We Aren’t as Good at Spotting Liars as We Think
If we have been looking for the wrong things all along to catch a liar, what should we be looking for?
By Jared Nielsen, Marketing —
Lies are told every day. Some are small and inconsequential while others are large and very harmful. Most people rely on their gut to tell them if someone is lying to them. For instance, you aren’t going to perform an investigation or strap someone to a polygraph for every little thing someone tells you to make sure they are telling the truth. This makes sense because even if the other person is lying, the consequences are rather small. However, sometimes the issues are a lot bigger and affect many people. When it really matters, how do you determine the truth?
The Gut Feeling
Hopefully you don’t try to “go by your gut” only. According to a recent study, your odds of being right are fifty percent. When the stakes are high those odds don’t cut it. Psychologists have been studying what indicates when someone is lying. Many common indicators of guilt are not as reliable as most people think. The situation and skill of the liar make a huge difference in most physical signals. So if we have been looking for the wrong thing all along, what should we be looking at?
Truth Indicators
While the researchers were hesitant to definitively pick any one indicator for truthfulness, a couple were reported as more reliable than others. A change in pupil size and pressing the lips together seemed to have a strong correlation with lying. “Micro-expressions” lasting less than one-fifth of a second also give away emotions that are quickly suppressed. While not every emotion indicates guilt, it is something that can be analyzed. There are also cues in the verbal and written responses of liars. Liars tend to respond slower as long as they are given no time to plan answers beforehand. They also keep their story vague, which obviously helps them keep their story straight.
Look for Real Accuracy
By combining several cues together, lie detection certainty goes up. By using high-speed cameras EyeDetect® is able to capture those “micro-expressions” through changes in pupil size. Computers can also track response times more accurately. By taking away the human element, which is easily deceived, and allowing computers to capture the clues we know truly indicate guilt, we can ensure higher levels of detection.
