Liars are actually just as consistent as people telling the truth, so catching them in a contradiction is harder than you think.
April 10, 2026
Original Paper
What does consistency reveal about credibility? Four meta-analyses
PsyArXiv · y97xg_v1
AI-generated illustration
The Takeaway
We often assume liars will 'trip up' or change their details over time, but research shows that internal consistency is a terrible way to spot a lie. Instead of looking for contradictions, the study suggests we should look at whether the statement matches external evidence.
From the abstract
Inconsistency is often viewed as a sign of deception, whereas consistency is taken as evidence of credibility. However, experts disagree on the extent to which consistency cues can inform credibility judgments. We conducted meta-analyses on four types of consistency (within-statement, between-statement, within-group, and statement-evidence), based on 257 effect sizes from 52 studies involving approximately 4370 participants. Moderator analyses examined factors such as delay between statements, r