She told you that she could not make it to your college graduation because she had a death in her family… but you saw her on social media at an all-white party living her best life. He told you that the reason he didn’t come and look for you in the hospital when you got your appendix removed was because he had exams, yet your friend saw him hanging out with his friends. Yup, they are a bunch of liars

Liabetes

We all have one or two of them in our lives – friends or former significant others who lie about practically any and everything, even simple situations where it does not seem necessary. They seem to suffer from the condition known generally as ‘Liabetes’, and you are tired of having trust issues just because a few individuals cannot control their perfidious ways.

Learn how to spot these ‘Pinocchios’ who keep wasting your time and

energy. Chase them and replace them with genuine people who do not go around

telling tall tales or creating stories more elaborate than Hans Christian

Anderson.

The signs

1. Their words never seem to match up to their actions. This is a dead giveaway. Like a guy telling you he used to live in New York, but when you question him on another occasion, he does not even own a passport. So, how is that possible?

2. Ask them random questions that they are comfortable answering pertaining to the weather or their favourite meal. After analysing how they speak when they are comfortable, you will notice how their tone may fluctuate when they tell blatant lies.

3. Observe the change in their body language. It may be subtle but it exists, as they have to give off gestures to hide the lies. Study them.

4. Ask a direct or pointed question out of the blue that they could not possibly see coming. If they hesitate or stutter, then you have caught them red-handed.

5.  Assess the rate at which they

blink when spinning a scenario.

6. Gauge if they constantly maintain eye contact or have to look away

when fibbing.

7. If you doubt a story, ask a question one day and then wait and ask the

same question a few days later. If the story changes, your instincts were

right. It is hard to remember all the details of a lie.

8. They may literally be pointing at someone or something to take the

focus off of themselves. See if it is a pattern.

9.  They get loud or argumentative

when intensely questioned as they feel cornered and probably cannot come up

with a plausible story quick enough.

10. When talking they tend to take long pauses, usually because they are still constructing the lie as they go along.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of BUZZ or its employees.