Writing Lies (FightWrite™)

In our last post with FightWrite™ on the WD blog, we looked at how the limbic system affects body language. We looked at how our threat response triggers certain gestures and the facial expressions that tend to be true and truly universal. In previous posts, we looked at word choice and how people relate events when attempting to deceive. In this post, we will wrap up the subject of writing deception and look at body language that could show a person’s limbic system is on red alert.

(What Your Character’s Body Language is Saying (FightWrite™))

It’s No Lie

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people discuss body language that proves someone is lying. And I used to be part of that group. Once, when I had an itchy nose, I worried that I would look like every word out of my mouth was a lie. Because, after all, if you touch your nose while you are speaking, it’s a sign you’re lying. Right? Blood rushes to the face and makes your nose tingle, you touch it, whammo! Liar, caught flaming! But the fact that I wasn’t lying, that my nose simply itched, disproves that theory that the nose shows what you’re trying to hide.

It might be more accurate to say that there are certain behaviors people display when they are uncomfortable. It’s not so much that lies trigger specific gestures, it’s the emotions driving the lie that create the physical responses. So, it’s not the lie of “I wasn’t there” that makes someone shift uneasily in their chair. It’s the fact they’re in a situation in which they feel the need to hide where they actually were that makes them a wee bit shifty.

The Limbic Shift

That shifting is connected to the limbic response of flight. The survival mode in our body has been activated, adrenaline has been released. Adrenaline gives a rush of energy and sometimes, to assuage that rush, a person may shift in their seats. Lying, specifically, is a flight response. It is an effort to distance ourselves from the truth. That said, the same person who shifted in their seat as they said, “I wasn’t there,” may be shifting because they are a nervous wreck that they are being asked a question in connection with something shady. Or, they may shift because they have sciatica.

Don’t Go Looking for Trouble

I tell you all of this because when you study the meaning of gestures and body posture, you might end up looking for that body language in others. Writers, especially, are people watchers by nature. We understand that the way people move is a storyline of its own, and we inherently look for stories in the world around us. That is wonderful—and problematic. If you go looking for something, you’re likely to find it, whatever it is. If you scrutinize a person to determine if they are lying, you are bound to find gestures that confirm your suspicion rather than the truth.

So, instead, consider that those gestures people associate with lying are actually related to discomfort and that discomfort may not be related to the subject at hand. Also, that body language might simply be a part of their baseline behavior.

Establish a Baseline

Whenever anyone is called in for a police interview to be questioned, the first thing the interviewers do is simply chat with the person and watch them talk. The interviewers do this to get an idea of what is normal behavior for that person. They must know what is normal in order to make note of what is not. We must do the same for our characters. For our readers to recognize an abnormal behavior, they must first know what is normal.

In the book, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger is always moving. Tigger can’t not move! He is joyful and exuberant to the point he seems as though he might burst at any moment.

If you ask Tigger where he was yesterday, you would expect him to bounce in beat to his response. He might stutter and laugh and rethink where he was five different ways. That is normal for Tigger.

Now, imagine you ask Tigger where he was yesterday and he stops bouncing. He stands solidly on his feet. His smile softens and he quietly responds, “With Christopher Robin.” How would you as a reader respond to that? How would all the other characters in the Hundred Acre Wood respond?

All of you would pause and give that behavior attention. While the calm behavior is considered normal, for Tigger it is anything but. For Tigger, stillness is a signal of an internal shift so great, it has broken his normal behavior pattern.

Gestures of Discomfort

Once your reader can recognize what is normal physical behavior for a character, you can add in deviations from that behavior. Again, those deviating gestures do not necessarily point directly to lies or deception. As I type, I am rolling my lips in over my teeth. For me, that is a sign of discomfort. And, in this moment, that discomfort is related to having had way too much caffeine. And my right leg hurts. And my cat is under the bed and messing with something. And I really need to use the restroom but I’m afraid if I stop writing I will lose my flow.

Y’all, that is straight up truth. Yet, my lips are rolled over my teeth which can correlate to the flight response. What am I flying from? This truth of this moment and that is no lie.

Here are a few cues that you can write into your work to show that your character is uncomfortable on a limbic level. Again, all of these must deviate from a character’s baseline behavior. If your character does any of these regularly, they are not abnormal. For that character, normal is more abnormal. That said, two of these can relate specifically to deception.

Any Part of the Body

Anchoring

When your character needs to feel solid and safe in a situation where they feel unsteady and vulnerable, they may anchor any part of their body to something firm. This is the freeze response in action. They may grip a chair firmly with their hands or entangle their feet behind chair legs. They may also put their arms flat on a table and not move them or sit back so deeply into a chair that their torso doesn’t move.

Gestures With the Head

Eye Contact

Because we have been taught that liars don’t make eye contact, some people will go the completely opposite direction. When lying or deceiving, some people make an effort to maintain eye contact. It can be downright aggressive. And, while making eye contact, they will blink less for the simple fact they are trying so hard to maintain eye contact. Statistically, we blink regularly and more quickly when we our limbic systems aren’t on high alert. Some people do avoid making eye contact when lying. It all depends on the baseline for that person.

Incongruent Gestures

If a person says no but nods their head, that could point to a conflict between what they are saying and thinking. Saying yes while shaking the head no can show the same. Any time a person’s physical gestures conflict with their words, it’s a good idea to pay attention to what they are truly communicating. That said, some of this is cultural. Some cultures nod or wag their head with every word no matter what.

Ventilating

When in an emotionally uncomfortable state, people sometimes ventilate their hair. Ventilating the hair is moving it around to get air flow through it. Think about when you are sweating how you move your hair to cool your neck and head. In this case, the person isn’t exercising hard and the room isn’t hot. Women tend to move their hair off of their shoulders or neck. Men tend to rub the hair at the top of their head. They both do so to relieve emotional stress or discomfort.

Head Scratching and Hooding

When unsure of something or frustrated, it is common for a person to scratch their head. Aggressive scratching is a signal of stress. Interlacing the fingers behind the head so that the elbows point out, like the hood of a cobra, is the opposite of frustration. That person is displaying comfort or dominance. In the case of dominance, hooding is seldom done in the presence of someone of higher status.

When the interlaced fingers go on top of the head and the hood looks more like a roof, that person is displaying stress. They are literally protecting themselves. And the closer the elbows are to the head, the more the person may be feeling overwhelmed or threatened. I do this when I am reading what I have written back to myself out loud. Not kidding. I look like I am preparing for the house to collapse on top of me.

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Hand Movements

Hiding the Hands

Putting hands in one’s pockets can be a sign of comfort. But, given an emotionally threatening situation, it can be a flight response. As well, a person may put their hands under the table out of view or even sit on the hands.

Pacifying Gestures with the Hands

Holding the fingers can indicate an attempt to pacify internal discomfort as can stroking the fingers, hands, or any other part of the body.

Legs and Feet

Dancing Feet

When trying to appear calm and collected, people can overlook the parts of their body that aren’t in their peripheral. They are mindful of everything from the waist up, but from the waist down they may be very busy. A tapping toe, a shaking knee, and wiggling heels can all be outlets for the excess energy created by the survival response.

Toe Pointing

Generally, the toes point to where a person wants to be. If one character is seated across from another with their toes pointing toward the door, that character might want to be with the door rather than the character across from them. One of my coaches has a very short attention span, which he openly admits. When I am speaking to him and he points a toe away from me, I tell him he is free and I will tell him the rest later.

When writing a character who is attempting to deceive, consider what their body is doing to reinforce or undermine their effort. If you are writing several such scenes, I highly suggest watching videos of interrogations. It is remarkable how deeply different humans can do the exact same thing when made emotionally uncomfortable.

Another great resource for such physical behaviors is my new book out September first: Fight Write, Round Two. In this second Fight Write installment there are several chapters devoted to the way humans behave when emotionally uncomfortable. You will learn about word choice, how people relate events and the gestures they make when attempting to deceive. You will also be given a few real-world examples to help you better understand. Not only will this help you show a reader that a character is lying, it will help your lying character not show it so much.

Until the next round at FightWrite™ on the WD blog, get blood on your pages!

Struggling to choose a fighting style for your character? The struggle is over. The way your character does battle isn’t up to you. It’s up to the story. The time and place of the work, the society in which your character lives, their inherent and fostered traits and the needs of the story will determine how your character responds to aggression.