No Such Thing as "Lyin' Eyes"
By: Charlotte Ames
Updated: July 12, 2012
New research suggests there's no such thing as "lyin' eyes."
Popular belief is that if someone looks to the left when they're talking to you, they're telling the truth, but if they look right, they're lying. Supposedly, the way your brain is structured, when you look left you're remembering, and when you look right, you're making it up.
But three new studies show this isn't an effective way to detect deceit. In one study, researchers analyzed films in which people were appealing for missing relatives or claimed to have been crime victims. Researchers found significant differences in the behaviour of liars and truth tellers, but no tell-tale pattern of eye movements .
Popular belief is that if someone looks to the left when they're talking to you, they're telling the truth, but if they look right, they're lying. Supposedly, the way your brain is structured, when you look left you're remembering, and when you look right, you're making it up.
But three new studies show this isn't an effective way to detect deceit. In one study, researchers analyzed films in which people were appealing for missing relatives or claimed to have been crime victims. Researchers found significant differences in the behaviour of liars and truth tellers, but no tell-tale pattern of eye movements .
Charlotte Ames is the area's only local Health Reporter and brings you the latest medical health news weeknights. You can catch Healthcast on WTAJ News at 5:00pm and her Health Headlines report on WTAJ News at 5:30pm.