You can spot a lie by watching a person's eyes.According to an old theory about body language, it is easy to catch someone in a lie.
When right-handed people move their eyes up and to the left in response to a question, they are picturing a real memory.
When their eyes go up and to the right, the theory goes, they are accessing the creative centres of the brain and visualising an imagined event — therefore concocting a lie. The theory, dating back to the 1970s, is widely repeated and frequently taught in neuro-linguistic training courses. But it has never been thoroughly substantiated, and new research suggests it is little more than pseudoscience.
In a controlled study published in the journal PLoS One, British researchers monitored the eye movements of 32 right-handed people as they told lies and truths about recent events to an interviewer. The scientists found that there was no pattern of eye movement that predicted lying. In a second experiment, 50 people were asked to look for signs of lying among interviewees. Although half were taught to look for eye movements, they fared no better at lie detection than an untrained control group.
But what about in more serious, real-life situations?
To answer that, the researchers examined archival news video of 52 people making public pleas for the safe return of a missing relative — with half later proven to be lying. Researchers found no evidence that eye movements predicted lies or truths.
The verdict
Research suggests that it is not possible to detect lies based on eye movement.