Most lies succeed because no one goes through the work to figure out how to catch them. Usually it doesn’t much matter. But when the stakes are high there is …
What is a lie? Per my definition, a lie or deceit occurs when one person intends to mislead another or others, doing so deliberately without giving prior notification of said …
If you’ve been following Dr. Ekman’s work, you’ll know there is no single, definitive sign that we can count on to let us know with absolute certainty that someone …
Research suggests that most people cannot tell from demeanor whether someone is lying or telling the truth. Such poor performance is not because lies are told flawlessly. Most liars make …
Micro expressions can occur either as the result of conscious suppression or unconscious repression of emotions. As such, spotting micro expressions (or analyzing facial expressions) is key to learning how …
When it comes to deception and catching lies, there are a number of common errors you need to be wary of. The two biggest failures of judgment in deception detection …
Is it called a lie detector or a polygraph? First created in 1921 by a law enforcement officer, the polygraph machine’s sole purpose was to track moment-to-moment physiological changes in …
Excerpt from Telling Lies A failure to think ahead, plan fully, and rehearse the false line is only one of the reasons why mistakes that furnish clues to deceit are …
Excerpt from Emotions Revealed pp. 213-215 Suppressed emotions versus truthfulness It was not my idea to find out how emotions might be useful in evaluating truthfulness. The question arose nearly …
Take this deception quiz to find out how much you know about the signs and reasons for lying.
December 26, 2018 The world knows Dr. Ekman as a celebrated research psychologist, a best-selling author, a sought-after scientific advisor to Hollywood, and even a “brother” to the Dalai Lama. …
Reading between the lies Why do people lie? Such a simple question should come with a simple answer (but doesn’t, unfortunately). There are indications, however, that most of us share …
August 1, 2017 Number 1: Nonverbal behaviors provide accurate information. And it is not obscure; most people can derive at least some of that information with no trouble. It may …
August 25, 2016 Presidents and Lying Would it be desirable to have a president who always told the truth; who played with his cards face up? Would that serve the …
July 26, 2016 Suspected Terrorists The Republican candidate for the presidency has recommended torturing suspected terrorists. While former Vice President Dick Cheney was known to advocate the use of torture …
June 8, 2015 by Paul Ekman, Ph.D. as featured on Forbes. Myth #1 – Everyone lies. Not so. Not about serious matters, not about lies which if caught could result …
June 2014 Many readers have asked whether Snowden was lying in his recent NBC-TV interview, knowing I have worked for the government and corporations spotting lies by how someone behaves. …
May 2014 The game has changed now that TV broadcasts people playing poker In the old days, not a word was spoken, and that tradition continues today in some venues. …
October, 2009 Feeling Guilty Why do lies fail? I asked people “If you could be absolutely certain that your lover would never find out, would you have a one-night stand …
