Being adept at discerning people’s true thoughts and intentions is a valuable skill to have. Knowing when someone is deceiving you can protect your finances, your professional interests, and your loved ones.

Here to teach us some of the elements of this skill is Dr. David Lieberman, who’s a psychotherapist, a consultant to the military and other intelligence and defense agencies, and the author of Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are. Today on the show, David explains why verbal cues offer a better window into people’s minds than body language, and the clues to look for in both spoken and written speech that can indicate whether someone is honest or deceptive. We also get into how to detect whether someone is mentally healthy or not, including the signs that you’re dealing with a psychopath.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• David’s last appearance on the show: Episode #489 — How to Get a Handle on Your Anger
• The Secret Life of Pronouns by James Pennebaker
• AoM Podcast #364: How to Know When Someone Is Lying (From a Former CIA Officer)
• Ego syntonic and dystonic
• AoM Podcast #769: The New Science of Narcissism

Connect With David Lieberman

• David on LinkedIn
• David on Instagram