Social Engineering Blogs

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Can Liars Really Control Their Facial Expressions?

The University of Buffalo has released more evidence that liars under intense scrutiny cannot suppress their facial expressions of emotion.  Recently, the reliability of microexpressions in lie detection has come into question.  ABC has reported on the perceived validity of microexpressions and their use by the TSA.

The scientific truth is that there are seven universal facial expressions of emotion.  These expressions can and do appear on a person’s face as microexpressions and are very helpful in detecting deception as verified by Dr. Matsumoto in the article “Evaluating Truthfulness and Detecting Deception”, which appeared in the June issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

The article cites renowned facial expert Mark Frank, who has spent two decades studying the faces of people lying in high stakes situations.  The study published earlier this year in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, examines whether subjects could suppress facial actions like eyebrow movements or smiles on command while under scrutiny by a lie catcher.

Carolyn M. Hurley, PhD, lead author of the study and Frank, co- author of the study, found that these actions can be reduced, but not eliminated, and the suppression of one element of expression resulted in reduction of all facial movement, regardless of their implications for veracity.

This new study “Executing Facial Control During Deception Situations” found that although liars can reduce facial actions during intense situations such as questioning, they can’t suppress them all.

“As a security strategy,” Frank says, “there is great significance in observing and interpreting nonverbal behavior during an investigative interview, especially when the interviewee is trying to suppress certain expressions.”

An interesting side note is that most of the participants believed that they had controlled all of their facial movements during their interrogations.

What are your thoughts on the veracity of microexpressions in truth accuracy aka deception detection?

Let the Truth Be Told!

Is deceit an intrinsic part of the human emotional condition?

No doubt, it has become an accepted part of human culture.  From the little white lies we tell our kids everyday , ‘yes Santa Clause is real and you have to be sleeping for the tooth fairy to come’, to the exaggerated facts on our resumes, lying has become a part of human social nature.

TV shows as well as literature from the Bible to Shakespeare are filled with exaggerations, contradictions and sometimes bold face lies.   Lying seems to be a lucrative business.

Has a piece of human nature become public enemy number one?  Well, in a word, yes!  However, we don’t just want to be able to recognize deception, we want to stop it before it even occurs, we want to battle human nature and win.

According to Nature Magazine, the U.S Department of Homeland Security has developed a Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST) designed to spot a criminal before they commit a crime.  In essence, to stop deception before it comes to fruition.  We blogged about this technology in its infancy and it was very interesting to say the least.

Similar to a lie detector, which is not admissible in many courts of law throughout the world, FAST measures a series of physiological indicators such as heart rate, steadiness of gaze etc. In effect judging a person’s “state of mind” while they walk down an airport corridor.

There are significant differences from the polygraph and FAST.  FAST uses non-contact sensors and does not depend on active questioning of the subject.  This new device has undergone preliminary testing in an undisclosed location in the northeast.

However, many researchers point out that the “normal anxieties of travel” are enough to raise the heart rates and stress levels of most people.

What are your thought/opinions on this new “science”?

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire!

Being an effective and believable liar can be beneficial in a plethora of ways.

So, if you are not a natural then how can you learn to be a more effective liar especially in this day and age where technology is trying to thwart our every effort in duplicity?

Look no further. Scientific American has released 18 attributes of a successful liar.

According to a team of scientists led by Dutch psychologist Aldert Vrij, there are precise ingredients to a great liar.  They delineate 18 traits to a super liar.  Listed below are the top ten:

1.  Manipulativeness:  Liars are not fearful or anxious.  They are scheming, relaxed and confident.
2.  Acting:  Good actors make good liars.
3.  Expressiveness:  Liars are seductive and their expressions distracting.
4.  Physical attractiveness:  Good-looking people are judged as more honest.
5.  Natural performers:  Good at convincingly adapting to abrupt changes in discourse.
6.  Experience:  Practice make perfect. Prior lying helps manage emotions such as guilt and fear.
7.  Confidence:  Believe and it shall be.  Liars must have confidence.
8.  Emotional camouflage:   Liars mask emotions by feigning the opposite affect.
9.  Eloquence:  Eloquent speakers use word play to buy extra time to create plausible answers.
10.  Well-preparedness:  Liars minimize fabrication on the spot, which is more vulnerable to detection.

The researchers also point out that many of these qualities are inherent and cannot be fully learned (i.e. with ease of effort) if you will.

The full study, along with other studies on deception conducted by Vrij, can be found in the Open Access Journal of Forensic Psychology.