Is lying really related to the nose? Everyone is Pinocchio!

I believe everyone has heard of the fairy tale "Pinocchio". After Pinocchio was punished for lying, his nose became very long. Although we are taught not to lie since childhood, lies and deception are very common in real life.

Of course, some lies are "well-intentioned", such as "I'll treat you to a meal next time we meet", "You really don't look fat in this outfit", "I called you but couldn't get through", etc. Perhaps it is difficult to find someone in this world who has never lied. In fact, everyone is Pinocchio...

1. Is lying really related to the nose?

Have you ever thought about this question: Why is lying related to the nose in the story of Pinocchio? In fact, our noses do witness lies.

The nose is a particularly sensitive organ in the human body, with a large number of nerve endings distributed. When we receive stimulation from the outside world, these nerve endings will convert the stimulation into electrical signals and transmit them to the nerve center. Therefore, when the human nervous system works, the nose will inevitably change.

For example, when we make body movements, the wings of our nose usually expand slightly. This is actually a way to speed up the oxygen supply to the body in preparation for the next movement. When we smell a particularly unpleasant odor, we will wrinkle our nose. When we feel uncomfortable or even depressed about the environment we are in, we will subconsciously wrinkle our nose... This may be the magic of the human body, "a single move can affect the whole body", but these reactions are too subtle and too short-lived, so we often ignore their existence.

2. How does your nose change when you lie?

So, how do you catch a liar by looking at his nose?
Recently, scientists from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Granada in Spain used a new method of temperature recording to conduct research and found that people do experience the "Pinocchio effect" when they lie.
Studies have shown that the temperature of certain specific areas of the human body will change with changes in emotions. That is, when a person lies, the temperature of the tip of the nose will rise, and volunteers can also feel that their noses are getting hotter. This temperature change is caused by the anxiety caused by lying.
When people feel that they are lying, a part of the brain called the insular cortex is activated. The insula is closely related to exploring and controlling body temperature. When the insula is more active, the body temperature rises.

Insula diagram

Source: Neuromedical Imaging Alliance

Psychological experts point out that because lying creates tension and shame, the human body's nerves are mobilized and neurotransmitters are released to the nerve endings around the nose, causing the nose to produce a stress response. Therefore, itchy noses and nose touching are common when lying.

At certain moments in life, we touch our noses subconsciously to hide our embarrassment or guilt. But some people have good psychological qualities and can lie without changing their expressions.

Source: Screenshot of TV series "Lie to Me"

3. The “Reverse Pinocchio Effect”

However, the researchers found that when the volunteers gave themselves psychological hints and lost their sense of shame, their noses cooled down again. Therefore, in order to further confirm this phenomenon, the research team conducted another experiment.

Researchers at the University of Granada forced about 60 students to quickly make up lies and complete several-minute phone calls with their parents, friends and lovers, while using infrared thermal imaging to measure the temperature of different parts of their faces during the experiment.

In the previous experiment, the volunteers lied without any psychological burden, but in this experiment, the students were more eager to complete the lie, which reduced the shame brought about by lying.

The results show that when students lie under task pressure, a low temperature area is generated around the nose, but the temperature of the forehead rises slightly. Through specific data, it is found that the former can drop by 0.6 to 1.22°C, and the latter can rise by 0.6 to 1.5°C. Therefore, in this process, the nose will shrink slightly.

Source: Emilio Gómez Milán and his team from the University of Granada, Spain

Although such subtle changes cannot be seen by the naked eye, the researchers finally confirmed this conclusion after repeatedly comparing the temperature changes of the nose and forehead, and called it the "reverse Pinocchio effect."

The researchers explained: "Because lying requires thinking, the temperature of the forehead will increase; at the same time, because lying is prone to tension and anxiety, the temperature around the nose will decrease, and the greater the temperature difference between the forehead and the nose, the greater the possibility of lying." Interestingly, the thermal imaging lie detector detected temperature fluctuations in 80% of the test subjects, which is better than any other modern lie detector.

To sum up, no matter what the situation is, as long as we are lying, our nose will always feel uncomfortable...

In fact, signs of lying can be revealed in various ways, not just the nose, but also the coordination of limbs, the coordination between facial expressions and voice, etc., which can all become clues to judging lies.

Source: Screenshot from One Piece

At present, thermal imaging lie detectors have become the most reliable lie detectors in the world, with an accuracy rate 10% higher than the popular polygraphs. With the advancement of technology, will more facial lying features be discovered, and will more lie detection methods be explored? We will wait and see.