In the television show "Lie to Me" psychologist Dr. Cal Lightman has the ability to determine when a person is lying based on nonverbal ques. One look at me and he would know exactly when I am lying because I am the worst liar to mankind. Research might say something different though. Paul Ekman evaluated professions on their ability to detect deception. Secret service agents and clinical judges were among the best at locating deception. Even they wouldn't be accurate 100% of the time.
The show's portrayal of lie detection may be entertaining, but it just doesn't seem plausible to happen. This is because there are other factors that influence a person to express nonverbal signs that would seem familiar to lying. This was one of the questions that I always had watching CSI or criminal shows use lie detectors. What if there are other causes that lead a person to express the "symptoms" of lying. I was correct! Researchers have considered this alternative, and the lie detector test is not a viable source of evidence in court.
My question to the audience is has anyone ever either administer a lie detector test or taken it? And also how easily does lying come to people or to people you know? What makes a good liar?
Liar Liar Pants on Fire!
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I agree that it doesn't seem accurate that this man can detect lies. I am sure that some people are fairly good at telling when someone is lying, but it depends on how well you know the person and if you have had past experience with the lying. I don't believe that anyone could be 100 percent accurate but possibly fairly accurate.
I know in the show besides nonverbal cues they also use the way sentences are worded to figure out if they are lying. Has any research been done on that to see if that is an accurate way of telling if someone is lying?
I have never given or taken a lie detector test. I don't even know anyone that has taken one, at least I can't think of anyone. I was just talking with my friend the other day about what makes a good liar. She was telling me that one of her friends was so good at lying that everyone in her life believed every story she told. That amazes me. I'm not a good liar...most of the time. I can't lie to my mom and sometimes I can get away with lying to my dad, but both cases are rare. I don't lie that often. I don't have anything to lie about really. Around my friends I think I would be a better liar, but they pretty much know everything about me, nothing is secret. I think a good liar is someone who almost believes the lies themselves. Someone who doesn't care what the outcome of the lie is. It doesn't matter if someone gets hurt because of the lie etc..
My mother works for the federal government, doing background checks on people trying to get jobs with the government. She interviews multiple people a day, and often comes across liars. She has a few tricks up her sleeve to tell if someone is lying or not. She administered her test on me one time when I was in high school. She first asked me a few questions that I could not lie to her about (birthday, social security number, name, etc.). She then asked me if I had ever consumed alcohol, smoked cigarettes, smoked marijuana, had sex, etc. I was truthful with her because I knew she was seeing if I was lying, but she said that every time I said a statement I looked over her right shoulder. If I was lying, I would have looked somewhere else. She asked me the initial questions to see where I naturally look when I answer questions truthfully, and then any lies I would have looked elsewhere. It's pretty interesting, but, joke's on her, I know how to lie to her now! Luckily, I'm a good kid :)
I hope I never am in a situation where I would have to take a lie detector test! I would probably incriminate myself simply because I was nervous.
Most research tells us that people are very bad at detecting lies. Perhaps it was more of a benefit to trust people face to face than to be skeptical of their intentions. It might be that we spend a lot of time and energy trying to understand what another person means by what they are saying that we easily get taken in if they are lying.
Recent research has shown that people often mimic the facial expressions of those they are talking to and that this might be part of the process that helps us understand the inner thoughts and motives of others. When people are instructed not to mimic the facial expressions of another they are better at detecting whether or not the person is lying.
So next time you suspect that someone is lying to you, perhaps try staring blankly at their face and let them spin their tale. Then just trust your instincts.
I haven't taken the lie detector test but I am a good liar if I plan it out right! I have used lies to fool my friends and once even made one of my friend cry. I stopped playing such pranks after that. I don't know if anyone can come up with spontaneous convincing lies. But I think if the plot is set right then anyone can get away easily with the lie detector test.