Body Language Myths

Prevailing myths about nonverbal communication.

Published on October 25, 2009 by Joe Navarro, M.A. in Spycatcher

The first myth claims that because we know so much

about body language now, it is easy to spot a liar. The second myth, and it is exactly that, a
myth, is that eye aversion is indicative of deception.

Beginning in the 1970's so called body language experts began to prattle that body language
was the key to determining if someone was lying. Both law enforcement officers and the
general public bought into this, and even today, with shows such as Fox Television's "Lie to
Me" the myth continues.

In 1985, Paul Ekman and other researchers looked at this myth and found that most of us are
no better than chance (50/50) at detecting deception, and very few of us rise above chance.
What are often mistaken for signs of deception (nose touching, mouth covering, eye closing,
high pitched voice, et. al.) are really pacifiers that help us to relieve stress. These pacifying
behaviors are employed both by the guilty and innocent to relieve the stress of an interview.
Ekman's work has been replicated many times over and it remains axiomatic, we humans are
not very good at detecting deception, even experienced FBI agents such as myself.

The danger of this myth for society arises when poorly trained law enforcement officers
perceive pacifying behavior or behaviors of discomfort, as I describe in "What Every Body is
Saying," as lying. This often leads to more assertions that the interviewee is lying or more
aggressive techniques which will surely increase pacifying behaviors and thus a vicious cycle
ensues.

We now have enough DNA exonerations to show us that people under police questioning will
confess and sign confessions to end the stress of the interview process, even when they did
not commit the crime. In a majority of DNA exonerations, police officers relentlessly kept after
the interviewee for hours at a time, contributing to stress and limbic arousal, which were
perceived erroneously by those same officers as nonverbals associated with lying. The case of
the Central Park Jogger is an example of what happens when police officers mistake
nonverbals for signs of deception and relentlessly pursue a confession rather than the truth. In
this case 5 young boys served up to 13 years. They were later released when it was
determined conclusively someone else had committed the crime (corroborated by DNA and a
verifiable confession).

There is a second concern associate with this and that is that juries believing the common
myths about lying and deception, often associate (neck touching, hand wringing, facial
touching) with deception. I have heard jurors, post trial, mention seeing various pacifying
behaviors and equating them with lying. It has always made me wonder how many people in
history have gone to prison, or worse were executed, because their bodies were simply
transmitting, "I am nervous, I am stressed," but the jury or judge perceive it as deception.

The second nonverbal myth that still permeates has to do with eye avoidance. During
conversations or during interviews, eye avoidance is erroneously associated by the general
public with deception. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Noted researcher Aldert Vrij found and others have also verified; people who habitually lie, this
includes your borderlines, histrionics, anti-socials, Machiavellian personalities, and your
psychopaths, actually engage in greater eye contact. Why? Because they know that we look
for this behavior and they want to make sure that you are buying their lie. A truthful person can
wonder off with their eyes because there is no need to convince, only to convey.

Eye aversion is both personal and cultural. For instance, you may derive great personal
comfort in recalling facts or an emotional experience by looking away from someone and
focusing on something distant or looking down. The cultural aspect has to do with what we are
often taught. For instance, in Latin America and among African Americans, it is instilled in
children that when they are being castigated or dressed down by an authority figure they are to
avoid looking at the higher authority in the eyes. This is how you show that you are contrite and
humble.

This myth about eye avoidance persists and again has social as well legal implications. In
social settings it is perceived as someone who is easily distracted or who has a lack of interest.
In a legal setting I have seen police officers say to young African Americans, "look at me,"
when the young men were being contrite and humble. This lack of understanding and
ignorance can have mild social effects but it can also escalate into uglier permutations where
individuals are shunned or accused of something merely because they were exercising eye
aversion.

______________

For additional information please see the bibliography below or write to me

through www.jnforensics.com for a more comprehensive bibliography on body language and
nonverbal communications. Additional Psychology Today posts on the subject are located
under Spycatcheror you can follow me on Twitter: @navarrotells. Joe Navarro is a former FBI
agent, author, and lecturer.

                                                        Bibliography

Navarro, Joe. 2010. Louder Than Words. New York: Harper Collins.

Navarro, Joe. 2008. What Every Body Is Saying. New York: Harper Collins.

                                      Copyright © 2009-2010, Joe Navarro  

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spycatcher/200910/body-language-myths