Which way does a person look when lying

People quickly notice when they are told a lie. They determine a lie by a whole series of nonverbal movements of the interlocutor. Therefore, it is important to be able to determine where a person is looking when lying.

The eyes are the mirror of the soul

Representatives of several professions by occupation are associated with interlocutors who do not seek to reveal the truth.


These specialties include:

  • lawyers;
  • businessmen;
  • journalists;
  • teachers;
  • psychiatrists;
  • psychologists;
  • social workers;
  • investigators, etc.

In some activities, you can’t trust the first person you meet. Therefore, many experts are so experienced that they distinguish lies at a glance. Parents, spouses, and lovers, paying attention to the direction of the gaze, immediately determine whether their loved ones are telling them the truth or deceiving them. They rely on the data of their direct observations and the features of the view.

Therefore, the words that the eyes are the mirror of the soul have a basis. Looking into them, you can determine how truthful the interlocutor’s speech is. Even small children immediately catch the falsehood by looking into the face of a liar.

Each person can easily determine how sincere his counterpart is. The look shows the power of the speaker’s soul. Even actors do not always manage to ensure that he conveys what they are trying to say from the stage or screen, without experiencing the corresponding feelings.

This difficulty is because when people utter false words, they subconsciously fear that they will be recognized. The deceiver is afraid of censure and loss of trust. Therefore, his nervous system independently, without the participation of the brain, forms emotional and motor reactions.

The individual cannot control the direction of the gaze. Changes happen instantly, apart from the participation of the individual. Therefore, when the eyes move in some direction, the internal psychological processes taking place in the human soul are triggered. Moreover, he often does not even realize how much his facial movements betray.

A psychological theory has emerged that studies and describes such reflexes. Its authors were D. Grinder and R. Bandler. They examined it in all aspects in their scientific work entitled “From Frogs to Princes: Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)”. Scientists claim that humanity is unable to control innate instincts and false words cause several features at the level of the organism. The deceiver is not able to foresee them.

Therefore, people need to be able to identify lies at a glance. Sometimes a mistake can become dangerous. This skill is extremely important for the military, entrepreneurs, law enforcement officials, and managers. They need to be able to determine at a glance how accurately the words of the interlocutor reflect the truth. He can pretend to be honest, and as a result, cause great damage or even kill someone.

Professionals should immediately assess the direction and stability of the individual’s gaze. There is an expression: a liar has “eyes running”. It indicates that a person does not look straight, but turns from side to side. In another case, he lowers his gaze or takes it aside, trying not to look at people. He understands that they will immediately catch the falsehood.

Lie quote


Some liars, on the contrary, stared intently, without looking away. They try not to miss a single sign that they are not believed. Having caught the slightest doubt from the interlocutor, they will increase the flow of questionable information or even turn to violent actions.

It should be borne in mind that if a person is lying, then his pupils dilate. Science has proven that this effect increases the lumen of the iris by almost 1.5 times. Such a reaction occurs due to the neuro-endocrine activity of the body in response to the stress experienced by a liar at the thought that his words will be questioned or exposed.

Often he squints his eyes or wrinkles his nose. This happens almost imperceptibly, but an attentive person can catch slight changes in the facial expressions of the deceiver. Sometimes, in response to his writing, the storyteller even closes his eyes for a second, trying to isolate himself from the surging thoughts.

Sometimes there is a whole series of such movements, expressed by rapid blinking. They are caused by the rejection of negative emotions and the desire to quickly find the required thread of conversation. An involuntary tick corresponds to the emotional tension of the inventor, forcing the interlocutor to understand that he hears a lie.

Where does a person look when he lies

The authors of the scientific study described in detail the main oculomotor reactions. They defined them by the term “Visual Assessment Keys”.

It is worth considering in detail several features indicating that the interlocutor is being told not the truth, but a lie.

  1. It is necessary to start with where the eyes of the person who calculates his phrases look. They are directed to the right side. The deceiver improvises, so he needs to concentrate. It might be that he does not compose in the full sense of the word. The inventor invents an answer that is somewhat moving away from the true state of affairs. This is how offenders, unsuccessful managers, or failing schoolchildren often behave.
  2. When the gaze moves in this direction and at the same time also rushes to the floor, then it is not too pleasant for a person to lie. Therefore, in this case, he is not telling the truth, but rather, out of necessity. Often, friends, lovers, or parents are forced to hide something in order not to injure the soul of loved ones.
  3. But if the gaze to the right is simultaneously raised to the ceiling, then the interlocutor has completely given himself up to the will of his imagination. His words are lies from beginning to end. Such a look is the most dangerous. The deceiver deliberately and shamelessly misleads the listener. It is necessary to be especially wary if a dubious type pretends to provide some accurate information and only thinks a little to remember it more accurately. This is how pathological personalities often behave.
  4. If a person looks intently to the left, then he has already prepared a fake answer in advance and is now trying to reproduce it most fully for others. He is afraid to forget something, so he involuntarily looks into himself. Part of his story may be true, so you should think about why he needed to mislead people in some place. Most often, an unfaithful husband does this when he lies about his absences, a child who is afraid of parental punishment, an inept employee, or a schoolboy who received a deuce.
  5. If a person also lowers his eyes at the same time, then he doubts whether it is worth lying in this case. He consults with himself and at such a moment his gaze is directed inward. It is advisable to pay attention to his posture and other movements of the body and limbs. In such a case, deception is often accidental and unpleasant for someone who is forced to resort to it.
  6. The interlocutor’s eyes turn to the left side of the ceiling when he is not so much composing as manipulating facts. The movement of his gaze means that he is trying to remember something to replace one story with another, similar one. It is possible that he has already told tall tales in a similar situation and is trying to reproduce them again. This is how entrepreneurs behave, trying to imagine a situation more profitable than it is. Unscrupulous lawyers act similarly.
  7. When the gaze is directed into the eyes of the interlocutor, the person is telling the truth. But it is necessary to take a closer look at his posture and other nonverbal signals. Some experienced liars do not try to look away, but rather portray sincerity, directing it directly into the soul. Most often, this is how people with good artistic data or scammers act. Chronic liars, devoid of conscience, do not worry about where to look while uttering false words. They calmly look at the deluded one, not worrying about the fact that they are committing an unforgivable act towards him.
  8. If a person opens his eyes wide and reports some information in an even tone, then he says something important for himself. His words are not necessarily true. He just needs to be believed. This is how unfaithful spouses, offenders, students, or schoolchildren often behave.
  9. If people raise their eyebrows and flutter their eyelashes, then they try to engage the interlocutor in emotional contact by manipulating his reactions. Sometimes his opinion is important to a liar, so he tries to deceive him by any means when talking. The context in which the dubious speech is pronounced and the features of the inventor’s movements are important here. It might be that his words are not a lie, but an exaggeration. Sometimes this is how scammers or seducers act.
  10. If a person looks up, then he remembers past events or creates new ones on the move, similar to the one that has already been. This is how bad employees or schoolchildren often behave.
  11. If the movement of the eyes is difficult to catch, they wander or rush to a distant point, then the interlocutor is confused. His nervous system is tense, and his adrenal glands secrete adrenaline. He is composing something on the go or trying to remember a story that looks like the truth. Often, a person caught red-handed or a person caught doing an unseemly act lies like that.
  12. Sometimes people stubbornly look away. Then they look at the interlocutor again, and then their eyes turn into the distance again. In this way, they check how much they trust their words. Often the deceiver does not even distort reality, and presto tries to conceal the truth. Sometimes he behaves calmly, but at the mention of some fact, he immediately turns away. This behavior is typical for businessmen who are trying to present their product better than it is. Insecure individuals who embellish their virtues also resort to it.

How can look information be used to detect lies?

It is necessary to learn from the movement of the eyes to understand how true the words of the interlocutor are. This is required not only in everyday life but also in the professional sphere.

Therefore, it is important not only to notice the change in facial expressions but also to understand at what point in the conversation it occurred. It is worth realizing why a person is trying to mislead at such a moment.

Lying vs truth

It is necessary to develop observation skills. You need to make sure that your gaze is directed at others, and not wandering around. Open behavior will not only improve contact with people but also allow you to catch the moment when the situation becomes undesirable.

General practitioners, psychiatrists, and psychologists understand how to find out deception. Their patients often hide their symptoms, seek a discharge, or, on the contrary, want to stay on sick leave longer.

For a lawyer, an investigator, or a police officer, these skills are simply necessary. By believing a false truth, they will endanger the lives and well-being of other people. On the other hand, they need to be able to determine when there is no doubt about the sincerity of a witness or victim.

Anyone can become a victim of a fraudster. His life or purse will allow him to be saved in time by a glance noticed, unexpectedly rushing in an uncharacteristic direction for telling the truth.

Lie detector

Family relations will become much better if parents do not threaten children, demanding to stop lying, and jealous spouses will not poison the lives of their partners. It is necessary to take a closer look at the behavior of loved ones and understand by the look that they are not lying. Then you will not have to start a scandal and you will be able to keep the peace in the family.

If there are doubts that a person is telling the truth, then you need to examine his posture and involuntary movements more closely.
You need to pay attention to:

  • gesticulation;
  • posture;
  • head turns;
  • body swaying;
  • squint your eyes;
  • smile, etc.

Psychologists believe that deception gives out a combination of movements, facial expressions, involuntary emotions, phrase construction, and voice timbre. Together with the movement of the gaze, such characteristics will immediately give out a liar.

Sometimes a person lies for salvation. It happens that he just gives wishful thinking.

An employee often embellishes his achievements in front of managers or tries to hide mistakes.

Some pathological writers enjoy the process itself. Some people tell lies out of habit. They are so unsure of themselves that they do not dare to say something openly.

But some individuals conceal crucial data or conceal a crime. Many criminals profit from the excessive credulity of others.

Therefore, there is no need to hurry. It is better to take a closer look at the movement of a person’s eyes, as well as take a closer look at his behavior. In some cases, such a skill can save the well-being of a business or even people’s lives.

With lefties, it’s the opposite

In order not to make mistakes in your judgments, you should first make sure that the person is talking to a right-handed person. That is, we are talking about those who have the right hand as the leading hand. All their facial expressions and gestures are connected with this side of the body. Dominant in them is the left half of the brain.

In left-handers, on the contrary, the right hemisphere dominates. It is responsible for the predominant movements of the opposite side of the body. Every seventh individual on Earth is a representative of such a part of the population. Therefore, their gaze when spreading false information will be directed in the opposite direction than the one used by a right-handed person.

If he raises his eyes to the right up, then the lefty will take them to the left ceiling corner.

There are both complete representatives of such a feature, and ambidextrous, who is equally proficient with both hands. It is difficult for them to determine anything by eye movement and even by gestures. But the intonation of the voice and the rhythm of speech will betray their lies with their heads.

There are hidden lefties. Their right side of the body is active. But this happens because the child was retrained in childhood or he does not suspect the dominance of the opposite part of the brain.

You can determine such a feature by forcing him to make an involuntary gesture. A lefty will activate the corresponding hand. It is advisable to take a closer look at his posture.

If he stands with his left leg outstretched or hugs himself with the appropriate arm, then most likely we are talking about a hidden type. It is necessary to react to his oculomotor movements in the same way as when talking to any other left-handed person. If a right-handed person looks down when uttering a lie, then the opposite representative of hemispheric activity will look up.

You need to be careful because a right-handed person can accidentally move an uncharacteristic hand for him if the right one is busy or hurts. Therefore, vigilance should be exercised.

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