Here's how to tell if someone's lying about being a murderer, according to a behavioural expert.
It seems like the entire world is wrapped up in serial killer stories, whether they're fact or fiction, it's hard to turn your eyes away.
Still, if you've ever wondered whether you've come into contact with a real-life murderer, these signs could be dead giveaways.
It's not what you say, it's how you say it, and according to Cliff Lansley that applies to real-life killers.
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Speaking to The Hippocratic Post, the expert said: "Even the most confident, hardened killers can give themselves away with tiny signs and gestures from the face, body, and voice that suggest that they are lying.
"The key is to know what you are looking for – the reliable indicators of deception."
Of course, these physical reactions can vary based on the individual and circumstances in which you interrogate them.
Still, there's a simple way to work out if someone is lying about being a murderer, it's not whether they maintain eye contact, sweat, or evade questions – it's how their behaviour changes.
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As Lansley says, it's important to establish a baseline. "We talk about things that are safe and true, such as their family, skills, education and hopes and dreams," explained Lansley.
"During that period, we note how often they blink, the normal colour of their skin, their speech rate and how they maintain eye contact.
“Later on, when the real questioning begins, we can assess changes to these normal baseline patterns to assess discomfort, stress and lying."
While some criminals might use eye contact to gauge whether the interrogator is buying their story or to try to give off the vibe that they’re innocent, others avoid it altogether.
Linguist John Bowden added, "Breaks in eye contact indicating deception are generally accompanied by additional deceptive body behaviour."
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This highlights the importance of looking at body language comprehensively, rather than just taking one nonverbal sign out of context.
As said, every person is unique and will demonstrate varying cues under pressure – which is what makes reading body language so tricky.
So, in case you were looking to catch someone out, the way to tell if someone is lying is finding their truthful, baseline expressions and notice how they change during questioning.
For now though, we’ll leave it to the professionals.
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