Spotting liars is hard – but our new method is effective and ethical
Can you spot a liar? Although almost all of us tell a lie once in a while, we are remarkably bad at consistently and accurately spotting them. One might think that devices like lie detectors would fare better at detecting falsehoods, but even the trustworthiness of polygraphs turns out to be inadequate.
In this article, psychologist and mental health expert Cody Porter explains a unique technique to identify liars that she and a team of fellow researchers developed.
According to research, conventional lie detectors are of questionable reliability - Image Credit: Iurii Chornysh via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci
Most people lie occasionally. The lies are often trivial and essentially inconsequential – such as pretending to like a tasteless gift. But in other contexts, deception is more serious and can have harmful effects on criminal justice. From a societal perspective, such lying is better detected than ignored and tolerated.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to detect lies accurately. Lie detectors, such as polygraphs, which work by measuring the level of anxiety in a subject while they answer questions, are considered “theoretically weak” and of dubious reliability. This is because, as any traveller who has been questioned by customs officials knows, it’s possible to be anxious without being guilty.
