How to Make Someone Tell the Truth

There are many techniques for determining whether someone is lying. However, it’s often more important to find out not just that a person is lying, but what exactly they are hiding. Here are five effective psychological methods to encourage someone to tell the truth.

The “Surprise” Technique

Ask the question you’re interested in unexpectedly, breaking the logical flow of the conversation. For best results, steer the conversation in a friendly direction, smiling warmly and repeatedly expressing your trust in the other person. This “lulls” their suspicion and increases the effectiveness of your surprise. To prevent your opponent from dodging the question or joking their way out, you can ask the question loudly enough for others who are interested in the answer to hear. This significantly increases your chances of getting an honest response.

The “Blackmail” Technique

Yes, it’s a bit dirty, but it works. When trying to get the truth from a child, you might threaten to take away computer privileges. For a husband who’s been caught lying, you might suggest some cold nights. For a cunning wife, you could delay buying that new coat. If a friend has been avoiding you, you might threaten to end the friendship. The key is to target something that really matters to the person. Always follow through on your “promises” if they refuse to tell the truth, or this technique won’t work for you next time.

The “I Know Everything” Technique

This works best if you’re confident in your suspicions. If you’re unsure, this method won’t help, even if you’re actually right. Even if you’re not a great actor, your confidence will come through in your words, tone, gestures, and eye contact. Saying, “I know everything, but it’s better if you tell me yourself,” can save both you and the other person. This approach can help preserve family ties, strengthen friendships, or even take over a business partnership—without resorting to drastic measures.

The “Kindness” Technique

This is effective when the lie hasn’t caused a major disaster or upheaval. This method avoids nagging (“So, are you going to tell me or not?”), arguments, swearing, or angry outbursts. Instead, use sincerity, kindness, and a genuine desire to understand the other person. When your opponent sees you as a friend, they lose their reasons to lie—why lie when you can simply explain your motives?

The “Extreme Strangeness” Technique

Lies usually rely on logical justification. The truth doesn’t need “truth” as much as lies do! If, during your conversation, you suddenly say something unusual or absurd, it can break your opponent’s logical chain. The stranger your comment, the more honest their answer is likely to be. Laughter instead of anger, random gratitude, personal questions, or sudden concern for their relatives (especially if you’ve never shown interest before)—let your imagination and creativity run wild!

To paraphrase a famous saying: “We are responsible for those we expose!” So, friends, be careful in your pursuit of the truth!