Trust is absolutely critical to a healthy marriage, and you and your spouse should be completely honest with each other all of the time. Although this is the ideal way to go about your marriage, it's not always the case.
Whether your hubby is lying about whether he did that chore you've been asking him to do for a month or something more serious like infidelity, it's important to recognize when he's lying. While we focus on a husband's tendency to lie in this particular article, these nine points apply for both men and women.
Here are nine signs he might be lying to you:
1. He won't answer your questions
Some days, you and your hubby are just "off" and it's hard to have a good conversation. But, if it's unusually difficult to get him to answer your questions or he's avoiding answering them directly, he might be hiding something or lying.
2. He sounds kind of strange
"When people are lying, they often speak hesitantly or in a higher pitch, and they make more grammatical errors and slips of the tongue than when they are telling the truth," according to Psychology Today. You know how your sweetheart usually sounds so you'll know if he sounds different than normal.
3. He's being really defensive
The last thing he wants you to think is that he's lying, so he'll do anything to make you think he isn't. If he's getting extremely defensive over little things, he could be hiding something. He's trying to make you feel like you're the one at fault so the focus isn't on him.
4. His facial expressions change
According to Psychology Today, when someone is lying, their facial expressions will change in small but noticeable ways. Be on the lookout for little things he doesn't normally do, like biting his lip, sweating or slightly blushing. It takes a lot of brainpower to lie, and these indicators show that brain activity is focused on maintaining the lie, instead of maintaining these micro expressions.
5. His story keeps changing
If his story keeps changing, even slight details, he might be lying to you. For example, he might tell you he went to the store to buy strawberries, but when you ask where the strawberries are he'll change his story. Instead, he ran to the post office, not the store. Little white lies can be used to cover bigger ones, so don't totally ignore them.
6. He's uncomfortable
Jenn Berman, Ph.D., says, "When someone isn't making eye contact and that's against how they normally act, it can mean they're not being honest ... They look away, they're sweating, they look uneasy ... anything that isn't normal and indicates anxiety." If your spouse normally looks you straight in the eye when he's talking to you but he's avoiding eye contact now, he might be lying.
7. He guards his phone with his life
If he doesn't let you anywhere near his phone, something might be up. He could just be protective of his stuff, but chances are, there's something on there he doesn't want you to see.
8. He has a history of lying
If he has lied or cheated in past relationships, he's likely to do it again. While this isn't always the case, you need to know his history and make sure he's not doing the same thing to you.
9. You just have a feeling
If your gut is telling you something's wrong, you need to talk to your husband about it. Maybe he's telling the truth, but if you're concerned, he needs to know so you can set the record straight and move on.
Trust is essential to a healthy marriage, and it's important to be honest with your husband or wife; trust goes both ways. Sometimes it can seem easier to lie, but it's always better in the long run to tell the truth to avoid conflict and contention.
