Detecting Lies and Deceit: The Psychology of Lying and the Implications for Professional Practice

by Aldert Vrij

Why do people lie, and how can lies be detected? There is now a substantial psychological literature relating to these fundamental questions, and this book reviews the relevant research on lying and detection in detail, focusing on guidelines for best practices in detecting deception.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

456 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2000

Reviews

[Brooks]

I thought that this was a super interesting read if you are interested in psychology.

[marmar]

⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂

If the intent of reading this book is solely to “catch” a person lying or deceiving, then it is unlikely to meet those expectations. It offers no comforting fantasy that human beings can be reduced to a series of signs & gestures [no manual on how to read a liar’s eyes]… to be frank, it will take that fantasy away from one. The general consensus imagines a clear division between the liar & the honest person, though this book will erase that boundary. Lying & deception is not presented as a sinister act reserved for the manipulative or morally corrupt but a behavioural act that occurs in everyday interactions & serves many different functions that are not always malicious.

I truly admire how it empathises on how easily certainty can masquerade as insight because it confronts the uncomfortable possibility that confidence in reading people may itself be one of the greatest sources of error. In doing so, it challenges the very foundations of how humans think about truth, perception & judgment… including how assumptions about human behaviour are based on intuition rather than evidence. I have read many books on psychology, neuroscience & human behaviour for my degree, though I can wholeheartedly say this book stands apart. Its greatest strength lies in its discerning, evidence based & honest [finally] scientific approach rather than catering to popular assumptions or mainstream narratives about body language & deception [bores me to death & the inaccuracies are frustrating].

It is not just the science itself that I adore but how it delves into how every lie exists… as someone wants to be seen differently. Every attempt at detecting a lie exists because individuals want to feel secure in their understanding of another person. Dr. Vrij’s writing beautifully embodies a very nuanced appreciation of human nature & I say this because it refuses to reduce the act of lying/deception to simplistic behavioural cues. A trembling voice or fidgeting are not proof of lie just as how composure & steady eye contact are not proof of truth. This book does not disregard the fact that human beings are far too complex to be decoded through a checklist of behaviours. Humans are contradictory creatures, shaped by memory, emotion, fear, desire, context & countless unseen influences. The same behaviour can emerge from entirely different psychological states.

My review is already longer than I intended, but my, my, I truly couldn’t recommend this book enough [particularly for students & professionals interested in psychology, neuropsychology, criminology, law enforcement, forensic interviewing, intelligence & related fields]. Few books have challenged my assumptions so thoroughly or left me reflecting on them long after I had finished reading. What I took from this is that truth is not something you extract from another person through a “clever” observation, even though it provides a temporary satisfaction of being “insightful” or “intellectually superior”. It is something you approach carefully with patience & an awareness of how easily your own expectations, biases & desires can distort what you see. Just that certainty the lie was successfully “caught”… just that refusal to entertain the possibility that the apparent truth may, in fact, be true… just the desire to believe otherwise often says more about the observer than the observed.

⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂ ⸜̑⸝͂

[Ella!]

1⭐ чисто за утку на обложке

[Soloria]

This book can be considered a good addition to Ekman's books. The author scrupulously analyzes the nuances of determining a lie or truth. The topic sounds rather complicated and requires preparation.

Of the important points mentioned is the style of communication (for example, different communication styles are used for attractive and unattractive people), which also affects the process. Quite a large part of the book is devoted to describing a specially developed technique for determining the truthfulness of statements, which is commonly used in some countries to interview sexually abused children.

[Arabella Flynn]

A good overview of the science, such as it is, and a surprising number of practical notes from the author. (tl;dr: There is no definitive way to detect liars. All of the pop-sci body language stuff is rubbish. Go with your gut, and check everything checkable in the subject's statement. Polygraphs are only useful for scaring people into confessing, which doesn't work when they know what a polygraph is and how it works.)

[Clifton Coetzee]

This book is a must read for every PDD professional. It is a detailed study of the various Statement Analysis techniques avaialble for serious study. I have read this book several times
and feel that I have yet to read it several more times. The theories and concepts espoused by Undeutsch are given more depth by Van Der Vrij. I keep this book near to me at all times.

[Michele]

good in parts