Secret Service Agent Explains Psychological Tricks To Read Anyone & Spot A Liar

KEYPOINTS

• 01

  Start by getting someone's baseline

  Evy Poumpouras, a former Secret Service agent and polygraph examiner, says a few minutes of watching shows how a person normally moves, stands and makes eye contact when nothing is at stake. In an interrogation she gets it with easy questions like name, birthplace and address. Then she watches how the person changes when recalling a memory and when emotional. Departures from the baseline are what matter, not any single gesture.

• 02

  Look for harmony between words, body and energy

  Within seconds of arriving, Evy noted that Mel came straight over with open arms instead of letting staff greet her, and that her warm words matched her body language. That match signals sincerity. When words, posture and the 'energy' a person gives off don't line up, she says to note it rather than dismiss it.

• 03

  When someone seems off, don't make it about you

  Evy's rule is to observe first and not spiral into 'they don't like me.' Most of the time someone's coldness has nothing to do with you. Mel, who mentioned being exhausted from hosting her parents and a late-night call with her daughter, says the trap is letting someone else's mood knock you off yours. Asking simple questions like 'how was your morning?' often lets people explain themselves.

• 04

  Never call people out on their body language

  Evy says the cues are for you to gather information, not to show off. Pointing out "you just looked away" makes people feel analyzed and talked down to, so she keeps what she sees to herself unless asked.

• 05

  'Liars look away' is a myth

  Evy calls the eye-contact rule 'BS' and marketing. How a person makes eye contact reflects their whole history, such as shyness, being called stupid, being hit, ADHD or autism. She breaks eye contact herself to search her 'mental Rolodex.' She separates two things: when reading others, let them look wherever they want, but when you want to build trust, hold eye contact, because people are wired to read it as trust and respect.

• 06

  Body orientation tells you a lot

  Squaring up with someone shoulder to shoulder signals interest. Leaning or angling toward the door is what investigators call the 'fleeing position', which many suspects took because they wanted out. Mel notes kids in trouble at the kitchen island do it too. Evy adds that you are the other half of the equation, so check what your own posture says.

• 07

  Verbal red flags

  Evy shares cues her unit noticed while admitting there's no research behind them: 'divine props' like a Bible or rosary beads, and oaths like 'I swear to God' or 'on my grandmother's grave.' Her point is that the truth is usually simple and doesn't need selling. She also flags stalling ('Who, me? Homework?'), shifts in possessive language ('my car' versus 'the car'), and above all whether the person actually answered your question. A dodge, a subject change or an attack is information too.

• 08

  Watch out for the over-eager charmer

  Evy recalls Canadian detective Jim Smith, who got a confession from serial offender Russell Williams, saying the person to watch is the very charming one working hard to win you over. She notes that this trait appears in some, though not all, people with narcissistic or antisocial personality disorders.

• 09

  People show you the truth even when they won't tell you

  Evy doesn't need a confession. Behavior is the answer. Mel adds that a refusal to give a direct answer is itself an answer. In interrogations Evy collected small 'admissions' that formed a picture like a puzzle. With one fraud suspect she asked, 'You don't have to tell me if you did it. What are you worried about?'

• 10

  Deal with problems while they're small, or create space

  With people you can't avoid, like teammates or family, address issues early before resentment builds, and remember that kindness is clarity, since others don't automatically know your expectations. If someone's name on your phone turns your stomach, minimize exposure: let calls go to voicemail and text instead of calling back. Cutting people off is something she saves for when it's really needed.

• 11

  How you say it matters more than what you say

  Paralinguistics means your tone, pitch and pace. Evy learned it doing news segments after leaving the Secret Service. Her advice is to cut down to a few 'greatest hits' talking points, speak lower and slower, use pauses, and never rush, because hurrying signals your words aren't important. Fewer points also lighten your mental load so you can pay attention to how you sound.

• 12

  Bravery comes from action and mission focus

  Evy says you don't need to feel brave, confident or motivated first. Waiting for those becomes the obstacle. Before a high-profile child-murder interrogation she told herself 'Evy, you don't matter' and focused entirely on the goal of getting information. She says losing and messing up made her braver than winning ever did.