This is the easiest way to find out when people are lying to you

It is much easier for our brain when we tell the truth - and it takes a tremendous amount of energy to formulate a complex lie.

Now, researchers have discovered an effective way to use this insight to catch the liars around you naked.

The catch is that in this way you may embarrass yourself as well

Walla!

health

26/06/2022

Sunday, 26 June 2022, 11:56

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Who would not want a truth detector built into the brain?

Liad and Limor are married in a very dishonest conversation (Photo: screenshot, Keshet 12)

Who would not want to have a built-in truth detector in their mind that will help find out in real time when others are lying to him?

Well, now it turns out that anyone can do it - if only he shows enough creativity and sophistication.

In a study published in the International Journal of Psychology & Behavior Analysis, scientists discovered a new and interesting way to expose liars in real time, as well as make it difficult for them and embarrass them along the way.

To understand how to do this, we must first understand what exactly happens in the brain when we lie.

Previous research on this fascinating subject has already shown that when we lie, it requires the brain to work harder, which increases its energy consumption and temporarily impairs other cognitive abilities.

In the present study, a group of psychologists from the British University of Portsmouth, thought about how to use this insight to make liars a much harder life.

More on Walla!

Children who lie to them a lot, become liars themselves

To the full article

For the benefit of the study, they recruited 164 people and asked their opinions on current issues that are considered highly explosive in the UK - such as dealing with the corona virus, retirement from the EU (the "Brexit") and the functioning of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Subsequently, the subjects were randomly divided into two groups - liars and truth-tellers.

In the second stage, the researchers, who are certified psychologists, had to talk to the people, ask their opinions on the same explosive issues and identify the liars.

To give participants an incentive to lie properly - they promised to grill a cash prize among those who would manage to outwit the polished interrogators.

And here the story becomes interesting - two thirds of the respondents were also asked to memorize a vehicle license plate number and half of the people in this group were told that this number would be very important for further experimentation.

Does driving make us bad liars?

The results of the study showed that people who were required to lie and also memorize the license plate number - were much less good at this task compared to those who lied without any other worries on their minds.

Prof. Aldert Vrij, a social psychology expert and lead author of the study, explained: "The study shows that introducing secondary tasks for questioning can make it easier to identify lies - but such tasks must be presented with great care and sophistication."

It's harder to lie when dealing with something at the same time.

Shakira and Pika who recently announced their separation and their children (Photo: GettyImages, James Devaney)

What does this mean carefully and subtly?

According to Prof. Ridge: "A secondary task will only be effective if the person lying does not abandon it throughout the conversation. This can be done if the interviewees are told that this task is very important, or incorporate in the conversation another non-stop task such as grabbing heavy objects or driving a car. ".

Also doing home repair work or chores that require concentration will help you make it harder for your liars and catch them on hot.

In this study, of course, the respondents were psychologists and the class was more stressful than a normal conversation at home or at work anyway, but its authors are convinced that these insights can also be applied in our personal lives.

This is because lies require inventing stories and sticking to them over time.

When liars are required for another task - if you ask them more questions about details they have told you in the past, it makes sense that they would find it difficult to maintain the consistency and creativity required to defend their version.

"Truths and lies can sound equally plausible - as long as speakers are given the opportunity to think carefully about what they are saying. When the ability to think deeply decreases - truths sound much more likely than lies."

So the next time you doubt what people are telling you, ask them to take you for a ride in the car, help you with the housework or just memorize something that is very important to you.

Just remember that the very strange request will also require you to lie in order to reveal the truth.

• health

• psychology

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• Lies

• psychology