Page 32 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Jan-Feb 2018, Vol 27, No 1

32 How Lying Works

How Lying Works behavior. If a person normally makes no eye Cold War. A good deal of it was meant to
contact and blinks like crazy but stares straight influence public perception about the strengths
through you when answering a particular and intentions of each country. Both nations
Continues from Page 31 question, there's your red flag. Look for slight tried to convince the other's populace that they
pauses before answers -- this is the amount of were living in a corrupt society, while
Someone who's lying may feel attacked time it takes their brain to fabricate data. The simultaneously convincing its own citizens that
and get in a defensive position. He or she might liar may act offended at being questioned at all the other nation was on the verge of attack. Each
turn away from the questioner, cross his or her but suddenly quite affable when the lie is being nation inflated the military might of the other in
arms or even move farther away. Liars may told, or vice versa. order to keep their citizens preoccupied with
noticeably fidget, especially during a pause in - Listen. Sometimes, there will be no fear, and also to justify increased arms and
the conversation. body language or visual cues that accompany a defense expenditures.
There are other nonverbal cues that lie. You have to rely on the verbal information Sex scandals. Former U.S. President
many people think are surefire signs of lying but you receive. Do the facts add up? Is the person John F. Kennedy covered up his extramarital
aren't, such as increased blinking, scratching the telling you lots of information that is unrelated affairs, and plenty of other politicians have done
face or nose, or placing a hand over the mouth to the question? If someone provides lots of the same. U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, a devout
while speaking. These signs are only good details, ask more questions. These details might segregationist for much of his political career,
indicators when they represent a change in the be their undoing. After getting into the nitty- fathered a child when he was 22 with an
person's normal behavior (that is, the behavior gritty of the details, bounce the questioning African-American woman who worked for his
immediately preceding the suspected lie). back to the overall time frame or arc of the family. In 1998, then- President Bill Clinton
Maybe the guy who's blinking a lot has story. Now, refocus on a small detail. Does the announced to the world, "I did not have sexual
an eyelash in his eye, and the girl covering her story still fit together? Is the person having to relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,"
mouth is just self-conscious; however, if the create new details to explain why other details referring to White House intern Monica
person doesn't blink often during the first three aren't fitting well into the arc of the story? Lewinsky, with whom he had sexual relations.
statements and blinks like crazy and scratches - Pause. For most people, lying -- and the Lies in the media. Reporter Jayson
his or her neck while giving the fourth circumstance that necessitates the telling of a lie Blair's tenure at the New York Times goes down
statement, then that statement warrants closer -- is stressful. If you're questioning somebody, in infamy. In 2003, the 27-year-old admitted he
examination. pause between one of his or her answers and fabricated dozens of stories, made up quotes and
Someone telling a lie will also leak your next question. Pauses are slightly filed reports from cities around the nation when
verbal clues that point to dishonesty. Since he or uncomfortable for most people in a social he was actually still in New York.
she has to invent an answer, a lie-teller will interaction, and much more so for a person who - Spies' lies. In 1986, CIA analyst
often spend more time searching for the right is trying to pass off a lie. This pause may seem Aldrich Ames had just started betraying his
word in the course of telling a story. The person like a torturous eternity to a liar. Look for country by selling classified information to the
might take too long to provide an answer or get fidgeting, defensive posturing and Soviets when he learned he was scheduled to
words mixed up. To get extra time to think, a microexpressions. take a routine lie detector test. Nervous, Ames
liar won't use contractions (opting for "cannot" - Change the subject. The best news a contacted his Soviet handlers for advice,
instead of "can't") and may also repeat questions liar can receive is that the lie is over. When the figuring (rightly so) that if anyone knew how to
("Where was I last night?" or "You want to person believes the topic of conversation has beat an American lie detector test, it would be
know what I was doing yesterday?"). changed, he or she may be visibly relieved. A the Soviets. The answer the Soviets gave Ames
Since they have to create an alternate nervous person may loosen up; an agitated seemed alarmingly simple, but Ames knew his
reality apart from the truth, liars have difficulty person may smile. This tactic also allows you to value to the Soviets was so high that they
knowing how much of the new story to tell and continue studying for deviations from the wouldn't give him a flippant response. []
will often include unnecessary details. baseline or to look for a return to the baseline.
Next, we'll learn what to do if the glove In the next section, we'll take a look at DID YOU KNOW...
fits. some famous lies. ANCIENT EATING

How to Tell If Someone is Lying History Lies - In Ancient Rome, it was considered a sin to
eat w woodpecker.
If you were accused of murder, you'd be under How long have humans been lying? (Don't ask
enormous pressure to lie if you were guilty. The us, we'll probably lie.) There have been so many - The first archaeological evidence of soup
stakes are high, and that kind of pressure can massive lies throughout history that it's dates back to 6000 BC. The main ingredient
lead to physical cues that will give you away. A impossible to keep up with them all. Here are a was hippopotamus.
person serving a life sentence for murder, few whoppers of notoriety:
however, would feel virtually no pressure when Wartime propaganda. A common lie - The oldest sample of chewing gum was
lying about the murder because he or she is weaved throughout history is the lie that found in Sweden in 1993. The 9,000-year-old
already in prison -- there won't be any further precedes an unprovoked act of aggression. The glob of honey-sweetened resin still contained
consequences for lying. In this case, it's the Nazis made use of this tactic before the German tooth marks.
verbal details, and not body language, that will invasion of Poland. A series of mock attacks on
likely be his or her undoing. various German border stations set the stage for - Roman did not eat sitting up - that was
Here's how you separate the liars from a "defensive" swarming into Polish territory. considered extremely bad manners. They ate
the truth-tellers: In August 1964, there were two reported laying down on couches around the table.
- Establish the baseline. Liars may look incidents of North Vietnamese naval attacks
you directly in the eye, and truth-tellers may be against United States ships in the Gulf of - In the 13th century, quality standards for
fidgety and seem evasive, so don't look for one Tonkin, off the coast of Vietnam. The second pasta were set by the pope.
trait or the other. First, establish the person's attack, which reportedly occurred two days after
behaviors, mood and mannerisms for that the first attack, never happened. The initial - Romans flavored food with garum, a paste
particular point in time, before the questioning reports were the result of bad weather and faulty made by leaving fish to rot for several weeks.
begins. Is the person relaxed or nervous? sonar and radar readings. Even though there
Angry? Distracted? Notice how much eye were near-immediate doubts about the event, - Pepper was so valuable during Elizabethan
contact and blinking is going on. Does the the supposed attacks were used as justification times that it was sold by the individual grain.
person touch his or her hands or face when for the Lyndon B. Johnson administration to
speaking? initiate military strikes against North - The ancient Romans had soft drinks of root
- Look for deviations from the baseline. Vietnamese forces. juices and water.
The key to detecting lies is to look for Both the United States and the Soviet
deviations from an established pattern of Union disseminated propaganda during the www.rel-mar.com/didyouknow