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Season 2, Episode 13 “The Whole Truth” « Paul Ekman
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Season 2, Episode 13 “The Whole Truth”

Season 2, Episode 13 “The Whole Truth” – Fidgeting

Foster tells Vic to fold his hands to avoid fidgeting. Good advice because people respond to fidgeting as a sign of lying. It isn’t; it is just a sign of nervousness or discomfort, often shown by innocent people who are under suspicion.



Season 2, Episode 13 “The Whole Truth” – Presidential Example


Foster preps the son how to respond if the prosecutor accuses him of framing his stepmother showing him how President Obama calmly responded when a Congressman shouted “You lie” during his State of the Union address. The President paused, and then replied firmly without raising hPresidential is voice. I often get asked to comment on politicians, but I never do so until they are out of office. I don’t want any taxpayer to complain that I am using expertise developed with public funding to advance a partisan cause. But I can’t stop Lie To Me from doing so, and they did get it correctly.




Season 2, Episode 12 “The Whole Truth” – Reading Jurors


Lightman asks Torres and Loker to watch the jurors to see how they are reacting. There are experts who have read my work, (but not been trained by me) who do just such work. I won’t. I think it unfairly advantages the side that has the money to pay the expert, which usually is the defense not the prosecution.




Season 2, Episode 12 “The Whole Truth” – Sign Of Disgust


The prosecuting attorney tells Lightman he needs to know by the end of the day if Lightman will testify. When he says otherwise he will have to go to the Radar firm — Lightman’s former protégé turned competitor — Cal shows a beautiful expression of disgust.




Season 2, Episode 13 “The Whole Truth” – Sadness Over Guilt


Lightman says Clara shows more sadness than guilt.

It is still unclear whether there is a distinctive facial expression for guilt, which is different from what is seen in sadness. Lightman would probably be basing his judgment on the lack of any attempt to hide the face, with a hand, or by turning away, which some scientists, but not all, believe occurs most often with either guilt or shame, but not sadness. When sadness is severe, when the person is resigned to helpless, hopeless feelings, the head is not held up but instead the head slumps, the chin is down, and gaze is downward or the eyes are closed. When the other phase of sadness – anguish – is felt, then the gaze may be directed outwards seeking help.



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Dr. Paul Ekman's Column; Season 2, Episode 19
"Pied Piper" - INFALLIBLE

This program raises again and again the question of whether Lightman is infallible. Does he make mistaken judgments about whether someone is lying or guilty of a crime? Those are not the same. Not everyone suspected of committing or planning a crime tells the truth about everything. Most people have something to hide. And once an innocent person knows he or she is suspected of a crime, the suspect may conceal and falsify about some matters. Sometimes it is past actions that if known might put the suspect in a bad light, increasing the chances that the police will think they have the right person. Sometimes the lie is to cover up some other misdeed – the person who was in bed with his wife’s sister at the time the crime was committed is not likely to truthfully acknowledge it, but falsely claim to have been somewhere else. Anger about being under suspicion, fear of being disbelieved, excitement at the challenge of outwitting the cops, are some of the emotions an innocent suspect may feel but try to conceal....
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Read Paul Ekman's comments on other events in each week's show in his weekly column;
"The Truth About Lie to Me" by clicking here.





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