by Annika Dugad
Over thousands of years, people have mastered the art of telling lies. Whether we are complimenting someone on their horribly mismatched outfit or pretending to be concerned about someone’s petty problems, we all lie every day. Admit it: you’ve probably already fibbed twice today (at least, I know I have). But the real question is why do we do it? We are all taught that, morally, lying is bad and telling the truth is good. We all know that lies can complicate situations. Yet, the average person tells a lie at least twice every day. So why do we lie? And how can we recognize when someone else is lying?
When you lie, certain areas of your brain become more active than when you tell the truth. With fMRI scanners that take multiple images of the brain in a row, it has been discovered that the prefrontal cortex, the section of the brain right behind the forehead, is more active when one tells a lie. In other words, the brain cells within the prefrontal cortex consume more glucose and need more blood when a lie is being spoken. Since the prefrontal cortex is in charge of predicting future outcomes, creating goals, and moderating correct social behavior, the fact that it is more active when one lies indicates that we lie to benefit ourselves.
Sometimes, lying is even socially beneficial. We tell “white lies” to protect other people from pain and to raise our own social status. We pretend to be concerned with people’s problems when we really do not care about them simply to make ourselves seem like a better person. Humans are predisposed to telling lies; contrary to popular belief, sometimes lying is okay.
Where can we draw the line? A lie stops being “okay” when it becomes manipulative and potentially harmful to other people. For example, lying to escape punishment might result in someone else being punished, which is definitely not okay.
How do we detect these lies without lie detectors, MRI scans, and other fancy equipment? The first thing to do is pay close attention to the person lying to you. Telling a lie that could be harmful to others is distressing for most individuals and will affect their verbal and nonverbal communication. First, look at the person’s eye movement. When right-handed people attempt to remember details, they tend to focus to the left, but when they are making up lies, they tend to focus to the right, and vice versa for left-handed people. Furthermore, liars tend to blink and rub their eyes more. What you shouldn’t look for is whether or not they are avoiding eye contact; many liars have trained themselves to hold eye contact. After examining eye movement, you should pay attention to the person’s facial expressions. Usually, when one is distressed, their eyebrows move upwards and wrinkles are created in their forehead. If someone does this, it could be a sign that they are lying, especially if they try to cover it up. Third, pay attention to other body movements. If the person is sweating, fidgeting, breathing quickly, clearing their throat, or fixing their hair, it is obvious that they are nervous and they could be lying. Finally, take note of the liar’s verbal communication. Is their voice higher than normal? Are they speaking unusually fast or slow? Are they avoiding answering your question in a straightforward manner? Are they stalling? All of these could indicate a lie, but be careful when detecting a liar- the person could always be distressed for other reasons.
