The following are the most common body language signs of lying.
All of them could also mean disagreeing with what you are saying, or merely being insincere with you.
Interpret them in context with other gestures to confirm or deny your suspicions. If you are dealing with a person who lies excessively and chronically, you might want to check out this too.
Covering One’s Mouth
This is an instinctive gesture that first appears in early childhood.
A lying person covers their mouth with their hand as if they are trying to prevent themselves from talking.
It could be just a few fingers covering the lips, or the whole fist – the meaning doesn’t change. [You may also like Body Language of the Hands, Interactive Sociopath Test (Antisocial Personality Disorder)]
One thing that you should remember is not to forget to interpret this gesture in conjunction with other signs and movements.
If the person who is using this gesture of covering the mouth is the one who is speaking, it means he might be lying.
However, if you are speaking, and the listener is the one who is using this gesture, it might mean that they feel that you are not honest and sincere with them.
Covering the mouth could also be a sign of the “be quiet” gesture, especially if only one finger is used.
Now in adulthood, you still probably subconsciously use this gesture or a variation (like covering your mouth with a few fingers or the whole fist), when you know you are hiding something or are not being completely open about your feelings.
Touching One’s Nose
Among the most common signs of lying is the nose touch.
It seems that the nose touch is connected to the original mouth covering gesture that is so obvious in children.
Because adults are more conscious about body signs that they are displaying, the hand is quickly pulled away from the mouth, which results in a quick nose touching gesture.
You can tell the difference between a “normal” nose itch, and a nose touch that is from the signs of lying – a simple itch will be satisfied with rubbing or scratching, but won’t be satisfied with just a light touch.
Once again, if the speaker is the one who displays the nose touch gesture, it means he could be lying.
If it is the listener who does it, it might mean that he doesn’t believe what he is hearing.
Scratching One’s Neck
Another sign of lying is scratching the neck below the earlobe. This is also often a sign of doubting or disagreeing with what has been said.
Grabbing One’s Ear
When a little child hears something that she doesn’t like, she covers both her ears as if to prevent herself from hearing the sound.
Adults are more conscious about what they do with their body, so instead of obvious ear covering gestures, they could quickly touch the earlobe, or rub the back of the ear.
Rubbing One’s Eyes
Similar to the ear touching gesture, rubbing one’s eyes could be one of the many signs of lying.
Also see Body Language of a Liar.
Eye Reading in Body Language and Simple Technique to Detect Lies.