Micro Expressions are involuntary facial expressions that show emotions, even if you're trying to conceal them. It takes years to perfect the art of reading people's micro-expressions. They are fast and often subtle. Because the two areas of the brain that control voluntary and involuntary emotion expressions are separate, when someone is hiding an emotion, it often produces a tug of war scenario in their face, causing these microexpressions.
If you think your friends and family don't lie, maybe think again. A UMass study done in 2002 shows that 60% of adults people are unable to go more than 10 minutes without telling a lie.
Based on studies from psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman, these are a few micro expressions that can tell you if someone is lying.
1. Surprise
When someone is truly surprised, their eyes will widen slightly, eyebrows will raise and their mouth and jaw will relax. This will only last for about a second, so to catch it you have to be quick. So if you accuse your girlfriend of eating the last pop tart, and she acts shocked for a minute, they're fibbing.
2. Guilt
When someone is feeling guilty about something, they tend to look down and away. Someone lying will meet your eye, someone guilty won't.
3. Sadness
When someone experiences sadness, watch for their eyelids to drop slightly. Their eyes will lose focus and the corners of their mouths will drop a little. If your mom says she isn't sad you'll be missing dinner so you can study but has these microexpressions, go to dinner with your mother.
4. Contempt
Contempt displays itself with a tightened lip and corner smile on one side of the face. If your brother makes this face when he says your new boyfriend is great, he's hiding something.
5. Fear
Fear will cause the eyelids and brows to raise, lower eyelids will tense up, and lips will stretch backward. If this is micro expression your BFF makes when she says you're a great driver, she's lying.
Other ways to tell if someone is lying to you can include increased sweating and obvious anxiety. Too much eye contact implies they are searching your eyes to see if you believe them. They may make several comforting gestures such as rubbing their hands together or touching their arm. People who do this don't have any confidence in their words.
Spotting a liar can be easy if you know the signs - happy hunting!
