It would be so easy if liars lived up to their names—if deception caused people to pose in a horizontal position. Unfortunately, this isn’t the way the universe works, so you’re left to find other ways of determining whether someone is telling you the truth or handing you a load of garbage. Reading the body positioning of the person in question is another helpful tool in your detective kit.

Level of Confidence

The posture of a liar is something completely dependent on the liar and how skilled he is. That means you have to look for patterns of behavior. If you don’t know the person well enough to determine whether he’s a nervous sloucher or whether he always has bad posture, then it leaves you to make a judgment call based on the nonverbal cues he is exhibiting right here, right now.

Right now, Dick is looking less than confident, with his hands jammed into his pockets, his shoulders slouched as he stares at his shoes. Jane is standing in the doorway looking relaxed, but not overly so. Dick’s posture is saying, “I want to run back to my office,” while Jane’s is saying, “Are we done yet?”

There is one more posture cue that might tip you off to someone’s deceptive nature. Unskilled liars (again, those who don’t lie out of habit or because their paycheck depends on telling untruths) may cross their arms or legs in an attempt to shield themselves from you (or, in the case of the liar who feels guilty, to shield you from himself). Although Dick has his hands in his pockets right now, it’s just as likely that he’ll decide to cross those arms over his chest at any moment.

Anxious arms cross themselves tightly, which makes sense, since this is a gesture designed to soothe the liar’s nerves. He’s actually giving himself a little hug as a means of telling himself everything’s going to be just fine.

Angling for the Truth

Angling the body away from the other person is a way to avoid eye contact. It’s easier to lie to someone if you don’t have to look him in the eye.

As you would expect, the occasional liar often angles himself away from the person he’s fibbing to. It’s as though he can’t bring himself to face you, so he turns himself away from you, either slightly or completely.

As you continue to wait for an answer from your coworkers, Dick turns to play with the paper clip dispenser located on your windowsill, which necessitates his turning away from you. At this point, he may muster up the courage to deny his guilt. Remember: it’s easier for someone to lie to you if he doesn’t have to look you in the eye. If he turns himself away from you, he doesn’t have to bother with attempting to make awkward (and unsuccessful) eye contact, and there’s less of a chance you’ll catch on to his deception.

Dick’s your man. He owes you breakfast.