German Podcast | Der Körper lügt nicht | EP 3 | B1 - B2

We have all been lied to more than we might think. A study says that a person lies an average of 25 times a day, often without being aware of it. We all know that lies can have serious consequences for our lives and the lives of others. Relationships and friendships sometimes break because of a lie. Have you ever found out that someone lied to you and then thought to yourself, why didn't I notice that I had been lied to? Why did I believe this person? This is exactly the question we are going to answer in today's podcast. You will find out why you often don't recognize lies and how you can better recognize when someone is lying and when they are telling the truth. To answer this question, we first have to ask ourselves, why do we lie at all? Imagine that your strict boss makes a decision that you don't like at all. But in order not to be annoyed, you smile and say, good decision, boss, although you only shake your head inside. What's behind it? Maybe you are hoping for a better relationship with your boss or you want to take the chance to work on an exciting project. So lying primarily serves its own advantage. It is fascinating that about 50% of our lies serve to make our lives easier, more pleasant or more successful and to achieve something for ourselves. But there are also other reasons why we lie. Imagine that the pet of a child dies and the mother says to the crying child, the animal has gone to its friends or it is now living in the animal heaven. With this not quite honest explanation, she tries to keep the child from emotional pain. Or imagine that a doctor tells his patient to give him hope and strength, that the treatment makes progress, although the disease actually spreads further. About 25% of our lies serve to spare the feelings of others or to help someone. Often several reasons are involved in lying, like with the so-called politeness lies. Maybe you were invited to a meal and you didn't like the food at all, but you still said kindly how delicious it was. Or you got a birthday present that you didn't like at all, but still claim it was exactly what you needed. On the one hand, you didn't want to hurt the feelings of others, but on the other hand, you didn't want to look stupid in front of other people or risk an unpleasant reaction. Why are some lies so convincing that we believe them blindly, while other lies fly up immediately? To find out, I will tell you the story of one of the greatest lies of the 19th century. It is the story of the Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor, who discovered a fictitious land that he called Poies. This land was supposedly on a coast in Central America and had a paradise nature as well as fertile soils. According to MacGregor's statements, the inhabitants of Poies were just waiting to have their land besieged by the English. MacGregor then convinced rich citizens of London to invest in this land and offered them land for sale. The only problem was that this land actually didn't exist. In addition, MacGregor allowed the emigrants to exchange British money in Poies dollars. This currency, which he printed himself, was of course also forged. In this way, he made an incredible amount of money. When the investors finally arrived in Poies, they only found swamp, jungle and mosquitoes. Without return tickets and with Poies' worthless money stranded, many of them died of illness or took their lives in despair. But why didn't this lie catch up with so many? Well, the lie was so big and bold that no one expected that someone could come up with such a bold and great untruth. The bigger a lie is, the more credible it seems to us. Another shocking but completely different example is the 1948-born Frank Abagnale Jr., who deceived countless people with his deception. For many years, Frank Abagnale assumed various false identities, including that of a pilot, to be able to fly around the world for free with passenger planes. Without ever having studied medicine, he worked as a chief physician in a hospital and through a forged document he even managed to work in a law firm. Why did no one notice his lies for so long? Well, Frank Abagnale looked very good and was extremely charming. It was just as simple. We tend to believe people when they are attractive, because we like to link external features like beauty to internal features. In addition, the uniform of a pilot or the white coat of a doctor makes us believe that this person is competent and trustworthy. This often prevents us from questioning the statements of the person. Let's also think of the famous statement of the head of state of the former GDR, Walter Ulbricht. Nobody intends to build a wall. A complete lie, as it turned out two months later during the construction of the Berlin Wall. So we humans are quickly deceived by a certain status, a position that a person has. Now we come to the most important question for our everyday life. How can we recognize and discover lies? How can we not be deceived by attractiveness, status or other factors? You must have stood in front of someone and you were unsure. Does this person really tell the truth or is she lying? Let's take a step into the world of body language. Because one thing is certain. Our body often does not lie as well as our mouth. When we lie, we are under stress. And this stress is shown in different ways. One of the most obvious signs is redness. This happens because our body pumps more blood into the skin Liars often have exactly this problem. But not every liar turns red when lying. And not every tomato head comes from lying. Sometimes it is also the voice that betrays us. When we lie, it often sounds a little different. It can get deeper or more brittle because our whole body is tense. There are also people who start to blink irregularly or excessively. This often happens unconsciously because the brain is strongly challenged when lying. Yes, lying is exhausting for the brain because we constantly have to think about how our opponent reacts to the lie and what he thinks. And then there is the intense eye contact. A strong sign that someone wants to convince you. Liars sometimes intentionally keep too much eye contact because they think it makes them more credible. Ironically, this can look suspicious. But what if the liar acts more skillfully? This is where it gets really exciting. Maybe you notice that he is trying to avoid the question or to give you unclear answers. I don't know or I don't remember. These are often the protective shields of a liar. With such answers, the person avoids making a specific statement. It gets even more interesting if you make sure that his statements are contradictory or change over the course of the conversation. Liars often find it difficult to tell their story the same way over and over again. At some point they deviate, change a detail or don't know what to do for a moment because they don't have the lie in their head as well as the truth. And if you really want to get rid of a liar, ask unexpected questions. Liars are often prepared for what they want to tell. But as soon as you ask them a question they don't expect, they become insecure. Our face can also give a lot of information about whether someone is telling the truth or not. These are, for example, these tiny movements and facial expressions that appear within milliseconds. They often reveal our real emotions, even if we try to hide them. Maybe you can see how your opponent pulls up his eyebrows or smiles unintentionally, even though it doesn't fit the situation. These little signs that the liar is not aware of are difficult to recognize. But if you look closely, they can give you important clues. Check in any case whether the emotions of your opponent match. If someone smiles while the rest of his body is tense, you know that something is not right. The human brain is pretty good at recognizing wrong emotions, even if we don't always know exactly why something strange is happening to us. Next time you feel that someone is not telling the truth, keep your eyes open. Just because someone seems nervous, doesn't automatically mean that he is lying. Nervousness can have many causes, such as stress or discomfort in the situation, and is not always a clear indication of dishonesty. It is important not only to pay attention to a single reaction, but to look at different signs together. Only if at the same time the facial expressions, the voice, the body language and the content of the statements are inconsistent, the probability of something being wrong increases. The challenge is to train our senses and to recognize possible lies in the stories around us. Be careful and remember, not everything that shines is gold and not every story is the whole truth. Important vocabulary and expressions Lie Intentionally saying something wrong Deceive someone Intentionally deceiving someone Telling him something wrong We have all been lied to Have you ever found out that someone lied to you? And then you thought, why didn't I notice it? Protect someone from pain Prevent someone from suffering pain The mother tried to protect the child from emotional pain Save someone's feelings Make sure not to hurt someone's feelings Hurt someone's feelings Hurt someone internally Make someone sad or hurt He doesn't want to hurt someone's feelings on the other hand Don't risk any unpleasant reactions Standing in front of someone stupid Present yourself in front of someone bad or stupid He doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings on the other hand Don't stand in front of anyone stupid The decency lie A lie based on decency to not insult someone. Often there are several reasons for lying, like in the so-called politeness lies. Believing something blindly. Believing something without critical questions. Believing something without questioning it. Why are some lies so convincing that we believe them blindly? Believing. Flying up. Being discovered or discovered. Especially lying or the like. Why do we believe some lies blindly while other lies fly up immediately? Fictional. Invented. Not real. The Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor invented a fictional country that he called Poies. Investing in something. Investing money in something. Paying money for something to gain profit. MacGregor convinced rich citizens of London to invest in this country. The property. The piece of land. MacGregor offered them property, i.e. land for sale. To stand out. But why didn't this lie stand out to so many? Why didn't anyone notice his lies for so long? Bold. Shameless. Cheeky. Disrespectful. Well, the lie was so big and bold that no one expected that someone could come up with such a bold and big lie. Deceiving someone. Lying to someone. Pretending something to someone that is not real. Frank Abagnale Jr. deceived countless people with his deceptions. Letting oneself be deceived by something. Believing something untrue. So we humans are quickly deceived by a certain status, a position that a person has. Deceiving someone. Stopping someone from doing something. Preventing someone from doing something. Questioning something. Asking critical questions. Doubting something. A uniform often prevents us from questioning the statements of the person. The status. A certain position or position. So we humans are quickly deceived by a certain status, a position that a person has. The body language. Physical behavior and gestures. Only when at the same time the facial expressions, the voice, the body language and the content of the statements are inconsistent, the probability increases that something is a lie. An obvious sign. A clear feature. One of the most obvious signs of a lie is the redness. A clear indication. Nervousness can have many causes, such as stress or discomfort in the situation, and is not always a clear indication of dishonesty. Seem suspicious. Arouse suspicion or doubt. Ironically, too much eye contact can seem suspicious. Be contradictory. Do not fit together. It gets even more interesting if you make sure that his statements are contradictory or change over the course of the conversation. Disclose someone. Disclose someone's true, often bad intentions or actions. If you really want to expose a liar, ask unexpected questions. Not everything that shines is gold. Not everything is as it seems. Be careful and remember, not everything that shines is gold, and not every story is the whole truth. Pay attention now, during the second hearing, to the details. How much do you understand now? We have all been lied to more than we think. A study says that a person lies on average 25 times a day, often without being aware of it. We all know, lies can have serious consequences for our lives and the lives of others. Relationships and friendships sometimes break because of a lie. Have you ever found out that someone lied to you? And then you thought, why didn't I notice that I had been lied to? Why did I believe this person? This is exactly the question we are going to answer in today's podcast. You will find out why you often don't recognize lies and how you can better recognize when someone is lying and when he is telling the truth. To answer this question, we first have to ask ourselves, why do we lie at all? Imagine your strict boss making a decision that you don't like at all. But in order not to get in trouble, you smile and say, good decision boss, although you only shake your head inside. What's behind it? Maybe you are hoping for a better relationship with your boss or you want to take the chance to work on an exciting project. So the lie primarily serves its own advantage. It is fascinating that about 50% of our lies serve to make our life easier, more pleasant or more successful and to achieve something for ourselves. But there are also other reasons why we lie. Imagine the pet of a child dies and the mother says to the crying child, the animal went to his friends or it now lives in the animal heaven. With this not quite honest explanation, she tries to keep the child from emotional pain. Or imagine a doctor tells his patient to give him hope and strength that the treatment makes progress, although the disease actually spreads. About 25% of our lies serve to spare the feelings of others or to help someone. Often there are several reasons why we lie, like the so-called politeness lies. Maybe you were invited to a meal and you didn't like it at all, but you still kindly said how delicious it was. Or you got a birthday present and you didn't like it at all, but you still claimed it was exactly what you needed. Here you wanted to not hurt the feelings of others, but also not to look stupid in front of other people or to risk an unpleasant reaction. Why are some lies so convincing that we believe them blindly, while other lies immediately fly up? To find out, I will tell you the story of one of the greatest lies of the 19th century. It is the story of the Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor, who discovered a fictional country that he called Poies. This country was supposedly on a coast in Central America and had a paradisiacal nature as well as fertile soils. According to MacGregor's statements, the inhabitants of Poies were waiting only to have their country besieged by the English. MacGregor then convinced rich Londoners to invest in this country and offered them properties, i.e. land, for purchase. The only problem was that this land actually did not exist. In addition, MacGregor made it possible to convert British money into Poies dollars. This currency, which he printed himself, was of course also forged. In this way, he made an incredible amount of money. When the investors finally arrived in Poies, they only found swamp, jungle and mosquitoes. Without return tickets and with worthless Poies money stranded, many of them died of illness or took their lives in despair. But why didn't this lie catch up with so many? Well, the lie was so big and bold that no one expected that someone could come up with such a bold and great untruth. The bigger a lie is, the more credible it seems to us. Another shocking, but completely different example is the Frank Abagnale Jr., who deceived countless people with his deceit. For many years, Frank Abagnale assumed different false identities, including that of a pilot, to be able to fly around the world for free with passenger planes. Without ever studying medicine, he worked as a chief physician in a hospital and through a forged document he even managed to work in a law firm. Well, Frank Abagnale looked very good and was extremely charming. It was just as simple. We tend to believe people when they are attractive because we like to associate external features like beauty with inner features. In addition, the uniform of a pilot or the white coat of a doctor makes us believe that this person is competent and trustworthy. This often prevents us from questioning the statements of the person. Let us also think of the famous statement of the head of state of the former GDR, Walter Ulbricht. A complete lie, as shown two months later during the construction of the Berlin Wall. We humans are quickly deceived by a certain status, a position that a person has. Now we come to the most important question for our everyday life. How can we recognize and discover lies? How does it work not to be deceived by attractiveness, status or other factors? You must have stood in front of someone and you were unsure. Does this person really tell the truth or is she lying? While we are at it, let's take a small leap into the world of body language. One thing is certain, our body often does not lie as well as our mouth. When we lie, we are under stress and this stress shows up in different ways. One of the most obvious signs is redness. This happens because our body pumps more blood into the skin in stressful situations. Liars often have exactly this problem. But not every liar turns red and not every tomato head comes from lying. Sometimes it is also the voice that betrays us. When we lie, it often sounds a little different. It can get deeper or more brittle because our whole body is tense. There are also people who start to blink irregularly or excessively much. This often happens unconsciously because the brain is strongly challenged when lying. Yes, lying is stressful for the brain because we constantly have to think about how our opponent reacts to the lie and what he thinks. And then there is the intense eye contact. A strong sign that someone wants to convince you. Liars sometimes intentionally keep too much eye contact because they think it makes them more credible. Ironically, this can look suspicious. But what if the liar acts more skillfully? Here it gets really exciting. Maybe you notice that he tries to avoid the question or to give you unclear answers. I don't know or I don't remember. These are often the protective shields of a liar. With such answers, the person avoids making a specific statement. It gets even more interesting if you make sure that his statements are contradictory or change over the course of the conversation. Liars often have difficulties telling their story at multiple inquiries. At some point they deviate, change a detail or don't know what to do for a moment because they don't have the lie in their head as well as the truth. And if you really want to get rid of a liar, ask unexpected questions. Liars are often prepared for what they want to tell. But as soon as you ask them a question that they don't expect, they become insecure. Our face can also give a lot of information about whether someone is telling the truth or not. For example, these tiny movements and facial expressions that appear within milliseconds. They often reveal our real emotions, even if we try to hide them. Maybe you see how your opponent pulls up his eyebrows or smiles unintentionally, even though it doesn't fit the situation. These little signs that the liar is not aware of are hard to recognize. But if you look closely, they can give you important clues. Make sure that the emotions of your opponent fit together. If someone smiles while the rest of his body is tense, you know that something is wrong. The human brain is pretty good at recognizing wrong emotions, even if we don't always know why something strange happens to us. Next time you feel that someone is not telling the truth, keep your eyes open. Just because someone seems nervous doesn't automatically mean that he is lying. Nervousness can cause many things, such as stress or uneasiness in the situation and is not always a clear indication of dishonesty. It is important not only to pay attention to a single reaction, but to look at different signs together. Only when at the same time the facial expressions, the voice, the body language and the content of the statements are different, the probability of something being wrong increases. The challenge is to train our senses and to recognize possible lies in the stories around us. Be careful and remember, not everything that shines is gold and not every story is the whole truth.