People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast Can body language actually be used to detect deception?, with Tim Levine
Aug 30, 2022
In a fascinating discussion, communication researcher Tim Levine dives into the complexities of deception and body language. Known for his critique of nonverbal deception claims, he argues that nonverbal cues are unreliable for detecting lies. Tim debunks myths about communication, revealing that words convey most meaning. He introduces his Truth Default Theory, explaining our inherent bias to believe others. The conversation also touches on the flawed assumptions in popular shows and the real challenges in accurately detecting deception.
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Nonverbal Cues Lack Diagnostic Power
- Nonverbal cues like lack of eye contact are culturally believed to signal lying but lack reliable evidence.
- Tim Levine says decades of research show almost no diagnostic value in such behaviors for deception detection.
Prioritize Verbal Content Over Nonverbals
- Avoid over-relying on nonverbal reading in interviews or interrogations because variance is huge.
- Focus more on verbal content and statements when seeking actionable evidence, says Zach Elwood.
Truth Default Skews Detection Accuracy
- People default to believing others, which skews lie-detection accuracy toward truths.
- The veracity effect means accuracy is higher for truths and below chance for lies when people are truth-biased.