Facial Expression example essay topic

408 words
Is noticing lies told by others, really possible, without the use polygraphs or computers? According to James Geary, yes. In his article "How to Spot a Liar", he explains how it is possible for a human to catch small details in a persons face and voice when lying. Just by careful analyzing these features, a person can accurately determine is they are being told a lie.

Here is how... When a person is drying to deceive someone they typically are nervous. "Polygraphs, for instance, measure respiration, heart rate and skin conductive, which tend to increase when people are nervous-as they usually are when living". But humans cannot detect these with much precision. "These clues are written all over the face". Faking these facial expression are hard to do.

"One of the most difficult facial expression to fake- or conceal, it if is genuinely felt- is sadness. When someone is true lly sad, the forehead wrinkles with grief and the inner corners of the eyebrows are moved up". This is something most humans cannot fake. One that can be faked on the other hand is a smile.

But there is still a way to detect if it is false. A smile creates a "crows feet" around the eyes. When trying to detect a verbal lie, there are certain facial expressions you can recognize called "micro expressions". Hey last no more than a 1/4 of a second.

Some signs are a quick shaking of the head or not directly looking at the person's face you are speaking to. A student taking an interview was told to lie about how he felt on the death penalty. They discovered that whenever he lied he "spoke very softly, paused often, and rarely looked his interrogator in the eye". The best lie detectors are officials, like C.I.A. and U.S. Federal enforcement officers.

A new device to detect lies is out there called the verdicator. This devices allows "anyone with a personal computer and a microphone to catch a liar. This device was tested on President Clinton's testimony. It detected that he was "telling the truth, but had high levels of cognitive stress". Meaning he was hiding something. This article by Geary is well written and interesting.

I learned something form it which I liked to know..