crier. The timing of the photo is
important: he jerks his head back just as he begins to respond to a significant question regarding
Nicole’s murder. This sudden head movement is often an indication that someone is not telling the
truth.
Photo 7-12: O.J. Simpson during his Catherine Crier interview on Court TV. This is the moment he
suddenly jerks his head back as he answers a question. Photo credit: AdLIB Designs/Splash News.
Next we have a photo of Lance Armstrong as he’s asked an unexpected question about his doping.
Note the position of his head and how far back it has retreated as he processes the question. Anytime
you see someone’s head suddenly jerk back when they lie, are caught or think they may be caught in a
lie, or hear something that might uncover their lie—this sudden, awkward, and very obvious
movement speaks volumes.
Photo 7-13: Dramatic example of a head jerk. The photo was taken during an interview on a panel in
2009, as Armstrong was asked a question about his doping. Photo Credit: Jennifer Lorenzini/Splash
News.
The head bow
When someone with a conscience is caught in a lie or hears an unpleasant truth, he/she will often
automatically bow his/her head. This is often a sign or contrition or shame. When Tiger Woods called
a press conference in 2010 in order to ―apologize‖ for his cheating, his head was bowed almost the
entire time. You can also see this kind of body language in young children, after you ask them to come
clean about something you know they did. When you see the bowed head, they are letting you know
that they are ashamed they got caught and that they did indeed do something they were not supposed
to do.
With his head is slightly bowed, singer and rapper Chris Brown pleaded Not Guilty to his charges
of domestic violence against his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. He of course knew this plea was a lie and
that he was guilty of pummeling her on the night of the Grammy Awards.
Photo 7-14: Chris Brown with his head slightly bowed as he pleads Not Guilty for a crime he knows
he committed, and which he admitted to in a subsequent hearing. His bowed head may also reflect
shame over the incident. Photo credit: Pooled Pictures/Splash News.
The head cock or tilt
When you see someone suddenly cock his head or tilt it to one side, it often indicates uncertainty.
This can often be seen when people are asked pointed questions or when their lie has been revealed. It
is the body’s immediate, unconscious way of saying, I’m not sure how to answer this question because
I may have to manufacture a lie. When Drew Peterson was asked directly about his involvement in the
disappearance of his fourth wife, the normally stiff postured ex-policeman immediately cocked his
head to the side as he denied any involvement in her disappearance. This may have been a red flag
indicating possible deception. Obviously the particular question struck a nerve, or Drew likely would
not have presented with this faux-quizzical attitude.
Lance Armstrong cocked his head to the side as he was called to the stage in 2010 during the
closing ceremonies of the Tour de France. In his case this was most likely a clear signal of deception.
As questions were hurled at him during the spontaneous press conference, he probably wasn’t sure
how to couch his lie. He knew he didn’t deserve the glowing accolades that were being tossed at his
feet. He knew he had attained the highest award in cycling by cheating.
Photo 7-15: Lance Armstrong cocking his head to one side during his Oprah Winfrey interview,
indicating possible deception by commission or omission. Photo credit: Getty News Entertainment.
In my opinion, Lance Armstrong was still lying even when he finally admitted to using
performance-enhancing drugs to win tournaments. His body language (in particular, the cocked head)
led me to believe that there was a lot more he was not revealing and may even have been lying about
outright.
Photo 7-16: O.J. Simpson with his head tilted to one side during a sentencing hearing in a Las Vegas
courtroom. Photo credit: Pool/Getty Images News.
Here we see O.J. Simpson apologizing to the court and to Judge Jackie Glass for his actions. It was
clear from his body language—specifically, the quizzical head tilt—that O.J. didn’t believe one word
of his apology. The position of his head was one of the signals that gave away his disingenuousness as
he spoke.
Neck touching
As we already discussed in the previous section, the neck is an eminently vulnerable part of the
human body. The throat houses the anatomical mechanisms that enable us to eat, speak, and breathe—
activities necessary to life.
Photo 7-17: Covering the throat with the hand is often a big ―tell‖ of deception. Photo credit: Piotr
Marcinski, Shutterstock, Inc.
When people cover their throat with their hand, it is often an automatic, uncontrollable protective
gesture indicating vulnerability. Sometimes this feeling of vulnerability is a natural result of lying. We
often see this when someone has been busted after telling a lie. This is also a common reaction when
someone is accused of something, whether directly or indirectly. I have often seen this in the
courtroom when I work as a consultant for attorneys. I can always tell when someone’s testimony has
hit a nerve with the defendant, when I see his or her hand covering the front of his/her throat. Law
enforcement officers often watch for this throat-touching signal when they interrogate a suspect, as it
can be a sign of deception. Even though the suspect may claim otherwise, this gesture speaks loudly as
to his/her knowledge of and/or involvement in the crime.
Famed actor Al Pacino recently posed for a publicity portrait announcing his title role in the
forthcoming Joe Paterno biopic. In this very rare photo, Al Pacino was photographed not in character,
but as himself; interestingly, he is covering his throat with his hand. For decades it has been wellknown in the entertainment industry that Al Pacino is loathe to do publicity because he is an intensely
private man. Thus, it is understandable why he might have felt he was being duplicitous or at least
disingenuous by fulfilling a contractual obligation to engage in public relations for an upcoming film.
His pose, with his hand covering his neck, also may reflect his discomfort and vulnerability, in
addition to possible deception.
Collar and neck tugging or scratching
When people tug at the collar of their shirt or the side of their neck, or suddenly loosen their tie, it
may indicate deception or anger over hearing an uncomfortable truth. Someone like this is literally
getting ―hot under the collar‖ as his autonomic system goes into high gear, thereby increasing his body
temperature. This is why liars often feel a sudden surge of heat; when this happens, you will often see
them loosen their collar, or scratch or pull at their throat or neck area.
Photo 7-18: Loosening the collar and tie is often a signal of deception, as the liar literally gets ―hot
under the collar.
This gesture may also be a reaction to extreme stress or to having one’s lie exposed. We often saw
O.J. Simpson tugging on his collar during his Las Vegas robbery trial, particularly as he heard the
testimony of others concerning his involvement, which most likely rang true to him. Moments away
from learning the jury’s verdict on all 12 charges (including felony kidnapping, armed robbery, and
conspiracy), O.J. could be seen loosening both his collar and his tie. No doubt he was literally feeling
the heat in the second most decisive moment in his life. O.J. stood with a loosened tie while the guilty
verdict was read, ironically 13 years to the day after he was acquitted of the double murder charges for
his wife, Nicole, and her friend Ron Goldman.
The big gulp
Another telltale sign of deception is gulping or swallowing hard. This swallowing is the result of
the autonomic nervous system kicking in. Because the Adam’s apple (or laryngeal prominence) is
often more visible in men, it is easier to see this in men. (You can see it in women—it’s just not as
obvious.) The liar will usually stop midsentence to swallow automatically. When a person is feeling
anxious or doing or saying something he shouldn’t, saliva production will often diminish. As a result,
the throat will feel dry and scratchy. In order to lubricate the throat and continue speaking (read:
lying), the liar swallows, which relieves that uncomfortable, tight, scratchy feeling.
Photo 7-19: Lance Armstrong gulped and swallowed hard during his Oprah interview when he
watched video depositions of himself lying. Photo credit: Getty Images.
Lance Armstrong could often be seen gulping and swallowing hard throughout his interview with
Oprah, particularly when he discussed his doping. It was most obvious when Lance was watching past
videos of himself in deposition tapes as he blatantly lied about his drug use. As he watched himself on
camera, you could clearly observe his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed during
those critical moments.
WHEN WORDS AND BODY LANGUAGE DON’T MATCH
The body usually doesn’t lie. In fact, the limbic system deep in the recesses of our brain will often
―out‖ us by betraying the truth and the true emotion that goes along with it. You may have noticed that
when you agree with someone and you are telling the truth, your head will often automatically nod up
and down, indicating that your body is essentially ―agreeing‖ with what you are saying. Similarly,
your head will often automatically shake back and forth when you truthfully deny something, which,
again, is your body’s way of supporting the veracity of what you’re saying. When you lie, however,
there is confusion within the brain. If you deny something when the real answer is yes, your body will
often contradict the lie by automatically causing you to nod your head. Consequently, the truth leaks
out unbidden. Unsurprisingly, this lack of congruence between what we say (or words) and our body
language (whether we nod or shake our head) is often a huge ―tell‖ of deception.
Several times during his interview with Oprah, Lance Armstrong exhibited this lack of congruence
between what he was saying and how he moved his head. This inconsistency, particularly taken within
the greater context of his typical speech patterns and body language, indicated that he was most likely
not telling the absolute truth about everything, or, at the very least, that he was omitting critical
information.
CHANGES IN THE HANDS AND ARMS
Finger and nail biting
When people are nervous or anxious, it is not uncommon to see them with their fingers in their
mouth. Since lying can be a stressful event, they may bite their fingers or nails to help relieve the
stress and tension.
Photo 7-20: Finger- or nail-biting is often a sign that someone is anxious—or lying. Photo Credit:
Milkovsa/Shutterstock, Inc.
Covering the mouth
A telltale sign of lying is that a person will automatically put their hands over their mouth when
they don’t want to deal with an issue or answer a question. In the photo on page 102 a reporter is
asking Lance Armstrong about his doping. Whatever his actual response was, his hand over his mouth
spoke volumes. Upon hearing the question, Armstrong’s hand almost immediately shot up over his
mouth, as if to indicate he wasn’t talking.
It is a primitive, instinctual response to place your hand over your mouth to shut yourself up.
Children do this quite often, particularly when you tell them to be quiet. And both adults and children
do this when they have done something wrong, like lying. It’s an emblematic gesture that essentially
says, I will say no more. Little Falcon Heene did this right after he spilled the beans on CNN that his
family’s story about his being carried away in a makeshift balloon was a hoax. After the press
descended on the family’s home in Colorado, and Falcon and his family went outside for the first time
since the hoax was uncovered, Falcon immediately covered his mouth with both of his hands as if to
indicate that he didn’t want to say anything else—especially not to the press that was eagerly waiting
outside.
Photo 7-21: Lance Armstrong covering his mouth during a press conference after he is asked about his
use of performance-enhancing drugs. Photo credit: Jennifer Lorenzini/Splash News.
When adults put their hands over their lips, it means they aren’t revealing everything and they just
don’t want to tell the truth. They are literally closing off communication. This was clearly evident in
Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. Although he revealed a lot of information, his
body language indicated that there was much he was still withholding.
It can also mean that the person has been caught in a lie and is embarrassed to say anything further.
When Oprah called Lance to task on his egregious actions by stating, ―You were suing people, yet you
know they are telling the truth,‖ we saw him slap his hand over his mouth, as seen in the previous
photo. He knew he was busted and hence there was nothing more he could say.
Covering vulnerable body parts
Oftentimes when people have something to hide, they will place their hands over a vulnerable part
of the body such as the throat, chest, abdomen, or private parts. John Edwards consistently covered his
groin throughout his Nightline interview. Each time the subject of his paternity came up, he would
strategically clasp his hands over his genitals. When people are feeling vulnerable or uneasy about
being caught in a lie, it is not uncommon to see their hands positioned in this manner.
Other vulnerable areas that are often covered during deception are the abdomen and chest. When
you see someone suddenly place his hands over his abdomen or hold on to his stomach, it may also be
an indication of deception. The reason for this is, once again, the autonomic nervous system (over
which we have no control) suddenly kicks in, which gets the digestive juices flowing overtime. It also
causes the smooth muscles of the stomach and digestive tract to suddenly contract, which may give
the sensation of pain or of having to move one’s bowels.
Photo 7-22: Tiger Woods placing his arm over his chest and one hand over his throat, two very
vulnerable areas of the body. Photo credit: Splash News.
If someone immediately places his hand over his heart or chest area, he may be feeling sudden
muscle tension in this important area of the body so necessary to life. Shortly after the scandal of his
multiple infidelities broke, Tiger Woods was apologetic and ostensibly attempting to repair his
marriage. In many photos, he and his wife, Elin, could be seen walking together yet apart, with a great
deal of physical distance between them. This likely echoed the emotional distance between them and
the pain they were both experiencing. It seems understandable that Tiger would subconsciously cover
one of his most vulnerable organs, his heart. It is heartening and perhaps too optimistic to think that he
might have been broken-hearted, knowing the pain he caused his wife and the harm he caused to his
own reputation. Also note in the photo that his hand is strategically placed over another vulnerable
part of his body, his throat. When someone’s hands remain fixed in position covering a vulnerable
body part, chances are he has something to hide. Perhaps Tiger was hiding his true feelings of
devastation—devastation that he had hurt Elin, and devastation over being hurt by the hostile reaction
from both the public and his commercial endorsers.
When people lie it’s not uncommon to see them put their hand over their throat/Adam’s apple,
another very vulnerable area of the body, and leave it there.
Arm crossing, torso shielding, and the cold shoulder
People cross their arms for the most benign reasons—perhaps they are cold, or they just feel more
comfortable in that position. However, one arm crossed over another or one arm slung across one’s
torso can also mean something very different. The gesture can serve as a self-protective shield if the
person is feeling insecure or vulnerable. When someone suddenly crosses his arms in the middle of a
conversation, he may be showing you through his behavior that he’s not telling you the truth or, at the
very least, not revealing everything. What he has done is essentially block you from the truth by
forming a physical barrier with his arms.
In an exclusive photo of Tiger Woods following his cheating scandal, he can be seen shielding his
torso with one arm. The photo indicates that he was likely closed off to Elin; and indeed, their facial
expressions show that they were experiencing a great deal of emotional pain. Perhaps the fact that
Tiger was closed off to Elin, as demonstrated by his arm positioned over his torso, was the result of
more and more women coming for ward and claiming that they had had affairs with Tiger, as well.
You can often see celebrities make this gesture when they are being interviewed. When the
questions get too personal or uncomfortable, their arms will usually ―run interference‖ in front of their
body.
Photo 7-23: American Idol judges with Nicki Minaj (far right) crossing her arms to keep Mariah
blocked out, while Mariah gives Nicki the cold shoulder. Photo credit: Getty News Entertainment.
We also cross our arms when we don’t like the person or people we’re talking to. In Hollywood,
actors are usually pretty conscious about not alienating anyone in the business or burning bridges
needlessly. But the previous photo of the American Idol judges demonstrates that body language
usually does not lie. There appears to be some truth in the media firestorm that erupted concerning a
possible feud between the two singers. While they both insisted to the press that there were no hard
feelings between them, their body language said something quite different.
Mariah had a lot to say with her body language, as well. In the photo you can see that she has
literally given Nicki the cold shoulder. She has raised her shoulder in a subconscious attempt to block
Nicki and create a physical barrier between them. So even though Mariah never publicly admitted
having any bad feelings toward Nicki, her cold shoulder said it all, despite all the smiles and kind
words.
Whenever I am asked to provide an analysis of the status of a couple’s relationship, based solely on
looking at their body language, whenever I see a cold shoulder—in which one raises his/her shoulder
to block out the other—I know the relationship is in trouble. So if you are talking to someone and she
suddenly raises her shoulder, particularly if you have just broached a critical or sensitive subject, there
is a good possibility that she is lying to you; she is literally trying to close you off or block you out
with her shoulder.
The “itchy scratchies”
When a liar’s autonomic nervous system goes into overdrive, the increased blood flow and
expanded capillaries often cause an itching sensation. This is why someone who is telling a lie may
suddenly scratch the skin on his head, face, neck, or arms.
Here we see O.J. Simpson scratching his face after Catherine Crier asked him a probing question.
This was yet another body language signal that may have indicated that Simpson was not being
forthright in his answers.
In his interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong exhibited a major case of the ―itchy
scratchies‖ after Oprah asked him why he had sued the people who had accused him (truthfully) about
his doping. He immediately got the ―itchy scratchies‖ on his chin and lower jaw. His scratching
reflected that he clearly knew that what he had done was very serious and very, very wrong. His body
knew it was wrong, too. As soon as the topic was brought up, those changes in his blood flow
(remember the autonomic nervous system?) created an itchy sensation on his chin, which he
automatically scratched.
Photo 7-24: O.J. Simpson displaying a raging case of the ―itchy scratchies‖ during a Court TV
interview, 10 years after his wife’s murder. Photo credit: AdLIB Design/Splash News.
Remember that scratching can occur whether the person is actually speaking a lie or just thinking
about a lie they have already told. So whenever you suddenly see someone scratching, never rule out
that there could be deception in the works.
Hand rubbing/wringing, tapping, grooming, and picking
When people are anxious about lying, you will often see them playing with their fingers, tapping
their fingers on something, or picking at their fingers. It’s the body’s way of relieving anxiety.
Here we see Lindsay Lohan in one of her early court appearances in Beverly Hills, engaging in the
stress-relieving, self-soothing, finger-picking behavior. You often see this when someone feels
threatened or feels that her lie is about to be revealed. This was clearly the case with Lindsay. She was
caught publicly lying on numerous occasions throughout the years; here, she was reacting to hearing
an uncomfortable truth about herself in the courtroom.
Photo 7-25: Lindsay Lohan in a Beverly Hills courtroom fiddling with her fingers. Photo credit:
Pool/London Entertainment/Splash News.
Likewise, when you see someone rubbing or wringing her hands, she may be comforting herself in
order to help mitigate anxiety. With the changes in the autonomic nervous system, there may also be
changes in body temperature. Thus, the body may suddenly become too hot or too cold. If it becomes
too cold, the extremities, such as the hands, are usually the first to be affected. The automatic, natural
response is to create friction and generate heat by rubbing the hands together. So if you ask someone a
pointed question and he rubs his hands together, this could be a sign that he’s not telling the truth.
Such self-soothing can also take the form of brushing imaginary lint off the body or playing with
the hair.
Photo 7-26: Lindsay Lohan playing with her hair in court as she listens to the allegations against her.
Photo credit: Pool/London Entertainment/Splash News.
Here we see Lindsay Lohan displaying more self-soothing behavior, as she plays with her hair
before she is sentenced to jail. Liars will often fiddle with their hair as a means of comforting
themselves. The behavior can also reflect indecisiveness and insecurity concerning how best to spin
their lies.
