Liar
When Paul Dyson went before the cameras and cried over his missing girlfriend, I thought then he'd killed her.
Do you know how you tell?
People who are genuinely upset and worried mostly try very hard to keep their distress under control, especially in such a public situation. But people who are under pressure to appear upset and worried (i.e those trying to appear innocent when they know they are guilty) try very hard to show their distress. Once you know what to look for it, it can be quite easy to tell the difference. A grieving boyfriend shouldn't need to "act" upset. I don't think Dyson even convinced himself.
Liars put on an act. Someone telling the truth will just tell it, but a liar will feel they need to "convince" you they are telling the "truth". They'll use words such as "honestly" and "I swear to God" and "you won't believe this", or they'll go into obsessive detail and try to look like they are concentrating.
An old actor friend taught me this and it's quite useful.
Now go forth in the world and use this new knowledge for good, my friend.
2 comments:
I remeber seeing a documentary some years ago on this very issue - where the person who had made the emotional public appeal turned out to be the perpetrator. Apparently it is actually considered to be a valuable tool for the police in some investigations because they want to see how people react.
I'll bet.
That's why I don't think I could ever have gone out with a policeman - far too good at reading body language!
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