Scientists have identified the best way to spot a liar.

The devil is in the details.

Everyone lies. At the same time, there is still no reliable method that would help bring liars to clean water. Although there have already been attempts  to develop it. Another option was proposed by scientists from the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). In their new study, they recommend analyzing not facial expressions, but the words of the interlocutor.

For this study, student volunteers were divided into three groups. The first ones were asked to steal the answers to the exam from their locker, the second ones were asked to simply walk around the campus. After this, people from the third group, who did not participate in the first part of the experiment, were asked to identify those who stole the answers.

These “judges” were provided with handwritten statements from the suspects, CCTV footage and video interviews. They also attended live interrogations.

Over the course of nine experiments, they were asked to use different options for identifying liars. Some of them implied tips from the authors of the experiment.

As it turned out, when the subjects were free to use any hints, their performance was at the level of chance. But when they were asked to rely only on details from the stories, their ability to distinguish lies from truth improved.

For example, in one experiment, using multiple cues simultaneously resulted in 59% accuracy. And in another, where only one tip was provided, accuracy increased to 66%.

While assessing behavioral cues may seem like the most reliable way to catch a liar, analyzing facial expressions and gestures can also complicate the task, the researchers note.

Humans cannot evaluate all these signals in a short time, let alone combine them into an accurate and truthful judgment.

Bruno Verschuer Lead author of the study, Doctor of Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Amsterdam

Instead, the researchers suggest focusing on what the other person is saying, although this sounds like a less effective approach.

“People who tell the truth can give a detailed description because they actually experienced the event, whereas liars make up details, which increases their risk of getting caught,” Verschuere said.

In other words, the best way to spot a liar is to pay attention to what a person says, not how he says it.