Tag Archive for Creation

How Mentally Taxing Is Lie Telling?

by  • March 6, 2013 • 0 Comments

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Reptilian Brain (the) Or The Honest BrainIt’s intuitive for most to think that the creation of lies is more difficult than telling the truth. For example, some think that the truth comes ready-made, we simply remove it from a box and present it, whereas lies have to be pieced together and manufactured so appear more difficult to construct. However, only sometimes this is true, other times recalling what really happened proves to be just as difficult. Sometimes the truth requires interpretation and other times the truth is hard to describe such as our opinion and feelings or in other cases is difficult to visualize such as when an event happens quickly. Our minds have built in selective memories making it hard to recall information that has happened in our past, particularly with respect to traumatic or discomforting events. Lies though always involved a deliberate and conscious aim to deliver information that is contrary to the truth, but as we know the truth is only sometimes easy to interpret. Lies can be constructed willy-nilly and can flow just as fast as the mind can imagine things, which, as we know, can happen instantly. This is what makes it only sometimes true that making up lies is more challenging than telling the truth.

Depending on how one puts information together, will depend on how others will interpret it as well. We can’t conceivable relay all events, as necessarily our information is censored for brevity. For example, one might describe a particularly uneventful day by saying that it was “fine” and then listing all the main events. However, what constitutes a main event anyway? Someone else might find something important in your day that you failed to mention, however, this doesn’t mean that the person is lying per se. Our minds are complex and quick, when we come up with simple lies, we can create them as fast as we can spite them out. Only when lies get very complicated do we see effects such as stuttering, pauses, speech errors or corrections. Keep in mind that only sometimes are truths prepackaged, but lies are always prepackaged. The length of time to construct them is just one factor. Quick and dirty lies might be shorter and contain only the main details, but so too might the truth. Thus, prompting for more information can sometimes lead to the method of the lie. It’s much easier to catch broad lies too and ones that fall outside the expertise of the teller precisely because they won’t be able to add relevant information from their experiences. Due to the skills we all naturally posses, we should only expect the telling of lies to be slightly more challenging to tell than the truth.

Blocking Behaviour

by  • March 6, 2013 • 0 Comments

An arm cups a drink and draws in in closer while forming a shield as protection.

An arm cups a drink and draws in in closer while forming a shield as protection.

Blocking is a term used to describe when a person wishes to distance themselves from a distressing stimulus. Blocking is a part of the fight or flight response, and takes the form of the flight element because it creates distance between things we wish to avoid.

“Eye blocking” happens by covering the eyes either wholly or in part. When viewing disturbing images on the movie screen or even in real life, people will bring both hands up to cover their eyes or will bring them to the sides of their eyes like the blinders used on horses to keep them from being distracted. However, in this case the blinders are a nonverbal signal meant to cut something off from view instead of driving focus on them. What is being said is “Oh my dear, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.” Eye blocking is not just limited to things seen, it can be the results of hearing undesirable things as well. Blocking can be abbreviated as when one or both hands come up to rub the eyes, or seem to pinch the eyes from corner to center with just one hand. Other times, the hand comes up and covers the eyes in part, with a partly clustered set of fingers so that view isn’t entirely obstructed. This might appear as though the person is thinking, but no thought is going, just a desire to look away. Blocking can be done by briefly touching one eye with the index and middle finger in response to hearing something negative, by closing the eyelids for a longer than normal duration or more dramatically by closing them tightly in response to hearing some particularly distasteful. Blocking can also be done with books, articles of clothing or any other object.

These legs are interested - note how they are crossed toward rather than away.

These legs are interested – note how they are crossed toward rather than away.

Blocking can happen through the creation distance and also with arms and legs. For example, it is common for people to move away from things, and people they don’t like, and move closer to things and people they do like. We might see distance forming when a particularly bad offer is tabled at a boardroom between competing firms. The contract might be shoved away, or parties might lean away from the table or away from the speaker or the feet might be moved toward the nearest exit. We call this type of body language “distancing language.” The legs might be crossed away from detestable people, so the outer part of the leg cuts off access to the ventral (the vulnerable) part of the body. In an extreme version, the arms can grab the ankle when crossed away so as to lock it in place. This is an unmistakable signal of rejection through it’s denial of access. The hands also display like and dislike. When a couple is in disagreement they will be seen moving their hands away from their spouse, usually off the table and onto their laps and when they agree their hands will be brought back up or moved closer. These sorts of general agreement indicators happen free-flow in real time so they reflect the true sentiment and the stimulus that has caused it.