Being the mischievous individual that i am, i wanted to research the art of lying. I think i can speak for everyone when i say that we have all told a little white lie here and there to get us out of something. Maybe to our parents, maybe to our friends. After a while, some people seem to catch on and believe they can "detect" these lies. But can people really tell when were lying?
I looked into this question a little bit and found some interesting information. Contrary to popular belief, we have no truly 100% accurate way of detecting someones lie. In everyday scenarios, we can detect someones lies by paying attention to their non verbal cues (sweating, nervousness, stuttering, lack of eye contact). In more serious cases, investigators sometimes use whats called a Polygraph test. This test measures and quantifies some of the non verbal cues (heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and hand conductivity) and compares it to a controlled question in which they know you are lying. I also found it really interesting that there is research to support the claim that "practice makes perfect" when it comes to lie detection. The more you work in the field of lie detection, the better you become at it. They have found that those not involved in that field have a chance no better than luck to perceive lies in others.
Liar Liar
Lying is definitely a tricky thing to detect, especially if a person is good at it. Reading this entry actually made me think of an episode of the show "Pan Am" that I saw a few months ago. In the episode one of the characters shoots someone and needs to take a polygraph test in regards to all the events of the evening. She had to lie about shooting the person without making the polygraph detect that she was lying. One of the other characters in the show tells her she needs to make herself believe she didn't shoot the man, so when she takes the polygraph test she technically won't be lying and the test won't be able to know she's lying. It's a very interesting concept because although it would be difficult to make yourself believe something you know to be the truth, it could potentially work. Not to mention she would be doing this in front of people that work in the CIA, and like you mentioned people that practice lie detection more tend to get better at it. So that would be another obstacle she would have to cross.
I agree with these ways to detect lying, including polygraphs and non verbal cues. But I also think that there is a little bit more to the story. Why does a mother know when her children are lying more than another woman? I think that it is important to consider the person's personality and hobbies to really know whether someone is lying or not. I realize that this is not solid court room evidence because there are many of people that have dramatically changed since childhood. Yet, for me and many other young adults, personality and life background will really have a big say in what you will and will not do. This can help people that are close to you decide whether or not you are lying about something that you claim you did or did not do.
I agree with these ways to detect lying, including polygraphs and non verbal cues. But I also think that there is a little bit more to the story. Why does a mother know when her children are lying more than another woman? I think that it is important to consider the person's personality and hobbies to really know whether someone is lying or not. I realize that this is not solid court room evidence because there are many of people that have dramatically changed since childhood. Yet, for me and many other young adults, personality and life background will really have a big say in what you will and will not do. This can help people that are close to you decide whether or not you are lying about something that you claim you did or did not do.
I agree with your overall concept of lie detection. If we were great at detecting lies as humans than the art of lying would disappear because it would be of no use. The reason why lying exists is truly because it is hard to detect. It is easy to get away with. One thing that interests me is why exactly we lie. Is it to gain a competitive advantage? For the thrill of being bad? Who knows!
About two years ago I read a book about nonverbal cues which can display people’s thought without their conscious notice. The book was written by an ex-FBI agent Joe Navarro. I remember that people who can’t hear are likely to detect lies better than people who can, because they focus more on people’s nonverbal cues. The book is very interesting, so if you want to know more about nonverbal cues, I recommend you to read one of his books.
Wow, I had no idea lying could get that intense in the way of detecting it. What I think is really interesting is how people can be really good liars or really bad liars. What is the difference?? If you don't have the non verbal clues then your a good liar? I am also really interested in why we lie, and what makes us lie and how people can be compulsive liars.
I always find it fascinating how people (usually I see this on TV) can tell if people lying by honing in on their nonverbal cues. I also find it crazy that people can "outsmart" lie detectors, I have heard that mostly sociopaths are able to do this. By convincing themselves that they are telling they truth, they don't show signs of lying. I am not sure if this is true but I have heard this. I find lying and lie detecting fascinating as well.
This is so interesting- who would have thought that people could be hiding so much? It is semi-frightening to think that we could be fooled so easily by others, just by not catching small cues. I have heard that even polygraphs are not very accurate compared to an expert that would be trained to be able to very easily identify the cues of someone who was lying. Even if your eyes look to a different direction, it could be a cue to someone. I am also interested, as well as someone mentioned, in why we feel the need to lie and what causes us to "need" to hide things from others.
Sadly, some people are really good at lying and deceiving others. I am NOT one of those people. I think it's pretty obvious to tell when I'm lying; generally, my cheeks become very red, my hands begin to shake slightly, and my heart starts to pound extremely hard. Needless to say, I don't lie that often, and when I do, it's usually for the "good of the cause," so to speak. For example, if someone is slightly overweight and asks me if they are fat, I will say, "Of course not!" simply because I do not want to hurt their feelings.
For individuals who don't show signs of lying easily, I don't think their is a foolproof way of detecting whether or not someone is fibbing. As I mentioned before, some people are naturally good at lying, not showing the slightest hint of physical or emotional change. While I don't condone lying by any means, hats off to them for being able to control themselves in that manner.
I am also very interested in this topic. One thing that you mentioned that caught my eye was the information on the polygraph testing. I recently had the chance to take a polygraph test as part of a study and I found that even the polygraph tests aren't 100% accurate. After finishing the study i was given background information on polygraph's and found out that many people can in a way forge their answers to show as false or truth. It's amazing how we really have no way to tell for sure what the truth is versus the lies.
I agree that there isn't a 100% for sure way to detect a lie. Although everyone has practice at gauging whether somebody is lying, the one lying also has a lot of practice at what they are doing. So it is always going to be difficult to tell. Even with a Polygraph it is difficult. Perhaps the person being tested may be lying, but they have managed to convince themselves that they are telling the truth, would the testers be able to tell?