How to Tell If Someone is Telling You a White Lie

Matt Damon taking a lie detector test in the movie, The Informant

The Informant

Have you seen the movie, The Informant starring Matt Damon?  If you did, you would have seen classic examples of how a slew of white lies snowballed until they were out of control.  Throughout the movie, it was difficult to tell when Matt Damon was telling the truth.

In the movie, he started his lies on a large scale, and then toward the middle and end of the movies he was telling the FBI lots of little white lies, like the ones you may have heard.

A classic one?  Matt Damon, while talking on the phone to the FBI agent said frantically, “I gotta go now.  My plane is getting ready to leave.”  Of course, these words are said while he’s standing in a hotel lobby, not even near what could be phantomed to be an airport.

Some Physical Signs

If you are talking to someone on the phone or unable to see them in person, it may be difficult to tell if they may be stretching the truth. However, if they are face face with you, you may be able to tell.

Here are physical signs someone is telling a white lie.

Nice smile, but if she doesn’t look you straight in your eyes, she may be lying.

Lack of eye contact is the biggest give away.  The person telling the white lie may look away from your eyes, avoiding eye contact or they may look down.

The little girl on the right in white is avoiding contact and looking down.  Is she telling the truth?

On the other hand , if during the conversation you get looks similar to those below, direct eye contact, especially when you ask them a question, they may be telling you the truth.

It’s difficult for some people to look you directly in the eyes and tell you a lie as shown here and below.

Other Signs

Here are some other signs someone may be telling you a white lie.

1. If they normally talk slow, the person telling you a white lie may start talking faster than normal, maybe from nervousness or being uneasy about lying.
2. They may stutter, or mince their words, when usually they are better speakers under normal circumstances.
3. If you are sitting across from them maybe at the dinner table, they may pick up something off the table and start playing with it, which gives them something else to look at, instead of in your eyes as they tell you their little white lie.
4. If you ask a question, and there is a long pause — what comes out of their mouth next could very well be an untruth.  It’s just taking them a little time to think of something to tell you that may be half way believable.
5. If you know for a fact that you’ve gain weight, and you ask someone, especially your boyfriend or girlfriend if you look fat, and he or she immediately says “No, you look great!” — Of course they are telling you a white lie in order not to hurt your feelings.

You may have noticed that I sometimes used “may” to qualify some of the signs.  The reason is that some people have telling white lies down to a science, so they may be able overcome some of the actions above.

How do detect lyiing from the “pros?”  When you ask a question, look at them intently.  They may look you straight in the eyes – but there may be a mere second when they look away from you. 

Remember little white lies may be harmless, but in the end, honesty is always the best policy.