The Body Language of Liars

Cosmo uncovers the nonverbal clues that reveal whether a man is telling the whole truth and nothing but . . . or lying through his teeth.

 Bites His Lower Lip
Liar look: He bites down on his lower lip.

The lowdown: "When a man gnaws, tightens or sucks his lips inward, you know he's not telling you the whole truth," says body-language expert Jan Hargrave, author of Let Me See Your Body Talk. "He's physically fighting to hold back confessing the full story."



Crosses Extremities
Liar look: He crosses his arms, legs or ankles.

The lowdown: "As children, we cross our fingers as we tell a lie to let our conscience off the hook," says Hargrave. "As grown-ups, we have a similar protective reflex. We subconsciously close ourselves off physically by intertwining our limbs."

Rubs His Eye
Liar look: He uses his index finger to rub the outside corner of his right or left eye.

The lowdown: "The eyes really are the windows to the soul, meaning it's extremely difficult to look someone in the eye and tell a lie," explains Hargrave. "So by gently fingering the skin near one of his eyes, he's urgently trying to cut off visual contact by affording himself the opportunity to look away discreetly."

Tugs His Ear
Liar look: He tugs his ear or rubs the side of his nose.

The lowdown: "When the hand is brought near the ears specifically, it communicates a subconscious desire for you to block what is being said, says Hargrave. Similarly, the hand-to-nose gesture is an unconscious effort to obstruct your view of his mouth and mask the message. Also interesting, when a person is being deceptive, blood tends to rush to the face, causing both the nose and ears to get warm and itchy. So, reflexively, they may rub or scratch them."

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