0:00:09.205,0:00:11.195
"Sorry, my phone died."

0:00:11.195,0:00:13.494
"It's nothing. I'm fine."

0:00:13.494,0:00:16.847
"These allegations [br]are completely unfounded."

0:00:16.847,0:00:20.799
"The company was not aware[br]of any wrongdoing."

0:00:20.799,0:00:23.543
"I love you."

0:00:23.543,0:00:26.656
We hear anywhere[br]from 10 to 200 lies a day,

0:00:26.656,0:00:30.022
and we spent much of our history[br]coming up with ways to detect them,

0:00:30.022,0:00:32.700
from medieval torture devices[br]to polygraphs,

0:00:32.700,0:00:36.042
blood pressure and breathing monitors,[br]voice stress analyzers,

0:00:36.042,0:00:38.725
eye trackers, infrared brain scanners,

0:00:38.725,0:00:42.324
and even [br]the 400-pound electroencephalogram.

0:00:42.324,0:00:45.296
But although such tools have worked[br]under certain cirumstances,

0:00:45.296,0:00:48.156
most can be fooled with[br]enough preparation,

0:00:48.156,0:00:52.121
and none are considered reliable enough[br]to even be admissible in court.

0:00:52.121,0:00:54.665
But what if the problem is not [br]with the techniques,

0:00:54.665,0:00:59.066
but the underlying assumption[br]that lying spurs physiological changes?

0:00:59.066,0:01:01.071
What if we took a more direct approach,

0:01:01.071,0:01:05.146
using communication science[br]to analyze the lies themselves?

0:01:05.146,0:01:09.983
On a psychological level, we lie partly[br]to paint a better picture of ourselves,

0:01:09.983,0:01:12.859
connecting our fantasies[br]to the person we wish we were

0:01:12.859,0:01:15.317
rather than the person we are.

0:01:15.317,0:01:19.569
But while our brain is busy dreaming,[br]it's letting plenty of signals slip by.

0:01:19.569,0:01:23.728
Our conscious mind only controls [br]about 5% of our cognitive function,

0:01:23.728,0:01:25.288
including communication,

0:01:25.288,0:01:28.931
while the other 95% occurs[br]beyond our awareness,

0:01:28.931,0:01:31.874
and according to the literature[br]on reality monitoring,

0:01:31.874,0:01:34.236
stories based on imagined experiences

0:01:34.236,0:01:38.117
are qualitatively different[br]from those based on real experiences.

0:01:38.117,0:01:42.143
This suggests that creating a false story[br]about a personal topic takes work

0:01:42.143,0:01:45.226
and results in a different[br]pattern of language use.

0:01:45.226,0:01:48.231
A technology [br]known as linguistic text analysis

0:01:48.231,0:01:50.955
has helped to identify[br]four such common patterns

0:01:50.955,0:01:53.942
in the subconscious language of deception.

0:01:53.942,0:01:58.497
First, liars reference themselves less,[br]when making deceptive statements.

0:01:58.497,0:02:02.248
They write or talk more about others,[br]often using the third person

0:02:02.248,0:02:05.509
to distance and disassociate[br]themselves from their lie,

0:02:05.509,0:02:07.158
which sounds more false:

0:02:07.158,0:02:09.990
"Absolutely no party took [br]place at this house,"

0:02:09.990,0:02:13.178
or "I didn't host a party here."

0:02:13.178,0:02:15.757
Second, liars tend to be more negative,

0:02:15.757,0:02:19.262
because on a subconscious level,[br]they feel guilty about lying.

0:02:19.262,0:02:21.422
For example, a liar might say [br]something like,

0:02:21.422,0:02:25.613
"Sorry, my stupid phone battery [br]died. I hate that thing."

0:02:25.613,0:02:28.877
Third, liars typically explain [br]events in simple terms

0:02:28.877,0:02:32.155
since our brains struggle[br]to build a complex lie.

0:02:32.155,0:02:33.329
Judgement and evaluation

0:02:33.329,0:02:36.183
are complex things[br]for our brains to compute.

0:02:36.183,0:02:38.678
As a U.S. President once [br]famously insisted:

0:02:38.678,0:02:41.790
"I did not have sexual relations[br]with that woman."

0:02:41.790,0:02:44.683
And finally, even though liars [br]keep descriptions simple,

0:02:44.683,0:02:48.158
they tend to use longer [br]and more convoluted sentence structure,

0:02:48.158,0:02:49.764
inserting unnecessary words

0:02:49.764,0:02:53.500
and irrelevant but factual [br]sounding details in order to pad the lie.

0:02:53.500,0:02:56.164
Another President confronted [br]with a scandal proclaimed:

0:02:56.164,0:02:59.534
"I can say, categorically, [br]that this investigation indicates

0:02:59.534,0:03:01.321
that no one on the White House staff,

0:03:01.321,0:03:03.700
no one in this administration[br]presently employed

0:03:03.700,0:03:06.919
was involved [br]in this very bizarre incident."

0:03:06.919,0:03:10.188
Let's apply linguistic analysis[br]to some famous examples.

0:03:10.188,0:03:13.444
Take seven-time Tour de France[br]winner Lance Armstrong.

0:03:13.444,0:03:15.397
When comparing a 2005 interview,

0:03:15.397,0:03:18.274
in which he had denied taking[br]performance-enhancing drugs

0:03:18.274,0:03:21.212
to a 2013 interview,[br]in which he admitted it,

0:03:21.212,0:03:25.192
his use of personal pronouns[br]increased by nearly 3/4.

0:03:25.192,0:03:27.859
Note the contrast [br]between the following two quotes.

0:03:27.859,0:03:32.170
First, "Okay, you know, a guy [br]in a French, in a Parisian laboratory

0:03:32.170,0:03:36.131
opens up your sample, you know,[br]Jean-Francis so-and-so, and he tests it.

0:03:36.131,0:03:38.816
And then you get a phone call[br]from a newspaper that says:

0:03:38.816,0:03:43.129
'We found you to be positive[br]six times for EPO."

0:03:43.129,0:03:45.028
Second, "I lost myself in all of that.

0:03:45.028,0:03:47.947
I'm sure there would be other people[br]that couldn't handle it,

0:03:47.947,0:03:49.728
but I certainly couldn't handle it,

0:03:49.728,0:03:52.750
and I was used to controlling [br]everything in my life.

0:03:52.750,0:03:55.412
I controlled every outcome in my life."

0:03:55.412,0:03:58.318
In his denial, Armstrong described[br]a hypothetical situation

0:03:58.318,0:04:00.321
focused on someone else,

0:04:00.321,0:04:03.003
removing himself [br]from the situation entirely.

0:04:03.003,0:04:04.980
In his admission, he owns his statements,

0:04:04.980,0:04:08.609
delving into his personal emotions [br]and motivations.

0:04:08.609,0:04:12.576
But the use of personal pronouns[br]is just one indicator of deception.

0:04:12.576,0:04:14.909
Let's look at another example[br]from former Senator

0:04:14.909,0:04:17.984
and U.S. Presidential candidate[br]John Edwards:

0:04:17.984,0:04:20.662
"I only know that the apparent [br]father has said publicly

0:04:20.662,0:04:22.678
that he is the father of the baby.

0:04:22.678,0:04:25.714
I also have not been engaged [br]in any activity of any description

0:04:25.714,0:04:29.172
that requested, agreed to, [br]or supported payments of any kind

0:04:29.172,0:04:32.377
to the woman [br]or to the apparent father of the baby."

0:04:32.377,0:04:36.420
Not only is that a pretty long-winded[br]way to say, "The baby isn't mine,"

0:04:36.420,0:04:39.330
but Edwards never calls[br]the other parties by name,

0:04:39.330,0:04:43.163
instead saying "that baby," "the woman,"[br]and "the apparent father."

0:04:43.163,0:04:46.216
Now let's see what he had to say[br]when later admitting paternity:

0:04:46.216,0:04:47.767
"I am Quinn's father.

0:04:47.767,0:04:50.048
I will do everything [br]in my power to provide her

0:04:50.048,0:04:52.967
with the love and support she deserves."

0:04:52.967,0:04:54.768
The statement is short and direct,

0:04:54.768,0:04:58.327
calling the child by name [br]and addressing his role in her life.

0:04:58.327,0:05:01.558
So how can you apply these[br]lie-spotting techniques to your life?

0:05:01.558,0:05:05.219
First, remember that many of the lies[br]we encounter on a daily basis

0:05:05.219,0:05:09.844
are far less serious that these examples,[br]and may even be harmless.

0:05:09.844,0:05:12.528
But it's still worthwhile [br]to be aware of telltale clues,

0:05:12.528,0:05:16.240
like minimal self-references,[br]negative language,

0:05:16.240,0:05:19.518
simple explanations [br]and convoluted phrasing.

0:05:19.518,0:05:22.843
It just might help you avoid[br]an overvalued stock,

0:05:22.843,0:05:26.333
an ineffective product,[br]or even a terrible relationship.