Monkeying around with the truth

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Monkeying around with the truth There they sit, the three wise monkeys, one with its hands over its ears, another with hands hiding its eyes, and the third monkey covering its mouth. And of course you know the expression that goes with this iconic Japanese image: Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Perhaps these three wise monkeys have become universally known because they exhibit precisely the signs we humans make when we’re not telling the truth. Psychologists and students of body language (including groups as diverse as human resources professionals and law enforcement investigators) look for these “hand-to-head” movements as indicators of lying.
For example, a liar will often put his hand near his mouth, as if to cover up the mouth and the lie. He may also touch the face near his eyes or even begin rubbing his eyes when speaking an untruth. The ears too come into play, with liars frequently tugging at an ear lobe or actually scratching the inside of the ear. Finally, even the nose can display subtle telltale signs of lying (remember Pinocchio?), with liars often pulling it or rubbing it as if they’re about to sneeze. Some liars wrinkle their noses ever so slightly and usually very quickly when telling a lie, giving the impression that something smells bad (like what they’re saying, for instance). Flaring the nostrils can also be a sign that you shouldn’t believe what you hear. Each of these hand-to-head gestures and actions can be a result of the stress and anxiety one feels because of telling a lie.
Eyes and lies Darting eyes, as we’ve said, are a strong sign of lying behavior, as are firmly fixed eyes. But there are two eye movements you may not associate with lying. First, and this may sound odd, but please do what we ask — we want you to recall the name of the last movie you saw. Chances are in thinking about the answer, your eyes moved up and to the left. That’s where most of us move our eyes when we’re trying to recall a fact, when we’re thinking of something from the past. Eyes up and to the left. Now, we want you to think about what you’re planning on doing this upcoming weekend. OK, where did your eyes move? Up, yes, but this time to your right. That’s the eye movement most of us make when we’re thinking about the future. Up and to the right.