# Question about people Lieing. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2001, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831 "2001-09-05T08:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/1 "2001-09-05T08:56:59Z")
My friend said he saw on some TV show, that when people are looking at you and they tell a lie (not jokingly) they will look towards their right. But if they are telling the truth they are looking dead center or to their left. Does anyone have any sites or proof that proves this right or wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/2 "2001-09-05T09:04:52Z")
Well, I know it doesn’t count as “proof”, but I know that when I feel uncomfortable (including if I am lieing) I tend to look left, what do you do? Or do you not lie? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/3 "2001-09-05T09:12:03Z")
well you see the thing is, he saw it on a show called CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Having investigated (no pun.) this Show, i have found out it is a fictional show, with fictional characters. But that doesnt meant their ‘facts’ are all false. But it doesnt make them true. You all remember Double Jeopardy, right? Also, last week he asked a girl a question and “_knew_” she was lieing, she looked to her right, he said if they lie they look center or right. Today he asked a kid a question and because he “_knew_” he was lieing, he said he must have made a mistake last week because he is certain they look to OUR (the people looking at them) right, not theirs. i still have no idea, but i will enwuire with him tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/4 "2001-09-05T11:07:48Z")
People do have different behaviour/body language when they are lying as oppose to when they are telling the truth. This cannot really be used for crime investigation as each persons behaviour will be different. I have heard the ‘direction a person is looking’ theory before, the problem is some people will look to the left and some to the right when telling the truth or vice versa. It is possible to use this technique but you have to calibrate the person first, watch them closely when you know they are lying and telling the truth. My Brother a student of NLP tried this on me and had no reasonably accuracy when trying to tell if I was telling the truth or not. ---
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/5 "2001-09-05T11:19:27Z")
what is NLP by the way? ---
**Author:** ![\_Twitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/3d9bf3/32.png) [@\_Twitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Twitch)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/6 "2001-09-05T11:35:47Z")
People that are lying make what are known as “microgestures”, little frowns or twitchs that only last less than quarter of a second. If you watch someone carefully whilst they are telling you something you can notice it. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/7 "2001-09-05T11:44:40Z")
[Desmond Morris](http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozscience/m/371950.html) suggested that our habitual “lying gestures” (touching the mouth, rubbing the nose, adjusting the glasses, etc.) arise from a sub-conscious desire to stop ourselves from telling the lie in the first place. I have heard about the lying “eye-flick” as well, and was told that the movement to the right results from the need to access the creative (right) side of the brain (because you are making the story up) while telling the truth accesses the logical (left) side. Take that from whence it comes… Gp ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/8 "2001-09-05T11:46:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by _Twitch_ \* > People that are lying make what are known as “microgestures”, little frowns or **twitchs** that only last less than quarter of a second. If you watch someone carefully whilst they are telling you something you can notice it. In your case, your name gives you away 🙂 Gp ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/9 "2001-09-05T12:10:11Z")
I heard something to the effect that people trying to mentally work out something linguistically difficult will look upwards and to the right, but upwards and to the left for something mathematically difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/10 "2001-09-05T12:47:45Z")
Like I said earlier it depends on the person. NLP is Nero linguistic programming try [http://www.nlp.com](http://www.nlp.com) for an explanation. Behavioural patterns are using during this. Such as what Mangetout described, I think most people are the same but some _are_ different. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/11 "2001-09-05T13:17:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gartog \* > \*\*NLP is Nero linguistic programming \*\* Jeez, RAWisSYDNEY, you didn’t know NLP was Nero linguistic programming? I thought _everybody_ knew that! ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/12 "2001-09-05T13:50:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Jeez, RAWisSYDNEY, you didn’t know NLP was Nero linguistic programming? I thought everybody knew that! Well duh! 😉 [sub]I should have said in my first post, sorry[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/13 "2001-09-05T23:58:26Z")
I’ve also seen a TV show recently that addressed this. (It may have been an episode of “Exploring the Unknown” on Fox Family, hosted by Mitch Pileggi. This show is the oddball one in Fox’s lineup because it examines all the evidence for and against unusual claims. Michael Shermer of “Skeptic” magazine appears often.) Anyway, the statement _Twitch_ posted was mentioned on that program. The program also said that law enforcement officers of all types were no better at detecting lies than the average person. The only exception is the Secret Service men who guard the President. They are much better at recognizing when someone is lying. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/14 "2001-09-06T02:02:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grimpixie \* > \*\*[Desmond Morris](http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozscience/m/371950.html) suggested that our habitual “lying gestures” (touching the mouth, rubbing the nose, adjusting the glasses, etc.) arise from a sub-conscious desire to stop ourselves from telling the lie in the first place. > > I have heard about the lying “eye-flick” as well, and was told that the movement to the right results from the need to access the creative (right) side of the brain (because you are making the story up) while telling the truth accesses the logical (left) side. Take that from whence it comes… > > Gp \*\* I have heard the same theory. I don’t recall the exact details, but its something along the lines of where the persons eyes ‘roll’ while thinking of an answer. One direction is for recall, another for memory, like **Gp** said to access the creative and so on…I’ll try to find a link to it. ---
**Author:** ![DaveW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DaveW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveW)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-people-lieing/79831/15 "2001-09-06T02:19:47Z")
**Gartog** wrote: > [@](#): > > NLP is Nero linguistic programming try [http://www.nlp.com](http://www.nlp.com) for an explanation. See also [The Skeptic’s Dictionary](http://skepdic.com/neurolin.html).