Listen to this PodcastMore 60-Second Science
The eyes are the windows to the soul. As such they can reveal if someone is lying, right? Cop shows, advice shows, even some organizational training courses hold that if somebody looks up and to the right, they’re probably lying. Up and to the left means they’re telling the truth.
Now a study says that there is no connection between eye movement and lying. The work is in the journal Public Library of Science ONE. [Richard Wiseman et al., "The Eyes Don't Have It: Lie Detection and Neuro-Linguistic Programming"]
Researchers tested eye movement and honesty in multiple ways. For example, they tracked the eye movements of subjects who were lying or telling the truth about things they had recently done. There was no correlation between lying and eye direction.
The researchers also closely analyzed 52 archived news videos of real people making a public plea for the safe return of a missing relative. In half the videos the plea was sincere—but in half there was strong evidence that the speaker was involved in the crime. Again, no eye-movement clue was evident. So when judging the honesty of a speaker, remember: the eyes do not have it.
—Steve Mirsky
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
See what we're tweeting about
26 Comments
Add CommentWe see what we want to see, or what we're told we see, or what we saw some other time, and don't ever touch your nose when you're testifying, and now shows like Lie To Me will have to re-title; Please Don't Lie To Me, I Can't Tell Anymore.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is clear that the researchers didn't bother to learn what NLP or Dr. Paul Eckman actually asserted regarding the correlation between eye acessing cues and lie detection.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou see, the show "Lie to Me" is a piece of fiction, very loosely based on the work of Dr. Eckman. It has about as much to do with his actual work as the Woody Allen Movie "Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But were Afraid to Ask" has to do with the bestselling book of the same name. When you watch CSI, do you actually believe that police lab interiors sport designer colors and Herman Miller chairs, with cutting edge technology. (think again... wooden benches, bunsen burners.)
People's eyes will trend left when remembering something, and trend right when creating something, trend upward when the internal experience is visual, trend down when it's auditory or kinesthtic. And individuals reveal their primary relational mode (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) with eye cues, word choices, and body language. It is not the DIRECTION one is looking, rather, whether the direction they are looking is incongruous with what they can be expected to experience internally in resonse to their stimuli.
For instance, when I ask you what color your first car was, for about 1/15th of a second, your eyes will go left and slightly up (remembering visual.) If instead, they go down and to the right, that is incongruous. That alone does not indicate intent to decieve.
However, if I CALIBRATE by asking you a question whose answer I know, which should trigger the same accessing pattern as the question I want to know the answer to... and I note your pattern... and THEN I ask you the question I want the answer to, if I see the same pattern, you're likely telling the truth. If the pattern is inconsistent, then you're likely trying to decieve or be evasive.
So this paper, I'm afraid, is meaningless. Nobody ever said "if you look up and to the right, you're lying." Actual NLP and the actual research of Eckman, unfortunately invole rather more complicated systems which most people never bother to learn, because they haven't got an attention span long enough to get through the whole phrase "Neurolinguistic Programming," much less the brainpower to read whole books like "The Structure of Magic" or "Telling Lies."
I know this to be true, and hope it doesn't get used as an excuse to profile people. I have a guilty conscience, not because I want to blow things up, but because of an internal religious self-disappointment thing. I have a problem looking people in the eye, and do better at listening to them when they are in my peripheral vision, similar to some autistic child. This has caused me enough worry to not bother entering an airport or approach a police officer (unless I'm about to get up in his face all irate). Someone along the line is going to accuse me of something based on some superstitious belief and without evidence.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo Dr. Scott says the bunk isn't bunk if you totally and completely buy into the bunk! The very notion that one person can reliably "calibrate" another persons response ranks right up there with phlogiston and phrenology.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've had people smile, stare me in the eye, touch me assuringly and lie through their teeth. I've also experienced (as I'm sure most have) the most exquisite, heartfelt encounters with people with minimal or no eye contact at all, tell me the truth. Some folks are really good liars and some are unconvincing when telling the truth. Truth is pure math - lies are flawed algorithms they eventually fail. Time and truth are inseperable.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think the results of this scientific research are reasonable.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI mean it's very hard to believe that eye movement shows you are lying or not. It shouldn't be hard for people to exercise on their eyes to look at top left (which used to be known as sign of telling truth) & lye.
On the other hand I know someone who can look at every where you want and lye as more as possible!
Nowadays most the people tell lie without any awareness and they think the lie that they are saying maybe is the truth, so when the person who are telling lie think the lie is the truth how can other people recognize what it is. I mean meanwhile telling lie is not bad and is very common there will be no sign to reveal it and you tell a lie without any problem even if all the people around you know that. that's my opinion.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHi
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy opinion is as the same as mehran's idea, you know lying is not refers to eye movement, so we can't believe when someone moves his or her eyes exactly is lying !!! for example: you spoke with your friend and then during your conversation you changed your eyes position and looked other places, is it true that your friend said: "he could have said lie" according to this Description you have to know look at every place not sign of the lying.
I can claim that you can not judge people speeches with their eyes.Sometimes move the eyes is natrully.Since you should represent your idea,Even with gestures and eye movement.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe fact is that if you want realize the true speak,it is not a good way to find out.
Eye movement dose not tell you somebody is lie or true.as long as you have a conversation with this kind of people I mean eye movemental people,you will see they said the truth and move their eyes with no problem.
Consequently it's better to avoid to use this way to tell somebody you tell me the lie.nonetheless,you have to be certain that this gestures is their habit and not cheat or fool.
Hi
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thismy opinion is nowdays people tell lie as easy as they drink water.people think that they should tell lie to improve theyre problems.my opinion is people think if they do not tell lie they could not be succeed in theyre life.I think it is not true that eye movement shows you are lying or not.
About connection between eye movements and telling truth or lie, I think it's not completely true.I mean sometimes a person who wants to tell lie become embarrass and nervous so you can see some unusual behaviors from that person.For example, during the speaking that person start to shaking or forgetting his/her sentence or even eye movements.It can be a sign of lying; however, you can't trust these signs and judge people.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGenerally I think it doesn't make any sense to identify the liar by this way.
About connection between eye movements and telling truth or lie, I think it's not completely true.I mean sometimes a person who wants to tell lie become embarrass and nervous so you can see some unusual behaviors from that person.For example, during the speaking that person start to shaking or forgetting his/her sentence or even eye movements.It can be a sign of lying; however, you can't trust these signs and judge people.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGenerally I think it doesn't make any sense to identify the liar by this way.
As my idea there is not an stronge correlation between eye movements and lying but I think if somebody look around,can tell more lyes than someone who loks in other persons eyes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd also it depends on shyness,god belief&also your experience in lying;for example if someone tells lye everyday<can say lye better than someone who is shy & didn,t tell lye much so maybe you can understand he is lying,with his eyes.
Even though the author know for a fact that there is no correlation between lying and eye direction, but I cannot accept it. The correlation between lying and eye movement is considered a completely acceptable phenomenon. For example as long as a child lies, his or her mother can realize it just by eye movement. According to this issue a group of psychologists in Britain did a lot of researches a few years ago. As far as their project was concerned, they provided a very beautiful toy city which was consisted of toy train, a lot of colorful cars, nice houses, etc. After that they were asked some children to close their eyes and sit in front of that small toy city(which was located in a room and all children’s reactions were controlled by hidden cameras).As the next step, children were supposed not to turn back and see the toys during they were sitting in front of that toy city. It is worth mentioning that before children entered the room, psychologists said to children that “you will sit in front of a very beautiful toy city” and they explained more about its nice toys. So children became very enthusiastic about seeing toy city. But as psychologists predicted 98% of children tuned back and saw toy city. The conclusion was very interesting. Those children, who turned back, lied. And when they were lying their eye movements revealed lying.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm agree withe the scientists because their results of that is true.There are lot's of people who trained their eyes to don't look around or look strangely so we can't understand they're lying or telling the truth for example my brother;whenever i tell something,no different truth or lie he looks at my eyes very strongly and I laugh,when he sees that i'm laughing he tell me you were lying but most of the time it's wrong.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs far as I know, recognizing lie and truth is done more by examining the brain, not the eyes. I have heard when you lie, the 7 parts of your brain work. However, telling the truth just uses one part of a brain. Despite the fact that examinig the brain is more accurate,checking the eye movement is easy and with no cost. I personally believe that, although the eye movement can be fairly true, making a decision or judgment, especially a critical one,can be really controversial. When it comes to the crime, the importance of the issue gets more serious.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs far as I know, recognizong the truth and lie is done more by checking the brain, not the eyes. I have heard when you lie, 7 parts of your brain work. However, telling the truth just uses one part of a brain. Despite the fact that inspecting the brain can be more accurate, it is both difficult and pricey. Although the eye movement may be fairly true, making a decision or judgment, especially a critical one, based on eye movement can be really controversial. When it comes to the crime, the importance of the issue increases.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs far as I know, recognizong the truth and lie is done more by checking the brain, not the eyes. I have heard when you lie, 7 parts of your brain work. However, telling the truth just uses one part of a brain. Despite the fact that inspecting the brain can be more accurate, it is both difficult and pricey. Although the eye movement may be fairly true, making a decision or judgment, especially a critical one, based on eye movement can be really controversial. When it comes to the crime, the importance of the issue increases.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs far as I know, recognizong the truth and lie is done more by checking the brain, not the eyes. I have heard when you lie, 7 parts of your brain work. However, telling the truth just uses one part of a brain. Despite the fact that inspecting the brain can be more accurate, it is both difficult and pricey. Although the eye movement may be fairly true, making a decision or judgment, especially a critical one, based on eye movement can be really controversial. When it comes to the crime, the importance of the issue increases.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs far as I know, recognizong the truth and lie is done more by checking the brain, not the eyes. I have heard when you lie, 7 parts of your brain work. However, telling the truth just uses one part of a brain. Despite the fact that inspecting the brain can be more accurate, it is both difficult and pricey. Although the eye movement may be fairly true, making a decision or judgment, especially a critical one, based on eye movement can be really controversial. When it comes to the crime, the importance of the issue increases.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think there is no relation between eye movement and lying because you can see lots of people around you who lies to other very easily and without having any problem. Also, you can easily experience the result of this research by asking your friend to tell lie to other friends and you see his eyes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHmm , i'm totally agree with the researchers .it's stupid. because of there is no relation between eye movements and lying. you know , many people during speaking with each other look at everywhere instead of stareing to their eyes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi guess way of speaking determine that you are right or no !!!
Never lie , even yourself...
Hmm , i'm totally agree with the researchers .it's stupid. because of there is no relation between eye movement and lying. you know , many people during speaking with each other look at everywhere instead of stareing to their eyes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi guess way of speaking determine that you are right or no !!!
Never lie , even yourself...
Nowadays some people are professional in telling lies . even they belive their lies and it makes the problem more hard. I dont know how can we distinguish between reality and lie when the liar actually belive what himself or herself says.eventhough we can't judge about people beforehand . I mean its a logical law which says ''assumption is base on innocence unless the guilt is proved'' and as far as I'm concerned this is a fact of nature and this world that we can't read the peoples mind.the only possible thing to prove a truth or lie is eliciting all the fact which is neccesarry.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNowadays some people are professional in telling lies . even they belive their lies and it makes the problem more hard. I dont know how can we distinguish between reality and lie when the liar actually belive what himself or herself says.eventhough we can't judge about people beforehand . I mean its a logical law which says ''assumption is base on innocence unless the guilt is proved'' and as far as I'm concerned this is a fact of nature and this world that we can't read the peoples mind.the only possible thing to prove a truth or lie is eliciting all the fact which is neccesarry.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishowever I think the result test is true but some people really show that they are liying but not with their eyes,other people can realize they are liying based on their body movments and the structre of their speaking for example if they lie they have lots of pause while they are speaking unless you are talking with a good liar
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this