‘Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire’: Spotting Fibs Not as Easy As You Think

It’s easier to fall for a lie than you may think.

A new University of Michigan-Flint study shows that people aren’t as adept as they may think they are in spotting fibs, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.

“We are not as good as we think we are,” Mihai Burzo, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan-Flint, told the Detroit Free Press.

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Burzo and other researchers are working on software that will identify when someone is lying. And so far, it’s more accurate than humans in spotting a lie — about 75 percent of the time, versus 52 percent of the time for humans.

The software integrates information from several sources — including sensors that capture heart and breathing rates and skin temperature; a thermal camera to capture temperature patterns in people’s faces; and other video to pick up facial expressions and body movements — to get results, which separates it from other research. The software also analyzes the words people use to determine truthfulness.

Polygraph examinations are not admissible in court, but the researchers are hopeful that their software may someday be used to determine if someone is telling the truth. It could also be used in police interrogation, bank fraud investigations, insurance claims and at immigration checkpoints.

» The Detroit Free Press has more on this.

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