The Pinocchio Effect

A few weeks ago I had a meeting with a retired investment banker. We were having coffee in a bar and I asked him a few questions looking for advice on a certain subject. At one point he leaned back, put his hands on the back of his head and stared at the ceiling while answering one of my questions. I remember thinking ‘Why is he putting his hands on his head like that?”.

Then I had a meeting with a salesperson at a large company. As we entered his offices he got up from his desk and came at us with a large smile, a stretched out arm and a ‘palm down’ hand to shake our hands. I had to rotate my hand to catch his hand in the right position. I kept wondering why he would do that.

Then there is the old friend who rubs his eyes whenever he tells me a funny story.

So when I found a book titled “The Definitive Book of Body Language” I didn’t hesitate and bought it right away. I have been reading it for the last few days and it is just hilarious. There are so many fun facts in this book and so much to learn.

One thing is important though: body language is not simple or straightforward. Signs have to be read in clusters so there generally isn’t a single meaning for any single gesture.

One thing I do want to share with you: the Pinocchio Effect

Scientists at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago found that when you lie, chemicals know as catecholamines are released, causing tissue inside the nose to swell. They used special imaging cameras that show blood flow in the body to show that intentional lying causes an increase in blood presure. This technology indicates that the human nose actually expands with blood during lying, and is know as the ‘Pinocchio Effect’.

So one indication of a person lying is the rubbing of the nose to satisfy the physical itch. There are 7 other indications of a person not telling the truth.

I wonder when I will start seeing and recognizing these gestures in my work and if it will actually benefit me.