I noticed the CZcams "body language experts" all (that I've seen) seem to be pretty Far Right, and their channels will have several celebrity analyzations and then all of a sudden there's a 30 minute long video about why Brie Larson wants to emasculate men with the Hive Vagina, or why Joe Biden's squint means he's going to confiscate our Bibles and busted-ass F150s. What I'm saying is there seems to be a political agenda in that group.
sounds like that's because you don't understand what body language interpretation actually is, (I assume) in reality it's not knowing exactly what someone is thinking based on their body language, but more like they work in levels of confidence or probability based on years of experience. Like the weather people sort of. Not an exact science but certainly not a pseudoscience like astrology and all the other BS. I watch The behavior Panel CZcams channel and they're brilliant. Anyone would learn a hell of a lot on there.
I was diagnosed with ADHD years ago (through 18 hours of evaluation at the Ohio State University Medical center). Almost every behavior these “experts” use to determine someone is lying I do in regular communication. I touch my face and neck while I’m talking, I’ve learned to pretend to make eye contact but I don’t. I will position my eyes at someone’s nose or forehead but it makes me very uncomfortable to make and maintain eye contact. I used to twirl my hair constantly but I managed to stop that at least. These are not signs someone is lying.
Those aren't signs of deception, its just a pacifying behavior. Lack of eye contact can also mean low confidence. A lot of people thinks that this is deception but it really depends on the baseline behavior tho.
I think there is validity to body language, when someone's uncomfortable they might avert their eyes or cross their arms. Or if someone dislikes you they might give you bad looks, there is definitely validity to body language trying to catch if somebody is lying that's a whole different task!
@@mimi-lg8lo yes but like these experts claim of body language is pretty doubtful like crossing your arms means you are being defensive when you are speaking and that means you are lying idk about this example but I heard it in a video and I also thought that this is pretty doubtful because I do it while taking and I am not lying about anything but I am socially pretty awkward that's why I cross my arm
Thank you for addressing this issue. I cringe when people think along these lines because I am very uncomfortable in social situations and so my body language must scream “liar” according to their BS.
Same ! And I have social anxiety and quite awkward in some social situations and it’s so annoying when these types of people who claim they’re body language ‘experts’ say stuff like “by your body language I can tell your uncomfortable around me” … like it’s got nothing to do with them personally it’s just my anxiety 🤦🏻♀️
When somrone buys a bunch of stickers that says "cat nuggets" or "wieners with cheese" they are serial killers. Especially if they are winking and standing on one foot. Too much eye contact creeps me out.
you say this as a joke but I have a distinct memory from when I was little and my brother was convinced I was lying to him about something and he started going on about how he's able to detect whenever anyone is lying and he was telling me all this with such confidence and justified it with "I've seen lie to me."
Many women cross their arms to help support their chest. This also helps with back pain. Just like you mentioned in your video some body language can mean anything, people tend to forget physical discomfort. I’m glad you addressed this.
Dr. Grande, thank you for being the voice of logic and rationality in a crazy world! I truly hope that you remain true to your scientific knowledge and do not change your approach to please viewers, or anyone else for that matter.
I wanted to study body language to see if it would help me to discern dangerous persons. A very well informed person, like yourself, advised me to focus on their words and behaviours because body language is not scientifically proven to be an effective method of detecting much about a persons character. Thank you, I always appreciate your selection of topics, well researched information, and opinions 😊
your rate of speech is just fine. . I can tell you, I appreciate the fact that your talks are not riddled with ums, uhs and wells. It is difficult to want to listen to a poor speaker. I think body language is better able to indicate nervousness or irritation which could then be further investigated.
Well said. I just discovered this channel and I really like the fact that he offers his obviously expert opinion on this subject. I find him to be well spoken, easy on the ears, informative, and downright pleasant to watch and hear.
Christina H. I totally agree Christina. When I first started watching Dr Grande I tried to work out why he is so easy to listen too, no matter what the subject. And let’s face it some subjects such as murder are pretty upsetting. It’s because he hardly hesitates. Nice and smooth. As someone said, no ums and ahs.
Nervousness doesnt imply guilt which is really dangerous to assume. I have anxiety and am generally a nervous person. In fact it seems like it would be normal to be nervous when someone with authority is questioning you.
I actually find this channel one of the funniest. Driest sense of humor with a drier presentation is what makes it so good. Job well done. Highly under subscribed. Some of the better jokes hit in delay that makes one rewind just to make sure that one heard what one thinks he just heard.
Agreed! As a non-fluent English speaker and listener, I love to watch his videos. It's really good to be capable to understand at least 80% of all the content he shares with us with almost no effort!
Thanks for making this video Dr Grande, it always baffles me how many people believe these so called body language experts without seemingly questioning them at all. And it can be damaging to someone when they are falsely acccused of lying due to their body language when they are not, so it’s not as if this is harmless. And like you said, sometimes law enforcement like the TSA uses these body language experts as well, which now only is bad in the sense that it can create a false sense of security but also when it causes innocent people to be wrongly accused of possibly being dangerous.
I know this is an old comment, but hard agree with this. It horrifies me how many people take misinformation from CZcams channels like JCS Criminal Psychology completely seriously. The level of reach that channel has had makes that channel downright dangerous.
I've always been suspicious of the body language and handwriting "experts." I have chronic pain and fatigue, and my expressions and body language might indicate that I'm angry when I'm struggling hard just to function normally. During my migraine auras I have trouble speaking at times, and my handwriting has changed dramatically over the years due to my hands not always working correctly. Things were different when I was younger and could move better, ride horseback, and even took some ballet classes. If there's any truth to "body language," it would have to take into account a plethora of variables about the person, especially athletic or dance training, culture, clothing worn (some clothing is more restrictive than others), and health. Not to be too graphic, but even a woman having her period might hold herself differently than she would at other times. Again, there are just so many variables.
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! I get very anxious when people ask me questions- as a result I speak slowly, struggle with eye contact, fidget, and cross my arms a lot. I can't tell you how often I've been accused of lying when I'm just nervous- which of course makes me more nervous so my body language gets more "suspicious". God help me if I'm ever accused by the police, I'm sure they'd clock me as guilty before I even opened my mouth.
Me too! I have bad anxiety and use to be friends with someone who got paranoid with my body language because she claimed she was an expert and kept bringing up how I was sitting, the way I moved my arm etc. I had to distance myself from her because it got so annoying
Growing up my body language screamed liar. No matter how many times I was confronted, verbally denied the accusation, I was deemed guilty.. It really sucked. Here's the irony, when I was accused and was actually guilty but lied - most of the time I was believed... go figure.
😂👍🙏🤛 I can't remember lying... and getting away with it but I certainly must've had a guilty look when I was innocent.. I couldn't keep a straight face when I was accused of things, I'm not sure why.
Me too, very frustrating.. although mine was more about my speech. I always spoke with a slight, involuntary, radio / customer service voice, which is never great for proclaiming innocence.
Something came back from reading I did in my early twenties. In "Man and His Symbols," the book C.G.Jung put together, with help, near the end of his life, intending to explain his ideas to the public, Jung distinguished between a "sign" and a "symbol;" he said a sign has a simple, single, fixed meaning, like a STOP sign, while a symbol is far more complex and has multiple meanings and must be analyzed in context, over time. Perhaps bodily gestures and postures are more like symbols and less like signs; more figurative and less literal. Extrapolate! extrapolate!
@Dom Trussardi It's to good to know that Dr. Grande has the data, studies, and science that strongly suggest that gestures can't be simply translated. This "grounds" the discussion. If you know people, you can, over time, learn to "read" them fairly well, I suppose; but transferring what you've learned from them to other people will probably prove difficult. People who know far more than I do say "the human brain is the most complex organism in the universe" (or the known universe); so where does that leave us?
Sign vs symbol, yes, there's something there. This and other forms of signification were first given a formal analysis by the American semiotician Charles Sanders Peirce (not Carl Jung).
@Dom Trussardi Yeah, but you can flip that by consciously changing some of your behaviour to make someone read your "im lying" signals as "im telling the truth" signals and vice versa.
Maybe if the person is extremely familiar to you, body language coupled with verbal output might mean something, but if someone is a complete stranger, I don’t think it’s reliable at all. Many of us do very harmless gestures that so-called body language experts would consider deceptive, when the gestures are possibly nothing more than part of our own personal mannerisms. There’s a lot of talk around about this subject, but none have come out with any facts; only judgements. Thank you Dr Grande for giving us a different point of view. 😊
Tell me about it, I have this neutral/resting face in which it makes me look annoyed or angry even though I'm not and people think I'm this untrustworthy or mean person....
Thank you for debunking this concept. I largely communicate without eye contact as an autistic individual, and it drives me crazy when people try to label my natural behavior as "suspicious" when viewed through this distorted lens.
I have definitely had people lie while looking me straight in the eye, this while working 24/7 adult foster care. I had to go verify what they had said, only to find that they had tried to deceive me and hoped I would be too lazy to cross check. This job has taught me over and over again that no matter how good I think my read on people is, the only way to know the truth of something is to check myself.
But when they aren't dumb enough to not cover their tracks, then it may not matter how much you check behind them lol. The only thing that would break everything down is when their lie starts to become too big for them to manage all the details next to their base life.
So glad you addressed this. I've never put any stock in the body language experts. It also send misinformation. It scary to think a jury might convict an innocent person or free a guilty one because they've been misinformed.
not "might" it happens a lot, and not just body language, there are also junk science like pyroanalysis, polygraph, blood spatter analysis. It's scary to learn what the law enforcement do to close a case as a normal citizen
It’s interesting that a story about a woman who had her arm on you and later(vs in the moment) justified it as her forgetting (because we always come up with justifications for mistakes after the fact right) would just pop in your head whilst talking about lying. Quite interesting
I am a highly anxious person and my body language shows it on a near-constant basis. I’ve watched videos of body language ‘experts’ dissecting the signs of lying, and I demonstrate many of these nonverbal signs on a regular basis (solely because of my aforementioned anxiety). I really have zero confidence or trust in the ‘science’ (I use that term very loosely) of body language.
A lot of my body behavior most people believe is deceptive. However most correlates with my generalized anxiety disorder and bi polar disorder. For example, I hate eye contact. It makes me anxious and vulnerable. Another is that I tend to talk incredibly fast. This is because of my lack of ability to process thoughts at slower rates than most people. Again, NOT deception but my underlying mental illnesses that unless I tell someone, they do not know. So, thank you for making this video. It is incredibly frustrating to be judged that way for things out of my control because of misinformation.
@@yungAndreiRublev exactly, unless you're planning on working in the field (and it's getting harder and harder to find a job in the area), you didn't lose much, trust me because I've been there You'll be able learn much more by yourself by doing your own research, reading some books and following content like this (just be careful about which content you follow, because there are a lot of snake oil salesman out there who have no clue about what their talking about; Dr. Todd Grande is one of the few exceptions out there)
I've always found Psych fascinating, but never felt like applying what I would learn in a clinical setting. A friend got her MFCC degree, but dropped out before completing her mandatory hours of mentored practice. She was making more money as a designer and met fewer unstable people in that field. The source of the problem is that schools are cranking out poorly trained graduates who still have unaddressed mental issues. Once these have failed in practice and moved on into academia, the problem accelerates. Schools no longer require receiving 30 hours of therapy to obtain a degree. In regard to curriculum, most schools call treatment of students "highly recommended." Still, I have found Psych very useful and a source of joy in my writing.
@@mattgrele6318 Dr Grande is successful at his career. This is something additional he does. Also, you do know there are very many different branches of psychology? Everyone is free to do what they love. No need to be rude or condescending.
Dr. G..Thanks so much for doing this. I get so tired of all the "pseudoscience" out there with polygraphs, voice analysis of suspect interrogation, etc. I teach an elective Forensic Science class for high school students (also English and History) and the kids obtain a great deal of their opinions on these from the Internet of course. It's good to be able to show them this episode for them to get some "facts." It was fun to watch that TV show entitled "Lie To Me" about the psychologist who read micro expressions to help solve crimes. Makes for good television....that's about it.
I agree 100%. It is actually dangerous both to our justice system and the court of public opinion. If I were ever accused, no matter how innocent, I'd scoff if somebody told me to take a polygraph. I know an innocent guy, later exonerated by DNA, who failed one.
This video came as a bit of a shock to me considering the huge amount of information on this topic out there. But before I got to the end I was thinking that in my experience words were enough to determine if someone is deceptive or not, especially if you compare their words to their actions and see if they aline or not. Thank you dr. Grande for always bringing up interesting subjects!
I have BPD and a friend of mine also has it. We were talking the other day about how we can’t hold eye contact because it makes us REALLY uncomfortable. I can’t say for her, but I know for me, I’m not big on lying, despite the stereotype for personality disorders being that we’re pathological liars and can’t tell the truth, etc.
Your opinion is interesting and surprising. Seeing people like FBI "experts" explain how to read "body language" can be almost persuasive. Simple translations from this to that, or this means that, never seem to work very well; for example, superficial interpretations of dream symbols. ("Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.") Context is everything, and takes everything into account. What you said rings true to me. And the subject is interesting. Thanks again.
Watched a couple of these body language expert videos and they seem to interpret the same gesture in different ways depending on what the creator wants, e.g. "they must be guilty, they're looking down, which is a sign of guilt"...or "they're innocent, they're looking down, which is a sign of sadness" etc.
I see the body experts putting out videos to tell if the celebrity in trouble is lying, but I didn't need no body expert to tell me that R Kelly was lying in his interview. I'm sure nobody needs a expert for that.
I found this video because I was seeking out a voice of reason amidst all the "a body language expert deciphers x, y, z in this interview with a murderer" type videos, which always make me roll my eyes. In addition to all the great information you provided, I would also like to note that many of the "experts" and the videos to which I'm referring, clearly do not have any coherent understanding that "typical" patterns of speech, body language, and outward expressions of emotions vary significantly across cultures and between the sexes (not to mention across various ages, social classes, etc.). There's just so much BS out there and I really appreciate the far less glamorous, but ultimately far more informational and reasoned points of view out there, such as the one you present here. Thanks.
Observe? If you look at the Observe guy and don't start screaming he's fake...there's something wrong with you. The photos of famous people And books about body language? He's a joke.
You can still watching Behavioral Panel, they are real, it is nothing debunked here, just some of those pseudo experts. Btw this Dr. is Psychologist he dont know that much about behavioral profiling like behavioral panel guys and this video is so much general that i lost a little bit trust in style how he is working wiith information. Look at Chase Hudges channel, he debunked this Dr. Grande and another "nonverbal isn't science" experts.
What I get from all of this, is that body language type input from anyone purporting to be an expert is only useful in maybe tweaking your own body language. I do think that this kind of thing helps to modulate your own confidence and general state of mind, in a postural kind of way... like being able to breathe better when you're straight backed, as opposed to curled over and anxious. Helps me, anyway. Great video. A huge relief and just delightfully rational to hear with all this misinformation out there.
blink-rate is so interesting...during conversation, when i have bursts of blinking followed by an extended period of non-blinking, this is *very* telling...the bursts indicate i have gone too long without blinking, and my eyes are dry... it feels so good to get that off my chest...thanks for the safe space, doc.
I think I love you. Sometimes you are right on point! I remember Dr Phil saying something about if a person say, I believe, “Can I be honest?” you know the person is about to lie. I’m like what? I know personally that, that is not true.
I always feel that using nonverbal cues to "detect" someone is being deceitful has a lot of ableism tied to it. As a Neurodivergent person, I fidget a lot because it makes me feel comfortable, and because I have a lot of constant anxiety that stimming helps me control. I, additionally, don't really do eye contact, and do many of the things body language readers would describe as "suspicious", and I know I'm not the only Neurodivergent person who does that. And I know, from my own experience and from what I've heard from other Neurodivergent people, that a lot of the things they do, like, too much/too little eye contact, having an expressionless face, or fidgeting while telling the truth, has a lot of people believe that they're lying. This emphasis on body language and social cues that you HAVE to follow, or otherwise you're deceitful, feels very ableist against Neurodivergent people because it can get them in uncomfortable and even dangerous situations due to what people believe about it, and it doesn't even have much truth tied to it. So yeah, I don't really like the body language stuff, and it makes me happy to see professional in mental health stuff analyzing and calling out if that body language it really is true :].
Well explained! someone who really understand Mehrabian results! The SPOT program had so many problems. I have seen the criteria and was quite ridiculous. You also explained quite well that body language experts claims of detecting lies and deceit are at least exaggerate, and more important, innacurate. I love scientific body language...there is people who really study this field with scientific scrutiny. I highly recommend the APA Handbook of Nonverbal Communication! Great video Todd! Regards from Argentina!
Would you address the Highly Sensitive Person? They are often perceived as aloof, or shy, but those traits are the result of being born highly sensitive. I learn a lot from your videos and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
@@MargaritaMagdalena I think compared tho those not highly sensitive, there definately is some validity. I don't think it's always that way on the sensitive person's part, but I think many perceive it that way.
I remember hearing that the police relied on body language in questioning suspects in criminal cases. They would often decide that the person's body language told them the suspect was guilty. Then they would pressure the suspect to confess, until they broke them down. This created a lot of harm, of course, as innocent people will sometimes confess to something they didn't do. It is now thought that, unless you know the person fairly well, you can't tell much from their body language as to guilt or innocence.
An excellent video, as always. Different types of non-verbal behaviour stem from different things; some can be partly cultural, some arguably from instinct in certain circumstances (a lowered gaze could be a subconscious expression of submission, shame, or just feeling uncomfortable), and of course we have many idiosyncrasies. If I were to take a tentative guess, it seems to me that a lot of people don't like embracing uncertainty and want there to be certain hard and fast rules for things as we seem evolutionarily geared towards finding patterns; this can include topics like that discussed in this video, explanations for various phenomena, morality, or epistemology. I really dislike those who over-generalise these types of behaviours with firm explanations without even having established a person's baseline behaviours. People are too complex for that.
That’s very stupid bc parents are just regular people who had sex. An expert is suppose to be adept in the field. And if you understand body language it’s not hard to counter manipulate.
Oftentimes social scientists aren't taken seriously. I appreciate you as you demonstrate how serious, analytical, and plain smart the arena is. Thank you.
back in the 90s there was a famous body language expert in australia. for the most part he was pretty good, for a hearing person that is. i can't help but think deaf people would scoff at these 'experts'. they are natural experts themselves. since learning a sign language i have learnt some, but not all, of their tricks. it's been very helpful for me in overcoming some of my autistic traits. it's also helped me practice at blocking out noise which i used to have a big issue with
What about federal agents who claim this is legit? To my knowledge, they say there's no one 'tell' that detects deception but rather, they use a cluster of behaviors that they compare to the baseline behavior of the target of inquiry. Many investigators swear by it. From what you're saying here, this common interrogation tactic isn't grounded in science but rather, it's more of an intuitive approach. That's a bit scary lol. Then again, they only use this tactic to decide the best direction to take their probe in order to find hard evidence, as opposed to using it as a means to make a final judgement.
Interesting! Sometimes I get into over-analyzing things too. I can get caught up in it. But it seems very suspicious based. Very stressful. It takes the flavor out of everything. Like when we overthink, do they like me, do they love me, what is love actually, oh .. it's just a bunch of chemicals, they did this, they did that, what does that mean... It can lead to exhaustion. But I understand, the fear and need for security behind it.
Not only did someone close to me perceive herself to be a mind reader, but she felt that all feelings, thoughts, and intentions can be read by everyone unless they were completely devoid of empathy, and not all of us have this magical ability. I'm still trying to figure out which one of us was delusional. I believe you hit it on the head at 4:04 Dr Grande, when you said "what people call research".at 4:39 if I had a dime for every time I heard that I could buy youtube.7:20-7:35 charming
@@blandmitten5055 Thank you for your help with this. It's been driving me crazy and I came to the conclusion that an "empath:" per say doesn't exist. They read you wrong half the time just like anyone else 🙄
@@angelahamon6730 they're so heavy in their ego they never even consider they might be jumping to conclusions. Glad to help, this stuff drives me crazy as well lol u are not alone
What a relief, finally less importance for mister and misses body language. I also thought that the whole body language thing is overly complicated and can be very misleading., so I kind of feel I can relax from studying more of that.
I grew up in Hawaii. I'm 66 years old. Do you know what I noticed even as a young boy? My Asian friends tended not to look people in the eye in just about any encounter. My Hawaiian friends tended to look at you straight in the eye without wavering. And, my white friends did look at you in the eye if you were also white because they knew that if they looked at a Hawaiian kid in the eye, they would get punched in the face. Really. My point is that whether a person looks you in the eye primarily depends on two things: personal safety and culture. Another thing: I listen to you at 2X normal rate. You do sound pressured. Hahaha. I truly enjoy and profit from your videos. Thanks a lot, doc!!!
14:45 - Interestingly, I was talking to a friend who works in the police and he echoed this sentiment almost exactly, and is very distrustful of the idea of profiling folk based on body language. He always said that what people say is almost always far more important than how they say it. Be it contradictions with other statements they've made or with other evidence surrounding the event/crime, it's the inconsistencies and implausibilities in their stories that expose their lies.
I like watching The body language experts to learn & compare, but I rarely trust them more than my own perceptions.....bcuz they often interpret things differently than I do. I've wondered if I should defer to them out of my lack of training or expertise, but it's really hard to go against one's own feelings. I know what you mean about the hand on shoulder-asserting dominance......I have a power tripping relative who does that to me also, but in her case it's definitely trying to put me below her 'wanna be' alpha female status. the crossing arms in my own experience, means I'm blocking others' energy due to my own sensitivity. It's a protection of the heart area....so maybe it's resistance to emotional pain & discomfort? Also meds really mask emotion. I know when I'm my normal self, everything hurts....either sorrow or bittersweet ache...- I cry over every sentimental commercial. But serotonin meds really mask and dull emotion to where it's hard to even cry when it's appropriate. So sometimes I wonder if peeps who have seems void in the past, we're just medicated sensitives.....& wonder even if I come across as cold or emotionally void due to the meds!
I've been reading a book 'How to spot a liar' by Gregory Hartley and Maryann Karinch. He has worked as a government interrogator. They talk about 'baselining' a subject, viewing them carefully in their relaxed state, observing their rituals etc to be able to notice what changes when they are under stress. They also talk about some NLP ideas, but most usefully perhaps about observation and witholding ones own projections.
I agree about focusing on only the verbal content and not the body language. I have actually caught a supervisor of mine in verbal lies and deception more times than if I was watching him without conversation. The average person really lacks the experience it would take to be accurate with body language alone. When lied to enough especially with proof to the contrary that says it all.
Thank you, Dr. Grande, for a lucid and informed perspective on some of the exaggerated claims that are made by various "body language experts". I was vaguely aware that there seemed to be more speculation than fact behind some of these claims, but I had no idea that so many specific and apparently groundless beliefs were floating around out there. It is hard to know what to believe in a world full of "experts" who don't really know what they are talking about.
I wish more people knew this, so many people assume i am guilty because i am just uncomfortable around people especially authority figures. I remember working at a fastfood place and when a cop in uniform ordered something i was shaking like a leaf i screwed the order up twice, dropped it the third time, and then ran away and hyperventilated in the back room. When i finally forced myself to go back for fear of losing my job he was still there he hung around for so long watching me i think deciding whether i was on drugs or something. To this day if a cop drives near my house its lights off and hit the floor and don't breathe. Yet i'm not doing anything wrong, other than being petrified. I also find if im accused of some type of dishonesty i react with so much stress i come across looking guilty. Awhile back a friend said something went missing while i was at their house and i felt like id been punched in the stomach and all the blood drained from my face i must have looked terrified. Of course i never took anything but once again here i am looking like the guiltiest person in the world. I hate that i have this intense physiological response and i don't know how to tell people it's some form of anxiety, not wrong doing.
It is unbelievable that a person can detect a liar by their body language by meeting them for a short period of time. However, a child who has been raised by a narcissist parent and claims that he can read his narcissist parent’s body language must be taken seriously. Verbal abuse when combined with facial expressions and body language registers as emotional abuse that is then internalized by the child. Take away either expression/body language and it still registers as abuse because of association between those specific verbal and facial/body expressions.
The issue with body language reading is making the assumption you can read random people. Of course it is a lot more accurate when it is pertaining a person you have known and communicated for many many years.
@@Jake94cool1 I can read people after about 2 years since I first met them. And I love it. It feels exhausting at the beginning to really register all the details but it's worth it. I can destroy their lives but that's not fun. It feels better to just throw random facts at them. What this doctor says Is very true. You really need a solid baseline for your "AI" to work correctly.
The Behavior Panel is a fascinating group of guys, and most have spent time conducting interrogation or resistance to interrogation techniques. The specifically identify behavior that is different from an individual’s baseline behavior that MIGHT indicate deception, but likely it might indicate that an interrogator may need to ask more questions to determine why that behavior differs from baseline. Basically, I think it’s just another tool in the interrogation arsenal.
Thank you. I was thinking of The Behavior Panel the entire time and how different they are than what he’s describing as a “body language expert”, love this channel but this video felt kind of generalizing.
I also thought The Behavior Panel was an interesting group to watch. I found their views to be somewhat subjective, but for the most part impartial. Until I watched them analyze Trump and Biden. With Trump they picked a speech to analyze. With Biden they used a town hall or question and answer segment with reporters (I can’t remember exactly). To anyone that was looking it was biased. They should have picked the same format for both men if they wanted to look at the same kind of “body language”. It was obvious to me they had decided who their target audience was, and it wasn’t me. I haven’t been able to watch them since, as I now viewed all their opinions to be based on their preconception of the individual they were analyzing.
@@laurab.2564same. I enjoyed the behaviour panel until I saw them completely eviscerate a celebrity couple in a totally biased way. I didn’t even like the couple concerned, in fact I actively dislike the wife, but the bias was so obvious. I was shocked. Then thought about why they would do it, and it was obvious the only answer was grifting off the celebrity names for views and pandering to popular opinion.
I agree that most interpretations of body language is rubbish and can be detrimental to relationships, job interviews etc. However I think some body language certainly does detect deception. Like fake tears from parents that have murdered their children. Dupers delight during the interview. Micro expressions that are incongruent are something to be aware of. I agree that looking at the use of verbal language can detect lies. E.g. talking about people in the past tense before the body is found. I really like Paul Ekman's work. I believe that liars can be caught with a mix of body language though more so through microexpressions, speech content and highly trained interviewing techniques. Unless an interviewer is highly skilled and trained in all of these skills they need to give it up because it just does damage. Also "Truth wizards" do exist. We can learn from them as well.
I think you’re assuming your culture is similar to the other converser’s or if you know that person PERSONALLY. That’s why ultimately you do have to pay attention to the words they say. If they keep on changing their story or it does not add up, then it’s a more reliable way to determine they are lying.
that's nice that you just have feelings or opinions about this, but it doesn't trump the fact that as the video says and the links in the description show, the research tells us there's really nothing to any of that. not sure why you would disregard that just because you like the idea of this.
Some of the best podcasts you'll ever listen to are hosted by people who studied tv or radio broadcasting. The have clean speaking patterns, great pacing, and their voice doesn't go wildly up or insanely low, you can count on hearing the content consistently much like when you narrate your videos. I have issues with fast talkers (of which I admit I am one), so when I ask someone for their name and the give it to me normally, and then speed up with their phone number, I'm forced to remind them the ear doesn't hear as fast as the mouth delivers, and my brain can't catch what they say. I always get a sigh of annoyance, but imagine how I feel. As a result, I'm very calm and even when I have to give someone my info for contact purposes. I will even spell my last name and teach them how to say it since it's from Slovenia.
I don’t like being touched, but kudos for having the balls to say anything. I am a Marine and have combat PTSD and I know that my body language can at times make me seem like a liar even when I am telling the truth. I think when u r severely trained to have a certain body language, it can screw u over in the civilian world. Other Marines have the identical body language so we don’t appear like liars amongst ourselves. We all come across as cold, hostile, and defensive, lol. We also all have extreme eye contact and have our arms crossed or we have our hands behind our back.
I was wondering where the study of micro expressions falls into this discussion. My understanding is that body language you can disguise but micro expressions you can’t? I would be really interested to know. Thank you
I can't believe I missed this video. I was wondering what the good doctor might think of body language analysis, but I had a hunch. Thanks, Dr. Grande!
Muito esclarecedor. Aqui no Brasil, a análise da linguagem corporal ainda é muito popular. Estou adentrando ainda no tema, lendo livros sobre o assunto. Porém, já percebi alguns indícios de pseudociência...
I find the idea of body language, being used to detect deception, fascinating. But I completely agree that it only becomes valuable after completing the statement analysis. It could never be used or helpful alone.
It's not exactly verbal content, but when trying to figure out people. I once read, that when during the course of a conversation, or when talking with people, when they call you by your name, it has meaning. It has nothing to do with the subject matter, it is a show of dominance. I've watched this over the years, from people doing it to me, and me to others. I think it's true.
I actually have been manipulated by this type of stuff. People think they know your thaughts and assume too much. I often question my ability to read others and do not try to make assumptions because I certainly can be wrong and have been wrong
The issue I have with people saying they can read body language is how would you go about testing the accuracy of such subjective claims? It seems like a "well you can't prove it isn't true situation to me. Also there is way to much potential for bias for my comfort
I think the good doctor is reviewing the 'old style' of body language which was too specific and was often very wrong. The new wave has a lot of research and emphasizes getting a baseline on everyone they might want to analyze. They will try to find or interview to find normal relaxed behavior and find where people go to access their visual and auditory memories and then having established that look for specific changes in a specific interviewee. They also say 'Body language analysis to determine guild does NOT exist. All you can determine is stress'. It's up to the interviewer and their experience to figure out what that stress means.
It almost always makes me sick when people comment on or base their conclusions upon body language. There might be correlations between deception and certain behaviors, but the correlations are so weak as to render these methods worthless.
I think you missed it a bit on this one. Some people are successful at reading body language from both a research and practical perspective. The two people I've found that are good in this area state clearly that you have to see clusters of body language indicators that differ from the individual's baseline in response to a question and stop when you move to a more comfortable subject. These body movements don't indicate deception, but they do indicate stress and arousal. They can guide questioning to try to determine why the individual has become stressed beyond baseline. See the research stream of Dr. Paul Eckman and the experience of retired FBI agent Joe Navarro, who cites research but also experience from a very successful career as an interrogator. Both men responsibly stress the limitations in trying to read body language in ways similar to what you are saying in this video.
What is sad is that it is subjective. I suffer from horrible anxiety, so with my behavior of anxiety, people have literally misinterpreted me and think the behavior is because I have something to hide--that I am up to no good.
I trained in machine stenography(court reporting). Instructors/books told us that the average speaking rate was 160 wpm. We were expected to eventually be able to do at least 240 wpm to get certified. Some people can speak up to 200 wpm very easily, and be interpreted easily too, but that both takes clear speaking and benefits enormously from clear thinking, too ... as a listener can muddle through your muddled thoughts if they come at a reasonable pace, but not if your own lack of clarity gets sped up too much. Speaking rapidly and still being understood is also cultural, and a matter of practice. People from New York city, for instance, famously speak quickly, but they understand each other. I lived in Los Angeles for years and those people also spoke quickly, but not as quickly as those from NYC. I moved to a small city and people here think I speak like lightning sometimes. And the older they get, the faster they think I speak. So ... if someone is trying to ascribe universal interpretations without taking culture and habit and age into account, that someone is making big generalizations. There is even the matter of shyness or brashness to take into account -- both can affect speech rate. But that doesn't make a shy or a brash (or drunk) person duplicitous.
Those body language videos that are so popular irritate the hell out of me, especially when EXPERT is in the title. Being an expert on bullshit isn't something to brag about.
Dr. Grande, Hands clasped behind back is the military posture parade rest. People I know who are currently in the military or formerly were sometimes use this position in a non-military setting. Possibly this happens because the people become accustomed to this posture because of their military training. Also it is quite comfortable for standing in one position for a long duration. Even though I was never in the military, I often stand that way because my back hurts when I stand up straight so using that posture helps me less painlessly stand that way. In either case I mentioned, the posture has nothing to do with trying to deceive someone. My point is that body language sometimes has to to with injury and pain, military training, or dance/athletic training. Your videos are wonderful and you render a real service to the public. Thank you for your time and reasoned thinking.
@Dr Todd Grande your video is fascinating. And yet these supposed “tells” for lying/deception are really based on no controlled studies etc or nothing scientific? 😳 That’s just...disturbing. As I can envision how in the wrong hands this could so easily be used against individuals. Everything you said makes complete sense to me. So I hope I’m understanding it correctly. Lol But in a nutshell, body language is not meaningless . Yet it’s not completely reliable either. Thank you for addressing this topic.
I found this very interesting. Like everything in life nothing is 100%. Just like the aftermath of dealing with a narc by using set standards. You don't want witnessing a single or couple traits to give self authority to judge. Also realizing those at high levels of deceptive behaviors ability to utilize this knowledge to essentially be a double agent. I would bet an education in espionage & counter espionage would be fascinating if you had the intestinal fortitude.
As a filipino , I find the analysis of human behavior under the lense of body language very chaotic or far more unscientific , I had read 3 phenomenal books about body language , and even watch their talk shows in CZcams , however there is one a psychologist CZcamsr where he discussed about causation and correlation. Where he said correlation does not imply causation , in the books about body language , there are sets of behavior that indicative of deception, however sets of human behavior is very encompassing , it is like mathematical concept about domain and range , where there is function and not function , thank you Doc. For this insights
The Behavior Panel say they can tell if someone is being deceptive by using a number of observations which includes Base Line Behavior. They are pretty darn good.
When I see professionals who examine celebrities nonverbals it definitely has the same feel as palm reading for me.
I noticed the CZcams "body language experts" all (that I've seen) seem to be pretty Far Right, and their channels will have several celebrity analyzations and then all of a sudden there's a 30 minute long video about why Brie Larson wants to emasculate men with the Hive Vagina, or why Joe Biden's squint means he's going to confiscate our Bibles and busted-ass F150s. What I'm saying is there seems to be a political agenda in that group.
sounds like that's because you don't understand what body language interpretation actually is, (I assume) in reality it's not knowing exactly what someone is thinking based on their body language, but more like they work in levels of confidence or probability based on years of experience. Like the weather people sort of. Not an exact science but certainly not a pseudoscience like astrology and all the other BS.
I watch The behavior Panel CZcams channel and they're brilliant. Anyone would learn a hell of a lot on there.
I was diagnosed with ADHD years ago (through 18 hours of evaluation at the Ohio State University Medical center). Almost every behavior these “experts” use to determine someone is lying I do in regular communication. I touch my face and neck while I’m talking, I’ve learned to pretend to make eye contact but I don’t. I will position my eyes at someone’s nose or forehead but it makes me very uncomfortable to make and maintain eye contact. I used to twirl my hair constantly but I managed to stop that at least. These are not signs someone is lying.
Jenn Righter in a conversation the person listening tends to look at the speaker, whereas contact comes and goes for the actual speaker
That's what baseline is for. If you do something regularly, it won't be taken into account
Exactly some of these Dr's are making up bull shit I passed multiple lie dector test
Those aren't signs of deception, its just a pacifying behavior. Lack of eye contact can also mean low confidence. A lot of people thinks that this is deception but it really depends on the baseline behavior tho.
I'm diagnosed with ADHD and ASD and I feel ya!
It's nice to know that body language is not scientifically supported because I have also felt doubtful about its validity.
I think there is validity to body language, when someone's uncomfortable they might avert their eyes or cross their arms. Or if someone dislikes you they might give you bad looks, there is definitely validity to body language trying to catch if somebody is lying that's a whole different task!
@@mimi-lg8lo yes but like these experts claim of body language is pretty doubtful like crossing your arms means you are being defensive when you are speaking and that means you are lying idk about this example but I heard it in a video and I also thought that this is pretty doubtful because I do it while taking and I am not lying about anything but I am socially pretty awkward that's why I cross my arm
@@mimi-lg8lo I am really sorry but I just repeated your point so no need to read it
@@nickker12 socially awkward haha.
and there are a lot of conflict of interest, all the "body language experts" are also the accuser trying to convict someone
Thank you for addressing this issue. I cringe when people think along these lines because I am very uncomfortable in social situations and so my body language must scream “liar” according to their BS.
Same ! And I have social anxiety and quite awkward in some social situations and it’s so annoying when these types of people who claim they’re body language ‘experts’ say stuff like “by your body language I can tell your uncomfortable around me” … like it’s got nothing to do with them personally it’s just my anxiety 🤦🏻♀️
When somebody tugs on their ear, it's an indication that Carol Burnett is saying goodnight to her mother.
Awesome
@ScienceFraction I heard it was to her kids to go to bed. 😂
@@RebeccaGallin you heard wrong. It was a signal to her grandmother. She mentions it in several interviews.
@@richardvinsen2385 you prob right I just remember someone saying it. I was very young when she was on so that's what I remembered. Ty for the info!!
When somrone buys a bunch of stickers that says "cat nuggets" or "wieners with cheese" they are serial killers. Especially if they are winking and standing on one foot. Too much eye contact creeps me out.
I'm an expert too. I watched the "lie to me" series a million times.
lol
you say this as a joke but I have a distinct memory from when I was little and my brother was convinced I was lying to him about something and he started going on about how he's able to detect whenever anyone is lying and he was telling me all this with such confidence and justified it with "I've seen lie to me."
Me too!!😂
My ex really believed she could “read all lies” because of that show lol. Turns out she was the liar 😂🤷♂️
@T Hopkins the irony is that her statement is a lie itself 😂 glad you’re out of there!
Many women cross their arms to help support their chest. This also helps with back pain. Just like you mentioned in your video some body language can mean anything, people tend to forget physical discomfort. I’m glad you addressed this.
Dr. Grande, thank you for being the voice of logic and rationality in a crazy world! I truly hope that you remain true to your scientific knowledge and do not change your approach to please viewers, or anyone else for that matter.
2 years later and I’d say he’s still very logical rational and quite funny 😊
I wanted to study body language to see if it would help me to discern dangerous persons. A very well informed person, like yourself, advised me to focus on their words and behaviours because body language is not scientifically proven to be an effective method of detecting much about a persons character. Thank you, I always appreciate your selection of topics, well researched information, and opinions 😊
You are most welcome!
Hey you got a reply! Very awesome!!
Good call. A dangerous person would be hard to spot but in the contrary victims are very easy to spot for a dangerous person by how they walk.
@@captaron By how they walk? Could you elaborate on this, sounds interesting 🤔
@@dianaboughner7977 Good posture, purposeful stride, visual awareness & alertness make for poor prey.
your rate of speech is just fine. . I can tell you, I appreciate the fact that your talks are not riddled with ums, uhs and wells. It is difficult to want to listen to a poor speaker. I think body language is better able to indicate nervousness or irritation which could then be further investigated.
Well said. I just discovered this channel and I really like the fact that he offers his obviously expert opinion on this subject. I find him to be well spoken, easy on the ears, informative, and downright pleasant to watch and hear.
Christina H. I totally agree Christina. When I first started watching Dr Grande I tried to work out why he is so easy to listen too, no matter what the subject. And let’s face it some subjects such as murder are pretty upsetting. It’s because he hardly hesitates. Nice and smooth. As someone said, no ums and ahs.
Nervousness doesnt imply guilt which is really dangerous to assume. I have anxiety and am generally a nervous person. In fact it seems like it would be normal to be nervous when someone with authority is questioning you.
I actually find this channel one of the funniest. Driest sense of humor with a drier presentation is what makes it so good. Job well done. Highly under subscribed. Some of the better jokes hit in delay that makes one rewind just to make sure that one heard what one thinks he just heard.
Agreed!
As a non-fluent English speaker and listener, I love to watch his videos. It's really good to be capable to understand at least 80% of all the content he shares with us with almost no effort!
There are no experts on body language because body language can be misleading or isn't always accurate of how someone feels.
Thanks for making this video Dr Grande, it always baffles me how many people believe these so called body language experts without seemingly questioning them at all. And it can be damaging to someone when they are falsely acccused of lying due to their body language when they are not, so it’s not as if this is harmless. And like you said, sometimes law enforcement like the TSA uses these body language experts as well, which now only is bad in the sense that it can create a false sense of security but also when it causes innocent people to be wrongly accused of possibly being dangerous.
I know this is an old comment, but hard agree with this. It horrifies me how many people take misinformation from CZcams channels like JCS Criminal Psychology completely seriously. The level of reach that channel has had makes that channel downright dangerous.
I've always been suspicious of the body language and handwriting "experts." I have chronic pain and fatigue, and my expressions and body language might indicate that I'm angry when I'm struggling hard just to function normally. During my migraine auras I have trouble speaking at times, and my handwriting has changed dramatically over the years due to my hands not always working correctly. Things were different when I was younger and could move better, ride horseback, and even took some ballet classes. If there's any truth to "body language," it would have to take into account a plethora of variables about the person, especially athletic or dance training, culture, clothing worn (some clothing is more restrictive than others), and health. Not to be too graphic, but even a woman having her period might hold herself differently than she would at other times. Again, there are just so many variables.
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! I get very anxious when people ask me questions- as a result I speak slowly, struggle with eye contact, fidget, and cross my arms a lot. I can't tell you how often I've been accused of lying when I'm just nervous- which of course makes me more nervous so my body language gets more "suspicious". God help me if I'm ever accused by the police, I'm sure they'd clock me as guilty before I even opened my mouth.
Me too! I have bad anxiety and use to be friends with someone who got paranoid with my body language because she claimed she was an expert and kept bringing up how I was sitting, the way I moved my arm etc. I had to distance myself from her because it got so annoying
Growing up my body language screamed liar. No matter how many times I was confronted, verbally denied the accusation, I was deemed guilty.. It really sucked.
Here's the irony, when I was accused and was actually guilty but lied - most of the time I was believed... go figure.
😂👍🙏🤛 I can't remember lying... and getting away with it but I certainly must've had a guilty look when I was innocent.. I couldn't keep a straight face when I was accused of things, I'm not sure why.
Kasandra I always look guilty
Me too, very frustrating.. although mine was more about my speech. I always spoke with a slight, involuntary, radio / customer service voice, which is never great for proclaiming innocence.
I had people calling me out for being on molly when i was completely sober.
@Johnny Kush lol that’s soo random
Something came back from reading I did in my early twenties. In "Man and His Symbols," the book C.G.Jung put together, with help, near the end of his life, intending to explain his ideas to the public, Jung distinguished between a "sign" and a "symbol;" he said a sign has a simple, single, fixed meaning, like a STOP sign, while a symbol is far more complex and has multiple meanings and must be analyzed in context, over time.
Perhaps bodily gestures and postures are more like symbols and less like signs; more figurative and less literal. Extrapolate! extrapolate!
@Dom Trussardi
It's to good to know that Dr. Grande has the data, studies, and science that strongly suggest that gestures can't be simply translated. This "grounds" the discussion. If you know people, you can, over time, learn to "read" them fairly well, I suppose; but transferring what you've learned from them to other people will probably prove difficult. People who know far more than I do say "the human brain is the most complex organism in the universe" (or the known universe); so where does that leave us?
@Dom Trussardi
More to your point:
Never lie to women. Always listen carefully to everything they say.
@Dom Trussardi
Thanks.
Sign vs symbol, yes, there's something there. This and other forms of signification were first given a formal analysis by the American semiotician Charles Sanders Peirce (not Carl Jung).
@Dom Trussardi Yeah, but you can flip that by consciously changing some of your behaviour to make someone read your "im lying" signals as "im telling the truth" signals and vice versa.
Maybe if the person is extremely familiar to you, body language coupled with verbal output might mean something, but if someone is a complete stranger, I don’t think it’s reliable at all. Many of us do very harmless gestures that so-called body language experts would consider deceptive, when the gestures are possibly nothing more than part of our own personal mannerisms. There’s a lot of talk around about this subject, but none have come out with any facts; only judgements. Thank you Dr Grande for giving us a different point of view. 😊
Tell me about it, I have this neutral/resting face in which it makes me look annoyed or angry even though I'm not and people think I'm this untrustworthy or mean person....
Thank you for debunking this concept. I largely communicate without eye contact as an autistic individual, and it drives me crazy when people try to label my natural behavior as "suspicious" when viewed through this distorted lens.
I have definitely had people lie while looking me straight in the eye, this while working 24/7 adult foster care. I had to go verify what they had said, only to find that they had tried to deceive me and hoped I would be too lazy to cross check. This job has taught me over and over again that no matter how good I think my read on people is, the only way to know the truth of something is to check myself.
i sometimes lie when directly staring someone down, but also when not looking. I dont see your point.
But when they aren't dumb enough to not cover their tracks, then it may not matter how much you check behind them lol. The only thing that would break everything down is when their lie starts to become too big for them to manage all the details next to their base life.
what is adult foster care?
obviously you missed the que where their pinky toe was pointing outward when they were lying
So glad you addressed this. I've never put any stock in the body language experts. It also send misinformation. It scary to think a jury might convict an innocent person or free a guilty one because they've been misinformed.
not "might" it happens a lot, and not just body language, there are also junk science like pyroanalysis, polygraph, blood spatter analysis. It's scary to learn what the law enforcement do to close a case as a normal citizen
Thank you, for debunking parlour games disguised as pseudoscience.
I hate this pseudoscience in particular with a lot of passion😅
You mean "disguised as science"?
@@MargaritaMagdalena --- Yes. Thanks, for the correction.
@@rafaelalemos9451 Same here
It’s interesting that a story about a woman who had her arm on you and later(vs in the moment) justified it as her forgetting (because we always come up with justifications for mistakes after the fact right) would just pop in your head whilst talking about lying. Quite interesting
I am a highly anxious person and my body language shows it on a near-constant basis. I’ve watched videos of body language ‘experts’ dissecting the signs of lying, and I demonstrate many of these nonverbal signs on a regular basis (solely because of my aforementioned anxiety). I really have zero confidence or trust in the ‘science’ (I use that term very loosely) of body language.
A lot of my body behavior most people believe is deceptive. However most correlates with my generalized anxiety disorder and bi polar disorder. For example, I hate eye contact. It makes me anxious and vulnerable. Another is that I tend to talk incredibly fast. This is because of my lack of ability to process thoughts at slower rates than most people. Again, NOT deception but my underlying mental illnesses that unless I tell someone, they do not know. So, thank you for making this video. It is incredibly frustrating to be judged that way for things out of my control because of misinformation.
You make me regret moving out of a psychology major.
It's good u changed major, there are no jobs in psy, why u think this dude been is on ugtube
@@yungAndreiRublev exactly, unless you're planning on working in the field (and it's getting harder and harder to find a job in the area), you didn't lose much, trust me because I've been there
You'll be able learn much more by yourself by doing your own research, reading some books and following content like this (just be careful about which content you follow, because there are a lot of snake oil salesman out there who have no clue about what their talking about; Dr. Todd Grande is one of the few exceptions out there)
I've always found Psych fascinating, but never felt like applying what I would learn in a clinical setting. A friend got her MFCC degree, but dropped out before completing her mandatory hours of mentored practice. She was making more money as a designer and met fewer unstable people in that field. The source of the problem is that schools are cranking out poorly trained graduates who still have unaddressed mental issues. Once these have failed in practice and moved on into academia, the problem accelerates. Schools no longer require receiving 30 hours of therapy to obtain a degree. In regard to curriculum, most schools call treatment of students "highly recommended."
Still, I have found Psych very useful and a source of joy in my writing.
@@filipefigueiredo9847 Exactly right.
@@mattgrele6318 Dr Grande is successful at his career. This is something additional he does. Also, you do know there are very many different branches of psychology? Everyone is free to do what they love. No need to be rude or condescending.
Dr. G..Thanks so much for doing this. I get so tired of all the "pseudoscience" out there with polygraphs, voice analysis of suspect interrogation, etc. I teach an elective Forensic Science class for high school students (also English and History) and the kids obtain a great deal of their opinions on these from the Internet of course. It's good to be able to show them this episode for them to get some "facts." It was fun to watch that TV show entitled "Lie To Me" about the psychologist who read micro expressions to help solve crimes. Makes for good television....that's about it.
I agree 100%. It is actually dangerous both to our justice system and the court of public opinion. If I were ever accused, no matter how innocent, I'd scoff if somebody told me to take a polygraph. I know an innocent guy, later exonerated by DNA, who failed one.
Best part is the video is the story of the colleague who puts the hand in his shoulder for 4-5 seconds 😂😂😂
😍😂
Metoo
That would make me uncomfortable too.
it could have been a come-on that didn't work out. she gave a bail-out excuse.
The colleague put their hand IN his shoulder? I don't remember hearing THAT part!
This video came as a bit of a shock to me considering the huge amount of information on this topic out there. But before I got to the end I was thinking that in my experience words were enough to determine if someone is deceptive or not, especially if you compare their words to their actions and see if they aline or not. Thank you dr. Grande for always bringing up interesting subjects!
I have BPD and a friend of mine also has it. We were talking the other day about how we can’t hold eye contact because it makes us REALLY uncomfortable. I can’t say for her, but I know for me, I’m not big on lying, despite the stereotype for personality disorders being that we’re pathological liars and can’t tell the truth, etc.
A lot of times I feel physically unstable if I don't cross my arms, so I don't think it means much when I cross my arms.
My father was in WWII. It was not unusual to see him standing “at ease” when he was talking to others. It was his default stance. I miss him.
have you tried yelling "atteeeeeention" at him
Very educational, Doctor. Thank you. I've had my doubts about the 'body language experts.'
Your opinion is interesting and surprising. Seeing people like FBI "experts" explain how to read "body language" can be almost persuasive.
Simple translations from this to that, or this means that, never seem to work very well; for example, superficial interpretations of dream symbols. ("Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.") Context is everything, and takes everything into account.
What you said rings true to me. And the subject is interesting.
Thanks again.
Watched a couple of these body language expert videos and they seem to interpret the same gesture in different ways depending on what the creator wants, e.g. "they must be guilty, they're looking down, which is a sign of guilt"...or "they're innocent, they're looking down, which is a sign of sadness" etc.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video!!! I'm so sick of arguing with people about that!!! Thumbs uuuuuuup
I see the body experts putting out videos to tell if the celebrity in trouble is lying, but I didn't need no body expert to tell me that R Kelly was lying in his interview. I'm sure nobody needs a expert for that.
I found this video because I was seeking out a voice of reason amidst all the "a body language expert deciphers x, y, z in this interview with a murderer" type videos, which always make me roll my eyes. In addition to all the great information you provided, I would also like to note that many of the "experts" and the videos to which I'm referring, clearly do not have any coherent understanding that "typical" patterns of speech, body language, and outward expressions of emotions vary significantly across cultures and between the sexes (not to mention across various ages, social classes, etc.). There's just so much BS out there and I really appreciate the far less glamorous, but ultimately far more informational and reasoned points of view out there, such as the one you present here. Thanks.
Very interesting. It’s refreshing to hear scientific explanations that expose flaws that could be fixed.
Curse you, Dr. Grande! You just debunked/ruined all my favourite TV shows! 😡😉😄
The Mentalist and Lie to Me? 😄
Those are designed for entertainment.
Observe? If you look at the Observe guy and don't start screaming he's fake...there's something wrong with you. The photos of famous people And books about body language? He's a joke.
You can still watching Behavioral Panel, they are real, it is nothing debunked here, just some of those pseudo experts. Btw this Dr. is Psychologist he dont know that much about behavioral profiling like behavioral panel guys and this video is so much general that i lost a little bit trust in style how he is working wiith information. Look at Chase Hudges channel, he debunked this Dr. Grande and another "nonverbal isn't science" experts.
What I get from all of this, is that body language type input from anyone purporting to be an expert is only useful in maybe tweaking your own body language. I do think that this kind of thing helps to modulate your own confidence and general state of mind, in a postural kind of way... like being able to breathe better when you're straight backed, as opposed to curled over and anxious. Helps me, anyway. Great video. A huge relief and just delightfully rational to hear with all this misinformation out there.
blink-rate is so interesting...during conversation, when i have bursts of blinking followed by an extended period of non-blinking, this is *very* telling...the bursts indicate i have gone too long without blinking, and my eyes are dry... it feels so good to get that off my chest...thanks for the safe space, doc.
I think I love you. Sometimes you are right on point! I remember Dr Phil saying something about if a person say, I believe, “Can I be honest?” you know the person is about to lie. I’m like what? I know personally that, that is not true.
I always feel that using nonverbal cues to "detect" someone is being deceitful has a lot of ableism tied to it. As a Neurodivergent person, I fidget a lot because it makes me feel comfortable, and because I have a lot of constant anxiety that stimming helps me control. I, additionally, don't really do eye contact, and do many of the things body language readers would describe as "suspicious", and I know I'm not the only Neurodivergent person who does that. And I know, from my own experience and from what I've heard from other Neurodivergent people, that a lot of the things they do, like, too much/too little eye contact, having an expressionless face, or fidgeting while telling the truth, has a lot of people believe that they're lying. This emphasis on body language and social cues that you HAVE to follow, or otherwise you're deceitful, feels very ableist against Neurodivergent people because it can get them in uncomfortable and even dangerous situations due to what people believe about it, and it doesn't even have much truth tied to it. So yeah, I don't really like the body language stuff, and it makes me happy to see professional in mental health stuff analyzing and calling out if that body language it really is true :].
Well explained! someone who really understand Mehrabian results!
The SPOT program had so many problems. I have seen the criteria and was quite ridiculous. You also explained quite well that body language experts claims of detecting lies and deceit are
at least exaggerate, and more important, innacurate.
I love scientific body language...there is people who really study this field with scientific scrutiny. I highly recommend the APA Handbook of Nonverbal Communication!
Great video Todd! Regards from Argentina!
Would you address the Highly Sensitive Person? They are often perceived as aloof, or shy, but those traits are the result of being born highly sensitive.
I learn a lot from your videos and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I don't think sensitive people necessarily act "shy" or "aloof"
@@MargaritaMagdalena I think compared tho those not highly sensitive, there definately is some validity. I don't think it's always that way on the sensitive person's part, but I think many perceive it that way.
I like it when you tell personal examples. It helps us get to know you. More please
I remember hearing that the police relied on body language in questioning suspects in criminal cases. They would often decide that the person's body language told them the suspect was guilty. Then they would pressure the suspect to confess, until they broke them down. This created a lot of harm, of course, as innocent people will sometimes confess to something they didn't do. It is now thought that, unless you know the person fairly well, you can't tell much from their body language as to guilt or innocence.
An excellent video, as always. Different types of non-verbal behaviour stem from different things; some can be partly cultural, some arguably from instinct in certain circumstances (a lowered gaze could be a subconscious expression of submission, shame, or just feeling uncomfortable), and of course we have many idiosyncrasies.
If I were to take a tentative guess, it seems to me that a lot of people don't like embracing uncertainty and want there to be certain hard and fast rules for things as we seem evolutionarily geared towards finding patterns; this can include topics like that discussed in this video, explanations for various phenomena, morality, or epistemology.
I really dislike those who over-generalise these types of behaviours with firm explanations without even having established a person's baseline behaviours. People are too complex for that.
You should tell this to Judge Judy, LOL.
short answer NO
used to lie to my parents all the time and get away with it
if they cant tell no way the "experts" can
"My little Jeffrey would never have sex with, murder, have sex again with, chop up, and eat young boys!"
- Mrs Dahmer 1991
Your parents aren’t experts. A parent doesn’t always have that ability.
That’s very stupid bc parents are just regular people who had sex. An expert is suppose to be adept in the field. And if you understand body language it’s not hard to counter manipulate.
@@generalleenknassknotretire9180 😵🔫
Kasandra
🤤👈
Oftentimes social scientists aren't taken seriously. I appreciate you as you demonstrate how serious, analytical, and plain smart the arena is. Thank you.
back in the 90s there was a famous body language expert in australia. for the most part he was pretty good, for a hearing person that is. i can't help but think deaf people would scoff at these 'experts'. they are natural experts themselves. since learning a sign language i have learnt some, but not all, of their tricks. it's been very helpful for me in overcoming some of my autistic traits. it's also helped me practice at blocking out noise which i used to have a big issue with
What about federal agents who claim this is legit? To my knowledge, they say there's no one 'tell' that detects deception but rather, they use a cluster of behaviors that they compare to the baseline behavior of the target of inquiry. Many investigators swear by it. From what you're saying here, this common interrogation tactic isn't grounded in science but rather, it's more of an intuitive approach. That's a bit scary lol. Then again, they only use this tactic to decide the best direction to take their probe in order to find hard evidence, as opposed to using it as a means to make a final judgement.
Interesting!
Sometimes I get into over-analyzing things too.
I can get caught up in it.
But it seems very suspicious based.
Very stressful.
It takes the flavor out of everything.
Like when we overthink, do they like me, do they love me, what is love actually, oh .. it's just a bunch of chemicals, they did this, they did that, what does that mean...
It can lead to exhaustion.
But I understand, the fear and need for security behind it.
Not only did someone close to me perceive herself to be a mind reader, but she felt that all feelings, thoughts, and intentions can be read by everyone unless they were completely devoid of empathy, and not all of us have this magical ability. I'm still trying to figure out which one of us was delusional. I believe you hit it on the head at 4:04 Dr Grande, when you said "what people call research".at 4:39 if I had a dime for every time I heard that I could buy youtube.7:20-7:35 charming
That empath stuff is just delusion. They arrogantly make up how someone feels in their own head, and instantly believe it to be true. Its crazy
@@blandmitten5055 Thank you for your help with this. It's been driving me crazy and I came to the conclusion that an "empath:" per say doesn't exist. They read you wrong half the time just like anyone else 🙄
@@angelahamon6730 they're so heavy in their ego they never even consider they might be jumping to conclusions. Glad to help, this stuff drives me crazy as well lol u are not alone
What a relief, finally less importance for mister and misses body language.
I also thought that the whole body language thing is overly complicated and can be very misleading., so I kind of feel I can relax from studying more of that.
I grew up in Hawaii. I'm 66 years old. Do you know what I noticed even as a young boy? My Asian friends tended not to look people in the eye in just about any encounter. My Hawaiian friends tended to look at you straight in the eye without wavering. And, my white friends did look at you in the eye if you were also white because they knew that if they looked at a Hawaiian kid in the eye, they would get punched in the face. Really. My point is that whether a person looks you in the eye primarily depends on two things: personal safety and culture. Another thing: I listen to you at 2X normal rate. You do sound pressured. Hahaha. I truly enjoy and profit from your videos. Thanks a lot, doc!!!
14:45 - Interestingly, I was talking to a friend who works in the police and he echoed this sentiment almost exactly, and is very distrustful of the idea of profiling folk based on body language. He always said that what people say is almost always far more important than how they say it. Be it contradictions with other statements they've made or with other evidence surrounding the event/crime, it's the inconsistencies and implausibilities in their stories that expose their lies.
I like watching The body language experts to learn & compare, but I rarely trust them more than my own perceptions.....bcuz they often interpret things differently than I do. I've wondered if I should defer to them out of my lack of training or expertise, but it's really hard to go against one's own feelings.
I know what you mean about the hand on shoulder-asserting dominance......I have a power tripping relative who does that to me also, but in her case it's definitely trying to put me below her 'wanna be' alpha female status.
the crossing arms in my own experience, means I'm blocking others' energy due to my own sensitivity. It's a protection of the heart area....so maybe it's resistance to emotional pain & discomfort?
Also meds really mask emotion. I know when I'm my normal self, everything hurts....either sorrow or bittersweet ache...- I cry over every sentimental commercial. But serotonin meds really mask and dull emotion to where it's hard to even cry when it's appropriate. So sometimes I wonder if peeps who have seems void in the past, we're just medicated sensitives.....& wonder even if I come across as cold or emotionally void due to the meds!
I've been reading a book 'How to spot a liar' by Gregory Hartley and Maryann Karinch. He has worked as a government interrogator. They talk about 'baselining' a subject, viewing them carefully in their relaxed state, observing their rituals etc to be able to notice what changes when they are under stress. They also talk about some NLP ideas, but most usefully perhaps about observation and witholding ones own projections.
I agree about focusing on only the verbal content and not the body language. I have actually caught a supervisor of mine in verbal lies and deception more times than if I was watching him without conversation. The average person really lacks the experience it would take to be accurate with body language alone. When lied to enough especially with proof to the contrary that says it all.
Thank you, Dr. Grande, for a lucid and informed perspective on some of the exaggerated claims that are made by various "body language experts". I was vaguely aware that there seemed to be more speculation than fact behind some of these claims, but I had no idea that so many specific and apparently groundless beliefs were floating around out there. It is hard to know what to believe in a world full of "experts" who don't really know what they are talking about.
Thank you for the work you do, Dr. Grande. You make my days brighter.
So basically it’s a bag o’ shite.
Loving your videos, keep up the good work!
"Through what people call research" lol!
Great phrase for peer review. "This so-called paper addresses the problem of..."
I wish more people knew this, so many people assume i am guilty because i am just uncomfortable around people especially authority figures. I remember working at a fastfood place and when a cop in uniform ordered something i was shaking like a leaf i screwed the order up twice, dropped it the third time, and then ran away and hyperventilated in the back room. When i finally forced myself to go back for fear of losing my job he was still there he hung around for so long watching me i think deciding whether i was on drugs or something. To this day if a cop drives near my house its lights off and hit the floor and don't breathe. Yet i'm not doing anything wrong, other than being petrified.
I also find if im accused of some type of dishonesty i react with so much stress i come across looking guilty. Awhile back a friend said something went missing while i was at their house and i felt like id been punched in the stomach and all the blood drained from my face i must have looked terrified. Of course i never took anything but once again here i am looking like the guiltiest person in the world. I hate that i have this intense physiological response and i don't know how to tell people it's some form of anxiety, not wrong doing.
It is unbelievable that a person can detect a liar by their body language by meeting them for a short period of time. However, a child who has been raised by a narcissist parent and claims that he can read his narcissist parent’s body language must be taken seriously. Verbal abuse when combined with facial expressions and body language registers as emotional abuse that is then internalized by the child. Take away either expression/body language and it still registers as abuse because of association between those specific verbal and facial/body expressions.
The issue with body language reading is making the assumption you can read random people. Of course it is a lot more accurate when it is pertaining a person you have known and communicated for many many years.
@@Jake94cool1 I can read people after about 2 years since I first met them. And I love it. It feels exhausting at the beginning to really register all the details but it's worth it. I can destroy their lives but that's not fun. It feels better to just throw random facts at them. What this doctor says Is very true. You really need a solid baseline for your "AI" to work correctly.
The Behavior Panel is a fascinating group of guys, and most have spent time conducting interrogation or resistance to interrogation techniques. The specifically identify behavior that is different from an individual’s baseline behavior that MIGHT indicate deception, but likely it might indicate that an interrogator may need to ask more questions to determine why that behavior differs from baseline. Basically, I think it’s just another tool in the interrogation arsenal.
Thank you. I was thinking of The Behavior Panel the entire time and how different they are than what he’s describing as a “body language expert”, love this channel but this video felt kind of generalizing.
I also thought The Behavior Panel was an interesting group to watch. I found their views to be somewhat subjective, but for the most part impartial. Until I watched them analyze Trump and Biden. With Trump they picked a speech to analyze. With Biden they used a town hall or question and answer segment with reporters (I can’t remember exactly). To anyone that was looking it was biased. They should have picked the same format for both men if they wanted to look at the same kind of “body language”. It was obvious to me they had decided who their target audience was, and it wasn’t me. I haven’t been able to watch them since, as I now viewed all their opinions to be based on their preconception of the individual they were analyzing.
@@laurab.2564same. I enjoyed the behaviour panel until I saw them completely eviscerate a celebrity couple in a totally biased way. I didn’t even like the couple concerned, in fact I actively dislike the wife, but the bias was so obvious. I was shocked. Then thought about why they would do it, and it was obvious the only answer was grifting off the celebrity names for views and pandering to popular opinion.
Thanks for covering this. The sad thing about these so called body experts is that some try to use this in law enforcement which is totally crazy.
I agree that most interpretations of body language is rubbish and can be detrimental to relationships, job interviews etc. However I think some body language certainly does detect deception. Like fake tears from parents that have murdered their children. Dupers delight during the interview. Micro expressions that are incongruent are something to be aware of. I agree that looking at the use of verbal language can detect lies. E.g. talking about people in the past tense before the body is found. I really like Paul Ekman's work. I believe that liars can be caught with a mix of body language though more so through microexpressions, speech content and highly trained interviewing techniques. Unless an interviewer is highly skilled and trained in all of these skills they need to give it up because it just does damage.
Also "Truth wizards" do exist. We can learn from them as well.
I think you’re assuming your culture is similar to the other converser’s or if you know that person PERSONALLY. That’s why ultimately you do have to pay attention to the words they say. If they keep on changing their story or it does not add up, then it’s a more reliable way to determine they are lying.
that's nice that you just have feelings or opinions about this, but it doesn't trump the fact that as the video says and the links in the description show, the research tells us there's really nothing to any of that. not sure why you would disregard that just because you like the idea of this.
Thank you. Most of my body language was learned from my parents. Even my blushes come from noticing my mother blushing over the slightest thing.
Some of the best podcasts you'll ever listen to are hosted by people who studied tv or radio broadcasting. The have clean speaking patterns, great pacing, and their voice doesn't go wildly up or insanely low, you can count on hearing the content consistently much like when you narrate your videos. I have issues with fast talkers (of which I admit I am one), so when I ask someone for their name and the give it to me normally, and then speed up with their phone number, I'm forced to remind them the ear doesn't hear as fast as the mouth delivers, and my brain can't catch what they say. I always get a sigh of annoyance, but imagine how I feel. As a result, I'm very calm and even when I have to give someone my info for contact purposes. I will even spell my last name and teach them how to say it since it's from Slovenia.
I don’t like being touched, but kudos for having the balls to say anything.
I am a Marine and have combat PTSD and I know that my body language can at times make me seem like a liar even when I am telling the truth. I think when u r severely trained to have a certain body language, it can screw u over in the civilian world. Other Marines have the identical body language so we don’t appear like liars amongst ourselves. We all come across as cold, hostile, and defensive, lol. We also all have extreme eye contact and have our arms crossed or we have our hands behind our back.
I was wondering where the study of micro expressions falls into this discussion. My understanding is that body language you can disguise but micro expressions you can’t? I would be really interested to know. Thank you
I can't believe I missed this video. I was wondering what the good doctor might think of body language analysis, but I had a hunch. Thanks, Dr. Grande!
Muito esclarecedor. Aqui no Brasil, a análise da linguagem corporal ainda é muito popular. Estou adentrando ainda no tema, lendo livros sobre o assunto. Porém, já percebi alguns indícios de pseudociência...
I find the idea of body language, being used to detect deception, fascinating. But I completely agree that it only becomes valuable after completing the statement analysis. It could never be used or helpful alone.
Extremely interesting and helpful.
I enjoy you. You claimed that these are not scientific. Yet you didn’t support your argument. You are countering science
It's not exactly verbal content, but when trying to figure out people. I once read, that when during the course of a conversation, or when talking with people, when they call you by your name, it has meaning. It has nothing to do with the subject matter, it is a show of dominance. I've watched this over the years, from people doing it to me, and me to others. I think it's true.
Everything depends on the context. That's the message to take home...
Excellent video. We're often told about over 90% of communication is non verbal, but as you said I think the paper has been exterpolated
Thank GOD 🙏 someone finally explained this and has actual facts and truths and great 👌 WORK
Thank you, I love your work!! But what do I watch now, I looove Body Language Experts 😭 And there's nothing else on the whole Internet. ... 😆😂
I never miss your videos. This is one of your best. You do important work. Thanks a million.
Thanks for the NLP comment. I always thought it was a bunch of baloney. However, I still think you look better when your top button is left open.
I actually have been manipulated by this type of stuff. People think they know your thaughts and assume too much. I often question my ability to read others and do not try to make assumptions because I certainly can be wrong and have been wrong
The issue I have with people saying they can read body language is how would you go about testing the accuracy of such subjective claims? It seems like a "well you can't prove it isn't true situation to me. Also there is way to much potential for bias for my comfort
I think the good doctor is reviewing the 'old style' of body language which was too specific and was often very wrong. The new wave has a lot of research and emphasizes getting a baseline on everyone they might want to analyze. They will try to find or interview to find normal relaxed behavior and find where people go to access their visual and auditory memories and then having established that look for specific changes in a specific interviewee. They also say 'Body language analysis to determine guild does NOT exist. All you can determine is stress'. It's up to the interviewer and their experience to figure out what that stress means.
When I'm trying to remember something I do look up to the right - like that's where my memories are stored.
It almost always makes me sick when people comment on or base their conclusions upon body language.
There might be correlations between deception and certain behaviors, but the correlations are so weak as to render these methods worthless.
I think you missed it a bit on this one. Some people are successful at reading body language from both a research and practical perspective. The two people I've found that are good in this area state clearly that you have to see clusters of body language indicators that differ from the individual's baseline in response to a question and stop when you move to a more comfortable subject. These body movements don't indicate deception, but they do indicate stress and arousal. They can guide questioning to try to determine why the individual has become stressed beyond baseline. See the research stream of Dr. Paul Eckman and the experience of retired FBI agent Joe Navarro, who cites research but also experience from a very successful career as an interrogator. Both men responsibly stress the limitations in trying to read body language in ways similar to what you are saying in this video.
What is sad is that it is subjective. I suffer from horrible anxiety, so with my behavior of anxiety, people have literally misinterpreted me and think the behavior is because I have something to hide--that I am up to no good.
Omg I saw some s-killers body language documentary vid & i was just wooow about that...I love this topic 👌💐
I trained in machine stenography(court reporting). Instructors/books told us that the average speaking rate was 160 wpm. We were expected to eventually be able to do at least 240 wpm to get certified. Some people can speak up to 200 wpm very easily, and be interpreted easily too, but that both takes clear speaking and benefits enormously from clear thinking, too ... as a listener can muddle through your muddled thoughts if they come at a reasonable pace, but not if your own lack of clarity gets sped up too much.
Speaking rapidly and still being understood is also cultural, and a matter of practice. People from New York city, for instance, famously speak quickly, but they understand each other. I lived in Los Angeles for years and those people also spoke quickly, but not as quickly as those from NYC. I moved to a small city and people here think I speak like lightning sometimes. And the older they get, the faster they think I speak. So ... if someone is trying to ascribe universal interpretations without taking culture and habit and age into account, that someone is making big generalizations. There is even the matter of shyness or brashness to take into account -- both can affect speech rate. But that doesn't make a shy or a brash (or drunk) person duplicitous.
Those body language videos that are so popular irritate the hell out of me, especially when EXPERT is in the title. Being an expert on bullshit isn't something to brag about.
Dr. Grande,
Hands clasped behind back is the military posture parade rest. People I know who are currently in the military or formerly were sometimes use this position in a non-military setting. Possibly this happens because the people become accustomed to this posture because of their military training. Also it is quite comfortable for standing in one position for a long duration.
Even though I was never in the military, I often stand that way because my back hurts when I stand up straight so using that posture helps me less painlessly stand that way.
In either case I mentioned, the posture has nothing to do with trying to deceive someone. My point is that body language sometimes has to to with injury and pain, military training, or dance/athletic training.
Your videos are wonderful and you render a real service to the public. Thank you for your time and reasoned thinking.
@Dr Todd Grande your video is fascinating. And yet these supposed “tells” for lying/deception are really based on no controlled studies etc or nothing scientific? 😳 That’s just...disturbing. As I can envision how in the wrong hands this could so easily be used against individuals. Everything you said makes complete sense to me. So I hope I’m understanding it correctly. Lol But in a nutshell, body language is not meaningless . Yet it’s not completely reliable either. Thank you for addressing this topic.
very informative. Thanks!
I found this very interesting. Like everything in life nothing is 100%. Just like the aftermath of dealing with a narc by using set standards. You don't want witnessing a single or couple traits to give self authority to judge. Also realizing those at high levels of deceptive behaviors ability to utilize this knowledge to essentially be a double agent. I would bet an education in espionage & counter espionage would be fascinating if you had the intestinal fortitude.
@Ben Hackett Yes. The perpetual accumulative affect of a thousand pin pricks.
As a filipino , I find the analysis of human behavior under the lense of body language very chaotic or far more unscientific , I had read 3 phenomenal books about body language , and even watch their talk shows in CZcams , however there is one a psychologist CZcamsr where he discussed about causation and correlation. Where he said correlation does not imply causation , in the books about body language , there are sets of behavior that indicative of deception, however sets of human behavior is very encompassing , it is like mathematical concept about domain and range , where there is function and not function , thank you Doc. For this insights
The Behavior Panel say they can tell if someone is being deceptive by using a number of observations which includes Base Line Behavior. They are pretty darn good.