Spotting a liar
February 3rd, 2010In this week’s Success Newsletter, I would like to reveal the signs and secret to spotting a liar; how to know if he or she is lying to you.
First a quick update:
ü How to connect with anyone – Watch the two-part TV interview I gave to The Morning Show WSFL about the ways we communicate and the techniques and strategies to build instant rapport and connect with anyone. http://patrickwanis.com/Videos.asp
ü Valentine’s Day and personality test – Wondering if your Valentine is the right one? Take the personality test and find out if you are perfectly matched, truly mismatched and which is the most suitable personality type for you: http://patrickwanis.com/WhoAreYouPersonalityTest.asp
Now, let’s talk about how to tell when someone is lying.
Diogenes was a social critic and philosopher who lived in ancient Greece and chose to give up possessions and instead to live in poverty. Diogenes was a cynic; possibly the father of cynicism. Diogenes was famous for lighting a lantern in broad daylight and walking through the streets of Athens waving his lantern and exclaiming that he was looking for an “honest man”.
Diogenes’ cynicism and his search for an “honest man” would be just as appropriate today, if not more, than it was centuries ago. Former Senator John Edwards is one such example. Senator Edwards lied about having an affair and then he lied a second time when he said he was not the father of the unborn child of his mistress Reille Hunter.
But was it obvious that John Edward’s denials were lies? What were the signs that screamed that he was lying? I will answer that in a moment. But first, here are some interesting statistics about lying:
ü 42% of adults think it’s OK to lie sometimes
ü Only 54% of lies are accurately detected
ü 37% of adults think it’s OK to lie about your age
ü 2/3 of adults think it is OK to lie sometime to avoid hurting someone’s feelings
ü 98% of teenagers lie to their parents
ü 40% of parents think it’s OK to lie to their children about the trouble they got into when they were younger
ü In a conversation, the average person lies 3 times every ten minutes
ü 44% of adults will exaggerate when they tell a story to sound cooler (i.e. be accepted)
ü University students lie to their mothers 50% of the time
ü We lie in one-third of our conversations with our romantic partners
ü We tell the most serious lies to the people we care about the most