Talk is Cheap: How Can You Tell Which Politicians are Lying?

Rule #1. Watch for incongruence between what's said and body language. The body can’t lie. Nodding your head up and down means yes and shaking it from side to side means no. When you hear a statement like ‘Voter approval of this tax will help thousands and thousands of students, and see a head shake to go along with it, you know that the politicians have some doubt as to the truth of their statement.

Rule #2. Watch for shifts in behavior. If a person is usually still and starts fidgeting or if they usually fidget and suddenly go still when a certain topic comes up, that’s a red flag. Similarly if their eye blink rate suddenly increases or decreases from their baseline, that can be a red flag. This is also true for licking the lips.

Rule #3. Usually when people talk, they’ll gesture a split second before the corresponding words come out of their mouth. If they begin gesturing just after their words, it’s a big red flag that a lie is being told.

One of the biggest lies told at election season is the lie we tell ourselves: My vote doesn't really matter. Recent history says that yes, your vote absolutely does matter. So no matter what your beliefs are, get out and vote. And remember if you don’t, you lose your right to complain later.

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