Paul Ekman And Deception – How To Detect It?

There’s a world of emotions out there. They are all so exciting that many researchers have studied them from many perspectives. The field of psychology is no exception. For example, Paul Ekman goes and deceives hand in hand because he wrote a lot about the subject.

In this article, you will discover how to detect deception according to Paul Ekman. First, however, as a starting point, you will learn a little about this unique man.

Paul Ekman and deception

Paul Ekman is one of the most important psychologists today. The American Psychological Association (APA) even rewarded him for the relevance and depth of his contributions to this field. His most notable contributions relate to emotions and facial micro-expressions.

In addition, he received several awards for his scientific research. For example, the Eureka Award, to promote understanding of science, and also the William James Fellow Award . In addition, he participated in a BBC documentary and was the inspiration for the series Løgner ( Lie to Me).

He was born on February 15, 1934 in the United States and is one of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth century. He was also a professor of psychology at the University of California and an adviser to the U.S. Department of Defense and the FBI.

He wrote some popular science books, such as The Nature of Emotion : Fundamental Questions . In addition, he wrote several articles for newspapers and magazines for the dissemination work. He is still researching deception.

What is deception?

“Deception,” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “the act of getting someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid”.

Now, to know what it is, you have to understand that there are six basic emotions according to Ekman: fear, anger, disgust, happiness, surprise and sadness.

Every emotion is associated with non-verbal language, which is a type of communication that reflects on facial expressions. It happens that even if people prefer to talk, they will also express how they feel non-verbal. Feeling cheated or cheating is no exception. People can express it equally on both levels.

Paul Ekman and how to detect deception

According to Paul Ekman , people are not so good at inhibiting facial expressions when they are excited. Similarly, facial movements are effective informants.

Thus, detection of betrayal is possible thanks to the interpretation of facial expressions. Humans also communicate through other body parts, but the most revealing, according to this author, are facial expressions.

Here are some facial indicators of deception:

• The face may contain a double message. What a liar will show and what they will hide.
• Real expression is not voluntary. Therefore , it is easier to detect deceptions if you know how to identify them.
• Variations in the appearance of an eye produced by the muscles around the eyeball. They change the shape of the eyelids, the visibility of the iris and the amount of tendon in the eye. And with that, the general impression you get when you look into someone’s eyes.
• The direction of a person’s gaze. People tend to ignore when they feel guilty or ashamed.
• Flickering increases or decreases when people have a certain feeling.
• The duration of a facial expression is important for detecting deception. It is easier to know that someone is not sincere when their expressions last more than 10 seconds.

Other ways

False smiles, synchronization, dilation of the pupils, activation of reliable facial muscles and flushing are other phenomena that serve as a reference when it comes to detecting deception.

One can also detect deception through a person’s words, tone of voice and body position. Fraudsters are more optional of their words and invest more in the mission. However, they neglect other things, such as facial expressions.

Voices, pauses, and verbal errors can all help you know if someone is trying to fool you. They have elements that do not support the message they are conveying through their words.

Have you ever had the feeling that something is simply not right in the way someone tells you something? It makes you wonder what’s going on. This is because a hefty part of the analysis of non-verbal behavior happens unconsciously.

In the same way , deception is also linked to lies. To define it, Paul Ekman argues that you must take into account both the liar and their victim in his book Telling Lies : Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics and Marriage .

A lie occurs when the recipient did not ask to be deceived. When the one who tells the lie has not previously warned you of their intention to lie.

Technology to detect fraud

The polygraph is another lie detector, and some call it the “lie hunter”. This device records a person’s body responses when they are questioned. But even though prosecutors in many countries use it, no reliable studies support the method of such technology to determine if someone is lying or telling the truth.

In short, emotions are a valuable source for analyzing behavior. They can manifest or hide in many ways. Among them, non-verbal language is particularly important, and Paul Ekman and his deceptive contributions stand out. What a wonderful heritage!