Everybody lies, according to Josh Barnes ’06 (left). The Communication major studied the kinds of lies people tell in intimate relationships. He interviewed 10 people, from their teens to middle and old age, about their habits when it comes to telling a fib.

“People don’t realize the frequency with which they lie,” he says. “Based on what I found, people lie in order to protect the well-being of the person who is being lied to.”

Take the white lie, for example. To tell a friend she looks good in a terrible dress protects her feelings, even if she would rather know the truth.

Barnes classified six types of deception: twhite lies, blatant lies, half-truths, lies of omission, lies of distortion, and failed deceptions (when the situation changes after a lie has been told, and the lie becomes the truth). He is classifying the qualitative data based on age, gender, and societal perception. The study builds on a previous student research project by Jacqueline Pundt ’05.

“From the get-go, I think Josh knew it was going to be tough,” says Assistant Communication Professor Deb Vance. “There’s not a great deal of research on deception to start with, and then there’s the problem of whether people are going to be honest with him about their lying habits.”

Barnes found that young people tend to lie more about relationship issues, while older people who are more settled in their relationships tend to lie more about daily minutia, such as arriving on time to an event or whether a chore was completed.

After he graduates, Barnes is interested in working on counter-terrorism issues for the National Security Agency.

“I feel like there are always lies that need to be figured out,” he says. “We need to know when to deceive and when we’re being deceived.”

Barnes’ tips for spotting a lie:

1. Watch how a person speaks: Listen not only to what they are saying, but how they say it. Look for pauses and stumbling in their language.

2. Look for nervous habits: It’s hard to think of a lie on your feet, and even harder for a person to control their body movements while they tell a lie. Look for frequent blinking, foot tapping, twitching and a lack of eye contact.