878: Body Language | Skeptical Sunday

Deception Development

Understanding deceptive behaviors begins in childhood, where innocence often leads to transparent lies. Andrew Gold highlights the humorous yet telling nature of children's attempts at deception, noting that they lack the societal cues adults use to mask dishonesty 1. This innocence is mirrored in animals, like dogs, who display guilt without understanding human norms. Gold explains that while body language and tools like polygraphs can indicate deception, they are not foolproof. He shares the example of Anna Montes, a double agent who practiced to pass lie detectors, illustrating the limitations of relying solely on such methods 1.

Body behavior, despite the numbers we can apply for each facial gesture and movement, is even less of an accurate science than polygraph testing.

--- Andrew Gold

The discussion also touches on how people learn to control their body language to avoid appearing guilty, as Jordan Harbinger recalls fooling a principal by maintaining eye contact and confidence 2.

   

Youthful Signals

Children's body language offers a window into their early attempts at deception, often revealing more than they intend. Jordan Harbinger shares a childhood memory of meticulously noting down license plates, a behavior driven by curiosity rather than deceit 3. This anecdote underscores how children's actions can be misinterpreted without understanding their true motivations. Andrew Gold discusses how experts, like FBI agents, need to observe a person's baseline behavior over time to accurately interpret body language cues 4.

You'll get much more accurate readings from body language when the suspect believes they are unobserved.

--- Andrew Gold

Gold emphasizes the importance of context and intuition in reading body language, citing Joe Navarro, a retired FBI agent, who advises documenting suspicious behaviors to identify patterns of narcissism and psychopathy 4.