The role of nonverbal communication in detecting and telling lies

This chapter outlines the early origins to the modern theories that guide our understanding of lying as a cognitive and emotional process with varying behavioral outcomes. We show that there are no direct correlates of deception, only clues related to emotion, cognition and behavioral control. We outline the basic clues in the face, voice and body and the usefulness of each as a factor of the situation. In looking at the empirical findings on clues to lying we also highlight the importance of standardizing how and what we measure. We discuss the implications for accuracy and training in lie detection by looking at how our ability to judge lies accurately depend on the extent to which telling the lie involves those very same cognitive and emotional processes that are theorized to occur during lying. We conclude that successful lie detection involves shifting our focus to not just the individual, but the interaction and its larger social context.