An interrogator explains how to catch someone in a lie

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How do you scope out a liar? Their darting eyes? Or sweaty palms?

Interrogator and psychologist Edward Geiselman says there's a more sure-fire way to spot a con.

In an interview with the New York Times, he recommends strategies for improving your lie-detecting skills.

His team at the University of California developed a technique called cognitive interviewing, which police often use to help victims and witnesses better remember information. Turns out, it's also helpful for detecting lies.

If someone tells you a story that feels off, ask them to tell it again in greater detail, Geiselman says.

Then pose open-ended questions. A truthful person usually answers them with additional details, while a liar will cling to the same, rigid answer. As they tell it again, you can also slide in skeptical statements, like "Really?" and "Tell me more."

If you want to get really serious, Geiselman says to ask the suspected to draw their story or tell it backwards.

The idea is to make the other person mentally exhausted. If the person has to expend a lot of brain energy on their lie, chances are they will mess up parts of their story.

Other researchers debate whether you can actually identify a liar. As Maria Konnikova explains in her book, "The Confidence Game," ideas about lie detection may persist in psychology because "they fit our image of how a liar should behave." 

A skilled con artist, she says, can deceive you without you ever finding out.

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