What would it be like if we all lived the life of
Pinocchio and found our nose growing an inch with
every lie we uttered? I think by now, every one of us
would have had a very long nose to deal with! Let's
face it; we all lie at some point in our life. At times,
it is the particular situation that makes us tell a lie,
or sometimes it is only out of habit. Habitual liars
need no rhyme or reason to lie; they lie with full
conviction and are completely sure they would never
ever get caught! And since you are not the blind
superhero Matt Murdock, alias Daredevil of Marvel
Comics who can detect when a person is lying just
by listening to the sonic vibrations of the liar's fast-
beating heart, here are a few tips on how to
successfully identify a serial liar.
Research has revealed there are various types
of liars, and one can certainly see lying is more
of a 'skill'; hence, the term skillful liars! One
may come across these various types of liars
throughout life without really being able to
distinguish between genuine people and skillful
liars. Some people lie for no reason and love to
live their lies. Such people are known as
pathological liars who lie to be popular or even
live a separate identity. On the other hand, one
can even come across professional liars who
are really completely tuned in to the process of
lying! Professional liars are extremely sleek
and cunning in the way they present their lies
and they are often extremely calculative in
their approach. Habitual liars on the other hand
lie frequently for no particular reason but are
sometimes sloppy in their approach. Such liars
often say whatever comes to their mind on the
spur of the moment. Well, while some get
caught lying, others manage to make a smooth
getaway!
Here, we shall take a quick look at some traits
of a habitual liar.
Characteristics of a Habitual Liar
Well, habitual liars don't need a reason to lie. They
think they can never be caught but there are some
traits, which can actually expose his/her lies to a
great extent. These people lie with ease and false
stories flow from them with great conviction.
However, experts opine these very traits of a
habitual liar can even give them away! Body
language is of utmost importance. Their gestures
can reveal a lot about what is going on in their
minds.
Gives Multiple Versions of the Same Story: This is
one of the most obvious and concrete ways to nab a
mythomaniac. Most of them will have the tendency
to give different versions of the same tale to
different people. For example, to you he may come
and say that his wife got him the new tie because it
matched the color of his eyes and to your friend he
may say that he had to coerce his wife to buy him
the tie. To a third person, he will say that he detests
the tie he is donning and is wearing it just because
his wife made him put it on. These lies will be told
compulsively and sans any premeditation. Just
because he felt like it. In fact, these people keep
telling these stories to figure out in their heads
which version sounds the best. Same story, different
versions. Gotcha! Such people also tend to
completely forget the variant lies they have told
people and goof up only to prove that they are
lying!!!
Becomes Defensive: Defensive behavior on being
confronted is another very vital trait of a
pathological liar. The very hint that you have picked
up the inconsistencies in the cock-and-bull story he
just gave you will exasperate him to a certain
degree. Understand that even mental confabulations
take time, unless of course the liar is super prompt
with his tales. His defensive exterior actually buys
him some time to conjure patches to cover the
inconsistencies that you have been able to detect.
Observing and analyzing gestures and facial
expressions are the best way to gauge a habitual
liar. An observant person would surely understand
particular signs of non-verbal communication to be
able to spot such liars. The problem simply lies in
the fact that they are comfortable in their act of
generating lies anytime. Therefore, being able to
deal with one may be difficult, as in some cases this
habit develops at a very young age. These traits are
only a guide to recognizing habitual liars. These are
just a few signs of warning. So before you jump to
conclusions, it would be a better idea to develop
your powers of observation prior to dealing with the
person!
Read more at
Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/traits-of-a-
habitual-liar.html
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