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RESULTS: Reading Microexpressions: Put Yourself to the Test

A couple weeks ago we published a blog and challenged you to catch a liar by watching 4 videos. Several of you weighed in with your thoughts on who was telling the truth and who was lying after drinking either apple juice or vinegar and saying “this tastes good”.

What were the answers? Find out below!

Person #1: Truth Teller

Notice after she says “this tastes good” there’s a slight smile on her face. Lip corners are raised diagonally slightly and her cheeks are raised. This nonverbal behavior is consistent with her making a positive statement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch it again:

Person #2: Liar

While person #2 smiles slightly before saying “this tastes good”, you may have noticed while he is saying the phrase his eyebrows are pulled up and together creating horizontal lines across his forehead. This is indicative of fear, which is contradictory to the positive phrase he said. Essentially he verbally saying “this tastes good” but nonverbally saying “I’m scared”. This is a definite hot spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch it again:

Person #3: Truth Teller

Person #3 is pretty stone cold in his response and his voice is fairly flat. However, there’s nothing behaviorally that would indicate he is being deceptive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch it again:

Person #4: Liar

Person #4 actually flashes anger twice. Once immediately after drinking the vinegar and once while saying “this tastes good”. His browns are drawn down and together. Essentially saying “this tastes good” but saying nonverbally “I’m angry”. Another hot spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch it again:

 

Remember that seeing a hot spot is not always a sign that someone is lying, but often times are situations where there is an underlying or hidden message. If you see a hot spot and you feel the situation is necessary, you should ask more questions, or find out why that individual has hidden feelings about that topic. Don’t jump to the conclusion that they are automatically lying.

Had a hard time seeing these subtle expressions?

We encourage you to check out our SubX subtle expression training that will teach you how to recognize facial expressions of lower intensity. Recent research even suggests that the ability to detect subtle expressions may be especially important for detecting deception!

The post RESULTS: Reading Microexpressions: Put Yourself to the Test first appeared on Humintell.

Reading Microexpressions: Put Yourself to the Test

truth-lies-deception-deception detectionSo you want to catch a liar in the act. What is the first thing you should look for? The answer are what researchers call “hot spots”. Hot spots are inconsistencies between what people say and what their nonverbal behavior is saying.

For example, if you ask a person how they like your dress and they say “I love it!” but they flash a sign of disgust, this would be a hot spot. What they said and what their body said are inconsistent with each other.

It’s important to understand that hot spots always a sign that someone is lying, but often times are situations where there is an underlying or hidden message.

NOTE: If you see a hot spot and you feel the situation is necessary, you should ask more questions, or find out why that individual has hidden feelings about that topic. Don’t jump to the conclusion that they are automatically lying.

Put Yourself To The Test!

Put yourself to the test with the fun videos below.

This episode of National Geographic’s Brain Games tested actor Ted Danson’s ability to read microexpressions.

They brought in 4 poker players who are known to control their expressions in high stakes situations. Each poker player had two shot glasses in front of them- one containing apple juice and the other containing apple cider vinegar.

Their instructions were to drink the liquid (not knowing if they were drinking the juice or vinegar) and to say “this tastes good” all while keeping a poker face.

Who is Lying?

Let’s look at each individual one by one to see what their faces revealed.

Person #1

Person #2

Person #3

Person #4

Who do you think is lying and what did you see?

Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section and we’ll reveal the answer in our next blog!

The post Reading Microexpressions: Put Yourself to the Test first appeared on Humintell.

The Role of Nonverbal Communication in the Classroom

What role does nonverbal communication play in the classroom? As many children around the country head back to school, it’s important for parents and teachers to think about nonverbal communication and how it influences behavior and learning.

In the video below, Dr. Matsumoto discusses the role of nonverbal communication between teachers and students in order to create better engagement between them. For the complete interview, visit this past blog post.

Dr. Matsumoto believes teachers can think about how to structure an environment to foster a certain type of engagement. He emphasizes different types of environments give implicit messages. 

The Latest Research

Research backs up what Dr. Matsumoto suggests. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology found that heavily decorated classrooms can bombard students with too much visual information, interfering with their memory and ability to focus.

While teachers have good intentions when decorating, many classrooms end up being “sensory-rich” in a way that “could hamper children’s learning gains rather than help,” according to psychologists Pedro Rodrigues and Josefa Pandeirada, who co-authored the study.

7 Tips to Foster a Better Learning Environment

What are some helpful tips to improve students’ executive functions, which include skills like memory, attention, and self-regulation? Read our handy infographic below created with info from Edutopia.

The post The Role of Nonverbal Communication in the Classroom first appeared on Humintell.