Page 92 - How To Analyze People: 13 Laws About the Manipulation of the Human Mind, 7 Strategies to Quickly Figure Out Body Language, Dive into Dark Psychology and Persuasion for Making People Do What You Want

example when a friend of yours is telling you that they received “another”

recognition award at the office. The keyword here is another, which is an

indication that they want you to know this is not the first time they’ve

received awards and recognition. By deciphering the meaning behind the

words, you then know that an appropriate response in this situation would

be to offer them congratulatory praise for their accomplishments, which is
what they secretly wanted when they told you the news.

You could even catch someone in a lie if you know the right words to look

out for. However, you need to be careful about considering the context and

remember that verbal cues are not always entirely 100% foolproof. The
general indicators you would watch for that might tip you off as to whether

someone is lying include:

Repeating your question back to you. They could be playing for

time to make up a believable story.
When they add qualifiers to their sentences, such as “to the best
of my knowledge”.
Avoiding the use of the word “I” to avoid being implicated could
signal that they’re not being entirely honest.

Using the present tense to talk about events which have already
happened.
Some people use more formal speech when they tell a lie. If

someone is omitting their contractions too much, that could a
clue to keep an eye out for.
Some liars (especially if they’re guilty of doing something
wrong) might turn to use “softer” words to cushion the deed that
has been done. Instead of using the word steal for example, what

they might say instead is borrow. In the Pirates of the Caribbean
movie, Captain Jack Sparrow infamously chose to say
“borrowed without permission” to avoid outwardly admitting

that he stole a ship.