Now, you might notice that this research (like most psychological research) was small in scale and proved nothing definitively. The scientists merely aimed to find no connection between two variables, and that’s not hard. We have to weigh these results against all the evidence proving that eye movements really do indicate lies. This is the more interesting part of the debunking, though. It turns out no such evidence exists.
The belief comes from a trend dating to the 1970s, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), a term sometimes used interchangeably with hypnosis. NLP could induce false memories, supposedly. And practitioners said you could distinguish actual memories from induced ones by watching eye movements. People heard this idea — that people look to the left when relating induced memories — and took it to mean that people do the same thing when they lie.
That makes no sense. Let’s say NLP is legit. Induced memories, while false, still aren’t lies. The speaker believes they’re real. NLP claims these memories are stored in a different part of the brain from real memories, and that logic doesn’t translate at all into revealing whether or not the speaker believes what they’re saying.
The best way for telling if someone’s lying, say experts, has remained unchanged for thousands of years: Just see if their story changes after you get them really drunk.
For more on the science of lies, check out:
The “Truth Serum” Was Supposed To Prevent Wrongful Convictions
Violent Psychopaths Were Treated With LSD
5 Criminals Who Pulled Off Major Crimes With Only a Phone
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