04/01/2026

ON SUNDAY January 4, 2026 theSunday Special XI

The body resists its own story when emotion and logic fall out of sync.”

Psychologists call this gesture freeze. It means the body’s instinctive pause when the mind wrestles with discomfort. So while words may race ahead, the hands reveal hesitation – the unsyn chronised rhythm between speech and sincerity. 6. Veins bulging at the temple Shahrom said this is one of the rarer, often-overlooked signs, but it can serve as a powerful tool for detecting dishonesty. When you see the temporal veins be come visible or protrude slightly at the sides of the forehead, it indicates increased blood pressure and facial muscle contrac tion. Still, emotionally, it’s connected to suppressed feelings. “These veins rarely appear unless a person is holding back anger, panic or the truth. In communication, it’s a sign of emotional pressure being forcibly controlled by the frontal cortex. It’s more visible in men because of thicker skin and stronger facial muscles,” said Shahrom. For example, if a person softly says, ³,¶P ¿QH ´ EXW \RX QRWLFH D YHLQ DW WKH side of their forehead tightening and their jaw muscles twitching slightly, that’s not calmness – that’s restrained emotion. It often lasts just one or two seconds but reveals the internal struggle between “I want to express this” and “I must control myself”. In essence, bulging veins on the fore head indicate intense emotional pressure – whether anger, fear or guilt is being contained. 7. The body movement Yes, people can train themselves to appear FRQ¿GHQW DQG KRQHVW %XW HYHQ WKH EHVW rehearsed body language has its limits. Throughout his years of experience in the corporate and political world, Shah rom has seen many individuals trained WR DSSHDU FRQ¿GHQW ± VWDQGLQJ XSULJKW smiling at the right moments, maintaining eye contact and using deliberate hand gestures while speaking. % ut upon closer observation, trained body language often looks too controlled, too polished and out of sync with genuine emotion. “You can fake words, posture and even eye contact, but you can’t fake physiology. Over time, the body’s natural rhythms reveal tension,” he said. A person who is faking a situation or lying often has a smile that stretches wide, yet the eyes remain hollow. The shoulders might look composed, but the neck muscles tighten imperceptibly. It’s as if they’re stopping themselves from sharing too much information.

Micro-expressions often surface before words, revealing tension the speaker tries to hide.

“Liars want to be believed.” The harder someone works to look genuine, the less natural they become. Honesty, as Shahrom reminds, doesn’t always look beautiful and lies aren’t always evil. Sometimes people lie not to deceive, but to protect themselves from pain or rejection. Over the years, he’s learned that truth has its own body language. W KHQ VRPHRQH ¿QDOO\ VWRSV SUHWHQG ing, you see it instantly. The shoulders drop, the breath steadies, the eyes soften. That moment, he said, isn’t a weakness. It’s released. % ecause no matter

“Trained gestures often feel too perfect, too polished, like an actor holding a pose. 7UXH FRQ¿GHQFH PRYHV IUHHO\ ZKLOH IDOVH composure tends to freeze,” he added. Eventually, the nervous system takes over. Heart rate increases, micro-expres sions appear and the mask begins to slip. The body can follow a script only for so long before biology breaks through the act. 8. Look for the struggle If there’s one universal rule to remember, it’s this: Don’t look for who is lying, look for where the body is struggling. Deception isn’t an action – it’s a reac tion. It appears when the body resists its own story, when emotion and logic fall out of sync. The signs are minor but consequential: A swallow before answering, a deep breath before denial, a sudden stillness mid conversation. Honest people don’t overperform their honesty; they speak with ease. Liars, on the other hand, work harder – striving to appear believable rather than simply being authentic. “A truthful person doesn’t try to look truthful,” said Shahrom.

how clever the lie, the body never forgets what honesty feels like. It tells the truth quietly; in tension, in stillness, in silence. If you know how to

look, you’ll see it every time.

You can fake words, posture and even eye contact, but you can’t fake physiology.”

Shahrom