How to Catch a Liar (Assuming We Want To) | Big Think
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Paul Ekman is the Manager of the Paul Ekman Group, LLC (PEG), a small company that produces training devices relevant to emotional skills, and is initiating new research relevant to national security and law enforcement.
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TRANSCRIPT:
There’s no question from public opinion polls that people care a lot about the honesty of the person they’re dealing with, whether that’s their doctor or their political leader. And yet it’s more complex than that. Often we don’t want to know the truth.
Do you want to find out that your spouse is cheating on you? Do you want to find out the person that you recommended for a job in your company is embezzling? Do you want to find out that your kids are using heroin? These of course are all things that you want to know but you certainly don’t want to know.
So it’s very complex as to whether or not we really want to catch a liar. We think we do. What if we find out that both of our presidential candidates are lying? Then what do we do? I’m not saying they are; I never comment on anyone in office or running for office. Only after they’re out that they’re fair game. . . . Clinton said, “I didn’t have sex with that woman” and then gave her name. “That woman” is putting her at a distance from himself.
Now there are many reasons why people lie and some are honorable. I study the lies that society cares about, cares about catching, generally disapproves of. The most common reason why people lie is to avoid punishment for breaking a rule. Usually some rules are broken accidentally. You walk down the hallway too fast and you knock over a $2,000 jar that’s on the stand. You didn’t mean to do that. “Did you knock over that jar?” Well, you’re not going to – “Yes, I did. . . .” “No, I don’t know who knocked over that jar. It wasn’t knocked over when I walked by.” You don’t want to get punished. But there are many times where we make the decision – I’m going to break a rule, I’m going to cheat, and I’m going to lie about it. I’m not going to admit that I cheated; I don’t want to get caught. So the decision to lie is made at the same time as the decision to cheat.
When we teach people, and we do in workshops teach people how to catch liars, it takes us 32 hours. . . . Spotting a micro expression is the single most useful thing. This is an expression that lasts about a 25th of a second. We’ve tested over 15,000 people in all walks of life and over 99 percent of them don’t see them, and yet with an hour’s training on the Internet they can learn to see them.
However, that may only tell you that the person’s concealing an emotion. That’s a lie — they’re not telling you how they really feel. But it may not tell you that they’re the perpetrator of a crime. It’s a terrible example, but I have to use it – my wife is found dead. I will be the first suspect because, regrettably, the person most likely to kill their wife is the husband. . . . “But I love my wife! I didn’t kill her. The police are wasting their time and they’re insulting me! Time is going by and they’re not looking for the real person.” I could be furious at them and concealing my anger. And so if you spot my concealed anger, it doesn’t mean I killed my wife. It only means that I’m concealing my anger. Now if a lie is about how do you really feel, Paul, and you spot a micro expression, then you’ve got it.
Second, realize that only the gestures of your cultural group are you going to recognize. That’s body specific language, but you already know them. You can’t – if I asked you how many gestures are used in America today, you’d give me about 12, but there are actually 80. And if I showed you every one of those 80, you’d know what they mean.
Now the one that amazingly enough has had an enormous payoff is one of the most common ones we use, which is the headshake, yes and no. I just did this. This is actually “yes” and this is “no.” But it occurs in a micro fashion. So I worked on the case of an embezzler who had embezzled over $100 million. He was really big time until Bernie Madoff came along. This embezzler had accused people in a number of banks of being in on the deal, which meant those banks would be vulnerable to having to pay for the embezzlement. And when one of the people who he falsely accused, he is asked, “Did she help you steal the money?” He said, “Yes. Absolutely, she did.” Doing a slight head shake, no. Even tinier than mine.
So there’s a gesture one. There’s a face one.
@bigthink
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
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@miamand
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
3:13
@robertorobles-od7tz
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
“He was aware of the bizarre accusations that flavored conversations.”
— The Great Gatsby
@spitalhelles3380
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Real eyes realize real lies 😔
@areyou5958
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Fear has to do with punishment
@areyou5958
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
They lie to avoid punishment, but no one can lie to God and get away with it.
@areyou5958
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
If you know those are the traits of the liar you can be more prudent and foresee evil and never choose that spouse or recommend that person etc
@jessicat69
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Hi Big Think. I would like to use part of your content in a vid of mine. Would that be OK please?
@hunnybeezm1338
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Some fear theyre not believed
@dici210
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Duh, if their pants are on fire…they are lying…it’s simple
@sandjune2753
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
brilliant
@deanwitt7903
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
I had a mate who was not a bad guy but gezzz did he believe his own bullshit . If you knew he was guilty of something he gave it away by over explaining his apparent innocence to the point it was obvious he was guilty .
@kamikazekaku
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
So did she helped her steal the money or no? That no head shake means "non" ?!
@LoriAyag
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Hahaha you blush when you says you not cheating 🥲 ..,
Believers here🇵🇭
@GaiatheSage
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
come on bigthink only 6 minutes? dude is going to make real positive change through history. more paul ekman please!
@aquavit
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
lying is a skill that takes a lot of practice to perfect. don't give up!
@hunnybadger442
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
I always tell the truth… My memory sucks too badly for me to even bother with lying… I'd never be able to keep track of them or remember them well enough to keep 😊them straight… So for me anyway… It's just much easier to just tell the truth…
@yvonnedennison5367
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Go back and say “I hear you say… “ the person will try correct you saying “I didn’t mean the way you’re putting it but meant abc..” that’s a lie
@s.elizabeth1753
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
How to tell if someone's lying over the phone….
@Iknowwhoiam0
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
How does a person undo the habit of lying about things they know they have nothing to do with when they’ve learned that habit as a kid begging for mercy to stop a vicious beating . . . And every new occurrence of being scapegoated triggers the defense mechanism of taking false accountability through lying just to prevent suffering abuse ?
@lukelombard6140
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
An easy way to catch a lier or a person doesnt matter who is she or who is he or the lawyers or officer's in differ branches just like marijuana and cannabis its all favortism has well even a physics has well its easy to catch a physics that carry the book by looking at them .
@a_million_in_one
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
A deceiving title. You expect to learn a lot more, but he only says about the hidden no gesture and instead direct people to his workshops at 2:36.
@KeeS21
March 18, 2026 at 9:14 am
Tobias was showeribge. But lyed cuh he was watchin plrts and F1 i hare liers
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