Lying Eyes?

"You can't hide your lying eyes" the song goes. But is this idea just a myth? Can you determine what a persons eye movement mean, and whether or not the person is lying? Lets take a look at the latest research.

Much of the research done on "lying eyes" and lie-detecting in general, looks for universal indicators of lying. In other words, they are looking for signs that work all the time with everyone, or at least work with a "statistically significant" reliability. The results of such research has lead many scientists to claim that lie detecting through observation just isn't useful, but it may be that their primary method is flawed.

More recent research has shown that if the researcher looks for signs of lying that are unique to the liar, they are often there. In other words, a man may move his eye more every time he lies, while another may stare straight ahead. Previous research missed this because it looked for an effect that was universal. Suppose, for example, that all the subjects gave clear signs of lying as follows: Half moved their eyes more when lying, and half less when lying. The researchers would simply take this to mean that eye movement wasn't a useful indicator - and it wasn't if you ignored the individual.

The point? Use what you know and can learn about the individual, and you can begin to see signs of lying, whether in the eyes, hands, or wherever. Be careful, though, because all methods of lie detecting can be misleading at times. Try to also confirm the truth of the matter by other means. Do a little investigating, for example. With that in mind, though, here are couple indicators to watch for.

Lying Eyes And Other Indicators

You might as well start with the eyes, since they are easy to watch. Some people really will move their eyes more when they lie. Others will blink more, and some will blink even less than normal. As with all measures, then, you need to compare the person's behavior to his or her "base" behavior, or even better, to behavior during previous known lying. Does he normally blink a lot? Have you seen her open her eyes wide when lying before?

Another technique is to test a person's desire to avoid a subject. First bring up the issue at hand, and see if the person becomes uncomfortable. Then, change the subject quickly at some point. A lying person will usually go along with you easily at this point, and may even visibly relax a bit. A person who is telling the truth will be more likely to be confused by the quick change-of-subject, and may want a chance to finish his or her thoughts.

Perhaps the simplest way to tell if a person is lying is to let him talk. The more he talks, the more likely you are to catch him in a lie. Once caught and confronted about any lie, he may come clean on other lies he has been telling. Ask a few "innocent" questions then, and let the person say anything and everything. While you are at it, you might as well watch for those lying eyes.