Lie Catcher - Become a human lie detector in under 60 minutes

by David Craig

Everybody lies. Lying is part of our every-day lives and it’s
not all bad. In some situations, little white lies can even
be considered helpful. For example, when a partner asks,
‘Do these jeans make me look fat?’ But other lies are told
with the intent to harm or deceive, and recognising these
lies is a crucial skill we can all use.

Lie Catcher, is international expert Dr David Craig’s
easy-to-read guide that demonstrates through practical
examples how to apply ‘lie detecting’ skills in your
day-to-day life. From the simple skills of bargaining,
making a purchase, or dealing with children through
to the more serious business of negotiating a contract
or identifying infidelity, he delivers simple but effective
tips and techniques we can all use to see behind the
facade and get to the truth.

Written with the average person in mind, the book is
delivered in an easy to understand format, allowing busy
people to read it quickly and intermittently without losing
track of concepts. Aimed at a broad target audience, the
book steers well clear of academic writing and delivers its
information using humour and simple and easy to absorb
language, while maintaining its academic credibility.
Readers will pick up the techniques easily and enjoy
practising their new-found skills immediately.

Lie Catcher is the culmination of over twenty years of
practical criminology and hundreds of hours of academic
research. Dr David Craig is an international expert in
undercover operations who has used these techniques
extensively. He gained his doctorate in law by completing
international research of undercover programs in the
United States (FBI, DEA, US Customs), Canada (RCMP),
the United Kingdom (Scotland Yard, National and Scottish
Crime Squad) and the Netherlands (Politie).

Lie Catcher is an easy-to-read, light hearted and
academically credentialled guide on how to detect lies. It
promises to hold broad appeal as a practical and useful
tool to support law enforcement, education, parents,
relationships, workplace interviews and business
negotiation.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ruba Munshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

غني بالمعلومات والشروح والامثلة ،، لن يجعلك خبيرا في كشف الكذب في يوم وليلة الا انه يوفر مفاتيح ستميز نظرتك للاشخاص وحديثهم وتعابيرهم عن معظم من حولك


كتاب عملي جدا.. ) وتم تجربته على ﺍﻃﻔﺎل العيله لحد ماطفشوني وطفشتهم (

[عمر الحمادي · Rating 2 out of 5]

كتاب مختصر في أساسيات كشف الكذب من ناحية علمية، وهو على اختصاره مليء بالملخصات في آخر كل فصل وفي آخر الكتاب !

يقول الكتاب أن الناس يكذبون مرتان على الأقل يومياً بحسب الدراسات الأكاديمية حتى لو قال معظهم أنهم لا يكذبون إلا نادراً، وهناك من يكذب ثلاث مرات في كل عشر دقائق من الحديث، فالمجتمع يسمح بالكذب الذي يستخدم كزيت تشحيم لعجلة التفاعل الاجتماعي بكل سلاسة، ويبلغ احتمال كشف الكذبة ٥٠٪‏، ومن حسن الحظ أن أغلب كذباتنا غير مؤذية، الكذب المركز على الذات قد يكون لتجنب إحراج أو ترك انطباع إيجابي أو كسب فائدة أو تجنب عقاب، وإذا أردت أن تكون كاشفا للكذب فعليك الاعتماد على مزيج مما يقال وما لا يقال.

[حاتم الشهري · Rating 3 out of 5]

هل المعرفة شقاء؟ هل الاستزادة في شيء كان فطريا لديك في السابق يُعد أمراً محمودا؟ هل من المستحسن الجهل في بعض تفاصيل الحياة؟أسأل هذه الأسئلة بعد الفراغ من قراءة كتاب “كشف الكذب” الذي يكشف حيل الكذابين بطريقة علمية حديثة وبأساليب لا تكاد تخطئ. بإعتقادي أن التنوير الزائد عن الحد يضيف حملاً زائداً على العقل، والمرء في أمس الحاجة للصفاء الذهني في هذا العصر. في السابق قد تنطلي عليك بعض الكذبات أو التمويهات التي يستخدمها جميع البشر في كل المجتمعات؛ لكن بعد قراءتك لهذا الكتاب ستصبح رادرا يلقط نصف الكذبة فضلا عن الكذبة.
سيجعل الحياة معتقل كبير وجميع الحوارات مثل الاستجواب.
ستصبح تدقق في حركات العيون واتجاهاتها وايماءات الوجه والفم وفلتات اللسان وفرقعة الأصابع ومسك اليدين واتجاه الساقين وأصابع القدمين..لما كل هذا؟ إن من صفات الكريم أنه ينخدع بإرادته كما قال الشاعر:
إن الكريم إذا خادعت ينخدعُ
لا أنصح بهذا الكتاب؛ لأن الإغراق في تفاصيل التفاصيل سيجعل الحياة جهنم حمراء.

[Bertram S. Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very handy introduction

I found this a very handy introduction to a difficult problem: knowing when you are lying. If you read this and practice it’s guidelines a lot you may become better than most sople at it

[Muhammad Yusuf Qordhawi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cukup memberikan informasi dasar sebagai pelatihan untuk mendeteksi kebohongan
Intinya adalah lakukan latihan tsb dan jangan terlalu merasa percaya diri karna tidak ada yg dapat menebak kebohongan secara pasti

[Rob Freund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally I'm pretty leery of books that make wild promises in the title or jacket. Claims of "I can make you happy!" or "Lose weight in 18 seconds!" to me just seem to scream SPAM - and not the curiously salty mystery meat that can last longer than most nuclear half-lives. Inherently, statements (or titles) that promise magical or miraculous results have a tang of desperation about them, and polarized, definitive statements tend to ring hollow. As a rule, I stay away from books like these. I just feel like I'm better off reading something that encourages more realistic expectations (case in point: "How to become a human lie detector in under 60 seconds" versus "An ex-FBI agent's guide to speed reading people.")

I don't know why I picked up Detect Deceit. It went against every internal guideline for appropriate book selection. It may be that the book is short, and I appreciated being able to get through something in a day or two. It may be that I was drawn to the glossy pages (I'm a kinesthetic/visual learner. It appeals to me.) There are also a lot of pictures. I like that. I'm not above admitting that I was drawn in by aesthetics more than content. At any rate, I took the book home with me. My impressions of Detect Deceit are mixed, and I'll try to be concise in explaining why.

I'll start off with the good things. Detect Deceit is a very easy read; clear cut and written in a no-nonsense fashion that still doesn't take itself too seriously. Craig has a very conversational yet direct tone that gets the information across. There isn't time to mince words - we only have 60 seconds to learn this stuff, after all! Another thing I liked about the book is the use of pictures to illustrate concepts. When you're covering a topic that relies heavily on perception and experience, I don't think you can overuse pictures and diagrams. Craig capitalizes on this and it's a strength of his book. Lastly, the author uses a very convenient acrostic to encapsulate the essential points and procedure for detecting deceit: M.A.G.I.C. I know, I know, what a fantastical term to pair with a behavioral science? Nevertheless, it does work - I won't say that it works like MAGIC, but it works. The simplicity is the elegance of Craig's content. I won't describe exactly what the acrostic represents, because then you wouldn't need to read the book. Suffice it to say, however, that the process involves establishing a baseline for people's behavior, asking specific questions in a particular style to evaluate guilt, and observing behavior. It works, I like it, and it's consistent with other books/research I've looked at. I don't think that you can stress enough the importance of establishing a baseline against which to compare abnormal or "guilt" behaviors. Anything out of context could be considered a "guilt indicator" and that's a definite point to Craig's credibility. There's also a handy summary at the end of the book that sums (literally) everything up into about 20 pages and you can use as a reference.

Now, the things I didn't really care for in the book. Firstly, reading the book (160) didn't take a ton of time, but it certainly took more than 60 seconds. Secondly, the content in Detect Deceit is good, but a little simplistic. There is no way that by the end of reading the book that I would consider myself or any other person to be an expert in lie detection. It's a good starting point, maybe; if nothing else I would consider Detect Deceit to be a sort of behavioral primer. It informs you of the basics, covers each aspect of behavior and lying to a degree, and gives you a framework within which to operate (M.A.G.I.C.) if you really do want to try to learn "catching" people in a lie. Remember though that this is an art and a science, so I honestly feel that this book, in and of itself, gives the reader a loaded gun and says "Now, be careful with this!" The simplicity of Craig's writing is also his greatest liability. I can see a lot of people making false accusations about "lies" that they caught and creating a lot of turmoil because of the M.A.G.I.C. in Detect Deceit. For that reason, I cannot find any way to support the idea that upon reading Detect Deceit I, or any other reader would now be a "human lie detector." At most I would call it being "mildly informed."

So, at the end of this review, what can I really say? Detect Deceit is a good, easy, quick (more than 60 seconds) read. It does what it can do in 160 pages very well - gives the reader an introduction to deception and how to determine if someone is telling the truth. However, that's about all that it can do in 160 pages. This book is a springboard, a primer, a jumping-off point (I'm lacking in other metaphors) and hopefully it spurs the reader on to other works that can then elaborate on the skeleton of knowledge (ah! one more metaphor!) Craig sets in place. So, if you know absolutely nothing about deception, Dectect Deceit is a good place to start. But please, whatever you do, don't stop there and call yourself a "lie detector!"

This review and other counseling/psychology based writings can be found at my blog: robfreund.wordpress.com

[Yycdaisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious and repetitive read. The useful information could have been presented in an article.

[Joe Revelator · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly suspect that demand for this type of instructional booklet stems from the Lie To Me fanbase, or from an ambitious editor seeking an authority to write a how-to manual for Cal Lightman wannabes, anxious to start catching people with their pants ablaze.

However it came about, Detect Deceit is a real book. And you know what? It’s pretty damn good. I know I usually save my ‘yea-or-nay’ for the conclusion, but I feel I’ve been harsh with most of the How-To guides I’ve reviewed. But unlike the Mystery Method or Hide A Dagger Behind A Smile, Detect Deceit has several realistic methods that can be immediately applied to your life. What’s not to like?

The book begins by laying out some basic facts (statistics) about lying. You may not trust statistics, as many of them are made up to sell books and news articles. But even if author David Craig is fudging his numbers to make his lie detection accuracy (80%) seem plausible, the following sections are still worth learning.

After a brief explanation of why we lie, how often we lie, and how accurately we spot lies naturally, Dr. Craig unveils his MAGIC system. MAGIC effectively boils down to a process of testing a liar so you can spot his or her future fibs. It starts with establishing a baseline, by asking questions they wouldn’t lie about, analyzing their behavior or behavior clusters, and then bombarding them with tough questions that will have them squirming in their seats or breaking eye contact. There are many, many caveats to behavior-spotting, but it all adds up to the old adage of Practice Makes Perfect.

Finally, we get into the subject of micro-expressions and detailed behavior breakdown. If you have this book sitting on your shelf collecting cobwebs, dive back in, because this last half is the goldmine.

Here is where the author goes into the specific emotional behaviors and facial tics of a liar, with photograph panels displaying each subconscious twitch, references for you to continue your study outside the book, and video examples, some of which you can look up on Youtube to verify the lie behaviors (Like Bill Clinton during his infamous near-impeachment). This segment alone elevated it from coffee table book to future reference material.

Before exploring this book I had my doubts about the validity of the author’s claims. Aside from fact-checking and scrutinizing every homework-ate-my-dog-story that people try to peddle to me, how could I tell if someone was lying to me? After all, doesn’t every individual lie in different ways?

The short answer is yes. Yes they do. And David Craig nails every one of them, even my own personal habits.

And for the record, having read Detect Deceit, I realize my blinks slow down when I’m lying and I feign boredom, which is hard to spot because I’m genuinely bored most the time. I’m willing to bet David Craig knows a few of your tells, too.

--theinquisitiveloon.wordpress.com

[Petrie Serrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rating for what I intended to use it for, which is writing, illustrations and cartooning. I've used Unmasking the Face: A Guide to Recognizing Emotions from Facial Clues before, and when searching for another copy of that one, I found a reasonably-priced Kindle version of this so I got it as well.

For Art: There are far more pictures in the Eckman book, showing the same expressions side by side with different parts of the face activated to show false and true emotions. The Eckman book also has more background research, including how the studies were done, and a bigger range of emotions. It's about surprise, happiness, anger, disgust, sadness and fear, whether they're mixed, whether they're genuine, and what cultural situations may skew what you see. If you're an artist and your faces either stare or lack subtlety, that's the one for you.

For Writing: This book is all about lying. If you're a writer and want to make it look like a character is a good or bad liar, or a good lie-detector, this is the better one for that. It also explains how to steer a conversation to make chances of catching a lie more likely without making it sound like an all-out interrogation. It's a light read with enough photos for the subject, including body language. The Eckman book only shows the face. This book is probably a better resource for fiction writers than the Eckman book, especially if they have characters like journalists, detectives or nosy neighbors.

Both books make it clear you can't just compare someone's face to an emotional picture and figure out what they are really feeling. People have personal tics, cultural and family habits, dry contacts, medical issues, and other things that make establishing a baseline imperative.

That said, either book will make watching interviews of politicians on the news more fun!

[hayatem · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب يقدم بعض المعلومات والحقائق والتفاصيل التي تساعدك في تعلم واكتساب مهارات كشف الكذب من حولك، كما انه مدعم بالصور لتوضيح ذلك.
قراءة هذا الكتاب لاتعني بأنك ستصبح مكتشف ماهر، بل هو يكسبك القدرة الذهنية على التمييز في المواقف والظروف المختلفة للشخص الكاذب من الصادق.
لغة الجسد من مثل (حركةالعين يميناً او يسار، معدل رمش العين، وحك الأنف لتدفق الدم فيه نتيجة للكذب،ووضع اليد على الفم، والنقر بالأصابع وغيرها)،
والتعابير الغير متسقة مع التعبير اللفظي من أهم مفاتيح كشف الكذب.
بالممارسة والتمرين والملاحظة ستصبح مكتشف جيد ولكن هذا لايعني عدم وقوعك في أخطاء.

[Ceceilia Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The more an individual lie, the more they have concentrate on what they are saying...."

The author does an amazing job outlining the causes of lies, effects, and how to determine deceit. Very quick read and easy to put to the test.

[Luis]

Very good book. Gives you enough clues which after some practise can help you a lot on detecting someone that is lying.

[Marina Andreou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! If you want to learn more about detecting lies or deceit this book is definitely for you!! I really enjoyed it!! Recommend it absolutely!!

[. Campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got it borrowed from my college library and oh, God. It was so perfect and so stuck to the point that I'm tented to buy it.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Ghazi faisal · Rating 4 out of 5]

"الزبدة بالنهاية"

[Kylie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book taught me so much more than any other. Love this book!

[Dave Symmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know about the "under 60 minutes" part, but a cool book with some very effective strategies.