The Truth About Lying: It’s The Hands That Betray You, Not The Eyes
You might expect a liar to struggle with eye contact, when lying through his teeth. But a study by University of Michigan researchers suggests that liars may look their questioners in the eye more often than people telling the truth. People who are lying also wave both hands around far more than those who are being honest. The researchers studied 118 video clips to establish the language and gestures used by people being dishonest, including testimonies from the Innocence Project, a non-profit that the handles legal cases of innocent people falsely imprisoned. Around half the clips came from trial footage, while the other half focused on YouTube videos asking interviewees their opinion on films. Researchers established who was lying by the trial verdict (with the exception of the Innocence Project clips), and when interviewees were asked their opinions on films that didn’t exist. Those who were lying were found more likely to have animated hand movements, make stron