Truth Wizards

[Ivan Seeking]

Truth Wizards: They Know a Lie When They Hear It

By Randolph E. Schmid Associated Press Writer
Published: Oct 14, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - The clues aren't as obvious as Pinocchio's nose, but there's a small group of individuals who can detect the subtle signs that people reveal when they lie.
The vast majority of people don't notice those flickers of falsehood, but psychology professor Maureen O'Sullivan has found a few that can find the fibbers nearly every time.

Of 13,000 people tested for the ability to detect deception, "we found 31, who we call wizards, who are usually able to tell whether the person is lying, whether the lie is about an opinion, how someone is feeling or about a theft," she said. [continued]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBPZBW7B0E.html

[False Prophet]

The author didn't talk about the superliars, except that they may overcompensate. Do you suppose there are really good liars who know all the same signals, and are adept at hiding them? Do you suppose a "superliar" could fool a "truth wizard" just like some people try to beat the polygraph?

When I was a kid, my dad would say "look me in the eye" and say it. I would look him strait into the eyes and tell him the lie. He bought it, assuming lying while looking someone in the eye is impossible. Sometimes I would lie about something trivial. He may ask, "did you eat the last donut? I wanted it!" Then I'd say no while glancing away, fidgeting, stuttering etc. Now when the important time to lie came around he knows I would display those signals if lying, so I would just hide them. My success rate was about 95%, but I don't think I could fool one of these proffessional "truth wizards" or a polygraph.