From liar's smirk to telltale pupils, your face is the blind spot that betrays you
Whether it's Pinocchio's nose, poker tells or fictional detectives who solve a crime after being tipped off by the flicker of someone's eyebrow, much has been made of the messages written across our faces. They are the vulnerable spots that we alone can't see, but which can broadcast our feelings to those around us.
In reality, people can't be read as easily as popular culture would have us believe. "No verbal or non-verbal behaviours will be Pinocchio's nose," says Leanne ten Brinke of the University of California, Berkeley, who studies body language. Instead, we should look for collections of cues.
People often find it easier to fake positive emotions than negative ones, because they involve only two ...
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