The Traitors: 8 signs someone is lying straight to your face
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Everyone’s favourite intense psychological competition The Traitors returns to BBC One at 8pm on January 1, and we can’t wait to see all the drama unravel. To be successful, the secretly anointed traitors must deceive the other contestants into believing they are faithfuls, create chaos, and betray one another to secure the cash prize.
But how sharp are your detective skills when it comes to spotting a lie? Here are some red flags to look out for…. 1. Fidgeting. “Subtle movements like tapping fingers, adjusting their position repeatedly, or restlessly shifting can indicate the stress of maintaining a lie.”.
2. Vocal pitch. 3. Filler words. “When someone is fabricating a story, their brain is working overtime to keep the lie coherent,” explains Meaden. “Hesitations, stammering, or filler words like ‘um’ or ‘uh’ can signal that they’re constructing their narrative on the spot.
“Even an unusual pace – speaking slower or faster than normal – can be a clue they’re under pressure.”. 4. Response time. “Ask a question and then mentally gauge how long there was between the end of the question and the beginning of their answer,” recommends Seager. “A longer time indicates more thinking time, which might prove some form of mental editing and deception.
“Quicker responses are more likely to be truthful.”. 5. Unnecessary details. “Liars often overcompensate by adding unnecessary details, thinking it will make their story more convincing – but too much information can have the opposite effect, raising red flags,” says Meaden. “If someone is adding a lot of unnecessary details to their story while explaining their whereabouts, it might be their way of deflecting from the truth.”.
