London:
Want to spot a liar? Forget eye movements. Instead, take the 'write' way, says a new study.
Psychologists have long suggested that lying changes handwriting as it forces the brain to work harder to invent facts, interfering with the normal writing process.
Now, a team at Haifa University in Israel has found that the real sign of a liar is in how he or she writes - in fact, they have discovered a series of tell-tale clues in the handwriting of fibbers, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
The study found that those who write lies press harder on the paper have longer strokes of pen and produce taller letters than those telling the truth. The differences are too subtle to see with the naked eye but can be detected using a computer and a touch-sensitive pad, the researchers said.
For the study, the researchers asked 34 volunteers to write two short paragraphs, one recalling a real memory, the other a fictitious event. The volunteers used a wireless pen
with a pressure-sensitive tip to write their memories and lies on paper placed on a computer tablet, which monitored and analysed their writing style.
"In the false writing condition, the average pressure, stroke length and height were significantly higher than in the true writing condition," said the researchers, whose study has been published the 'Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology'.
Experts have welcomed the research. Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University said the technique was promising, but needed more testing. "We know people hesitate more when they lie and some companies already use this fact to see how long it takes people to tick boxes when filling in surveys online."
Psychologists have long suggested that lying changes handwriting as it forces the brain to work harder to invent facts, interfering with the normal writing process.
Now, a team at Haifa University in Israel has found that the real sign of a liar is in how he or she writes - in fact, they have discovered a series of tell-tale clues in the handwriting of fibbers, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
The study found that those who write lies press harder on the paper have longer strokes of pen and produce taller letters than those telling the truth. The differences are too subtle to see with the naked eye but can be detected using a computer and a touch-sensitive pad, the researchers said.
For the study, the researchers asked 34 volunteers to write two short paragraphs, one recalling a real memory, the other a fictitious event. The volunteers used a wireless pen
with a pressure-sensitive tip to write their memories and lies on paper placed on a computer tablet, which monitored and analysed their writing style.
"In the false writing condition, the average pressure, stroke length and height were significantly higher than in the true writing condition," said the researchers, whose study has been published the 'Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology'.
Experts have welcomed the research. Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University said the technique was promising, but needed more testing. "We know people hesitate more when they lie and some companies already use this fact to see how long it takes people to tick boxes when filling in surveys online."
