Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception

Human behavior isn’t necessarily logical, nor does it necessarily conform to our expectations. What each of us thinks of as logical is a reflection of our own beliefs, and of our own moral compass.

Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers. —Bernard Haisch

All the lies that have ever been told or ever will be told fall into three categories, or strategies: lies of commission, lies of omission, and lies of influence.

Truth only reveals itself when one gives up all preconceived ideas. —Japanese proverb

The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished. —Daniel W. Davenport There

Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers. Bernard Haisch

La gente no se cree las mentiras porque tenga que hacerlo, sino porque quiere. Malcolm Muggeridge

We’re certainly not at all suspicious of someone who’s just a nice person. But if, in response to a question, a person suddenly increases the level of nicety, that’s significant. Perhaps the person says, “Yes, ma’am” in that particular response, but at no other time in the interview. Or a compliment might be injected during the response: “That’s a great tie, by the way.” The idea here is that the more we like someone, the more we’re inclined to believe him and to shy away from confrontation. The person is using politeness as a means of promoting his likability.

Phil was interviewing a foreign agent who had been suspected of engaging in activity that was harmful to U.S. interests. When Phil posed the “Did you do it?” question, the agent held his finger up and looked him straight in the eye. “You know,” the agent said, “I could have you killed.” Apparently, he didn’t like Phil’s question. “I’m sure you could,” Phil said. And he went right back to the question. We’ll explain why in chapter 6.

In order to determine whether a person is being untruthful, we need to look and listen for the first deceptive behavior to occur within the first five seconds after that stimulus is delivered.

Now, here’s the thing about polygraph examinations. Just as there’s no such thing as a human lie detector, neither is there any such thing as a mechanical lie detector. A polygraph machine doesn’t detect lies. It detects physiological changes that occur in a person’s body in response to a stimulus, the stimulus being a question posed by the polygraph examiner. Whether or not the anxiety associated with those changes is indicative of deception is an open question that must be answered by the analytical and human interaction skills of the polygraph examiner. The

The strategic principle is that if you want to know if someone is lying, you need to ignore, and thereby not process, truthful behavior.

strategic principle is that if you want to know if someone is lying, you need to ignore, and thereby not process, truthful behavior.

experience has shown that if we can identify the first deceptive behavior within that first five seconds, we can reasonably conclude that the behavior is directly associated with the stimulus.

There's only a casual relationship between human behavior and logic.

Now, here’s the thing about polygraph examinations. Just as there’s no such thing as a human lie detector, neither is there any such thing as a mechanical lie detector.

Susan Carnicero, an expert in criminal psychology, was a CIA operative under deep cover before coming in from the cold and serving as a polygraph examiner and personnel screening specialist. Eventually, we shared an overarching, driving passion: to be able to know whether or not a person is telling the truth. The

El silencio en respuesta a una pregunta se percibe casi universalmente como engañoso.

It is not without good reason said, that he who has not good memory should never take upon him the trade of lying.

A polygraph machine doesn’t detect lies. It detects physiological changes that occur in a person’s body in response to a stimulus, the stimulus being a question posed by the polygraph examiner. Whether or not the anxiety associated with those changes is indicative of deception is an open question that must be answered by the analytical and human interaction skills of the polygraph examiner. The pens on a polygraph chart record four physiological responses to the stimulus. There are two respiratory tracings, one cardiovascular activity tracing, and one galvanic skin response tracing, which records changes in skin moisture.

El que tenga ojos para ver y oídos para escuchar podrá convencerse de que ningún mortal puede guardar un secreto. Si sus labios callan, hablará con la punta de los dedos; la traición brota por cada poro de su cuerpo. Sigmund Freud

The pens on a polygraph chart record four physiological responses to the stimulus. There are two respiratory tracings, one cardiovascular activity tracing, and one galvanic skin response tracing, which records changes in skin moisture. The polygraph examiner will make precise annotations on the chart to indicate the points at which he begins and finishes asking a question, and the point at which the examinee provides his “yes” or “no” response. At

«No sin una buena razón se dice que quien no tiene buena memoria debería abstenerse de mentir.» Esto lo dijo Michel Eyquem de Montaigne,

If there wasn’t before, there was now. Omar’s verbal and nonverbal behavior in response to the question told Phil it was time to shift into elicitation mode. Calling upon his well-honed skills in nonconfrontational interrogation, Phil became something of a human GPS, navigating to a predetermined destination: a confession. Phil

Phil once interviewed a foreign asset who had recently been recruited by the Agency, an erudite man with a Ph.D. and a strong background in academia.

Cuando la gente habla, escúchala de verdad. La mayoría no escucha nunca. Ernest Hemingway

Let’s consider those deceptive behaviors. At any given moment in time, as human beings we tend to be either visually dominant or auditorily dominant—we’re either more aware of and processing what we’re seeing, or more aware of and processing what we’re hearing. The problem with that goes back to what we said about communication being both verbal and nonverbal in nature, which means that deceptive behavior can come in either or both forms. How do we capture both at the same time? The

A polygraph machine doesn’t detect lies. It detects physiological changes that occur in a person’s body in response to a stimulus, the stimulus being a question posed by the polygraph examiner. Whether or not the anxiety associated with those changes is indicative of deception is an open question that must be answered by the analytical and human interaction skills of the polygraph examiner.

Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers. —Bernard Haisch There

Phil nodded attentively and compassionately as Omar unloaded it all. Inside, he was exhilarated. He had missed plenty of dinner appointments with far less consolation. It