Is lying bad for your health? How to tell when someone is lying to you and the top 10 fibs we tell our partners

It’s an unbelievable statistic, but we can be lied to up to 200 times a day. Deception expert Darren Stanton, known as The Human Lie Detector, tells us how to spot a fact from a fib.

Darren says lying is bad for your health.

 

As well as these gesture or ‘tells’, there are physiological symptoms, like changes in breathing, heartbeat and temperature. Even a practised liar’s body is likely to go into palpitations.

 

Regular stress causes high blood pressure, anxiety, excessive sweating and fight-or-flight mode, increasing adrenaline and building up stress.

 

Teenagers and young adults lie much more frequently than the older generation

 

How to tell if someone is not being honest with you.

Posture: Liars try to shield themselves. You’ll notice someone fold their arms, flick their hair, or put their hands to their face to create a barrier.

 

Body Language: Look out for a jiggling leg, tapping fingers, or just looking down at their feet. When someone lies, one of their feet may turn and point in another direction – it’s their wish to escape from the situation.

 

Odd Language: Think President Clinton: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," rather than referring directly to Miss Lewinsky. Someone who is being truthful will sound more off-the-cuff, for instance Bill would have said, "I didn’t have sex with Monica."

 

Pitch: Does their voice go squeaky or unnaturally deep? 

 

When someone starts giving unnecessary and odd information – the bank was closed, there were geese on the line – they’re usually overcompensating, and adding in false elements to make you ‘buy the lie’.

 

The top 10 lies we tell our partners

1) Yes, I am listening.

2) I’m not in a bad mood.

3) I only had one drink.

4) I didn’t see your text/call.

5) You don’t look fat.

6) I am sticking to my diet.

7) I did orgasm.

8) This isn’t a new outfit.

9) That looks nice.

10) I wasn’t looking at her