Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  I smile when I see movies portraying savvy detectives revered for their ability to separate truth from lies in a suspect’s story. And I cringe when people believe the lies of politicians and other leaders despite evidence from their own behaviour—including recordings of their statements.  Sadly, interviewers are easily deceived. And despite my experience in clinical forensic work, I too have been deceived. We have a vested interest in detecting the truth—especially when we stand to lose or gain from information. So, I am going to draw on some research summarized by Aldert Vrij to make a few points in this post. 1. Eye-contact: Liars do not look away more than truth-tellers. Liars are focused on overcoming the well-known avoidance belief. 2. Squirm effect : Liars do not fidget or move around more than truth-tellers. It takes mental effort to deceive someone. Liars move less. 3. Nonverbal cue mystique : Interviewers (including new counsellors) are often told to pa...

EFFECTIVE APOLOGIES What Works? Individuals and business leaders often find themselves apologizing or dealing with requests for an apology. Most are seeking forgiveness and many wish to make things right. But correcting mistakes is not always easy. Having an affair destroys most romantic relationships . Some partners do forgive and reconcile. Many do not. In an age of ubiquitous cameras, high speed internet communication, and hackers, odds increase that cheaters will be revealed to a wide audience. Of course, it’s not just the spouse or partner who suffers—children, relatives, and close friends hurt as well. Usually the small stuff can be handled with an “I’m sorry” as long as it appears genuine.  When the offense causes some difficulty, reputable businesses make amends. For example, after incorrect ticketing in China, I was moved to business class–too bad it was only an hour flight! Larger offenses cause more distress and law suits are costly. Church...