Beginner in Game Development, Which Engine Should I Use? Comparison of Unity vs Unreal vs Godot (Focusing on Free Engines) Choosing a Game Engine: Know This First: 5 Key Q&A Q1. What is a Game Engine? Is it necessary to use one? A. Think of a game engine as a set of development tools that bundles essential functions required for making games, similar to a car engine. It includes features like rendering graphics on-screen ( Rendering ), physics effects for characters colliding with walls or jumping ( Physics Engine ), and playing background music or sound effects ( Audio System ). While it's possible to create a game from scratch without an engine, it requires an immense amount of time and effort, which is why most developers today use game engines, especially beginners! Q2. I want to start game development; are there any good free engines available? A. Yes,...
7 Unconscious Behaviors When People Lie (Scientific Limits and Applications)
Lying Signals: 5 Key Q&A to Know First
Q1. Is there 'one sure sign' that indicates lying?
Unfortunately, no. There isn't a single signal that definitively indicates lying, like 'Pinocchio's nose.' All signals vary greatly among individuals and could simply be signs of stress or habit. The key is not one signal but rather observing whether multiple signals appear 'simultaneously' and whether there are 'unusual' patterns.
Q2. Why do actions become unnatural when someone lies?
Lying is a very challenging task for the brain. It requires suppressing actual facts while simultaneously creating a believable story and monitoring the other person's reactions in real time. When the brain experiences excessive 'cognitive load', natural gestures or speech patterns can become disrupted.
Q3. Is touching the neck or nose a sign of lying?
It could be, or it might not be. Such behaviors are called 'self-soothing behaviors (adaptors)'. People unconsciously touch themselves to find comfort when anxious or nervous. This could be due to anxiety from lying or simply discomfort in a new situation. So, it's important to observe if these actions increase suddenly when asked 'specific questions.'
Q4. Is avoiding eye contact lying, and staring directly a sign of truth?
It could actually be the opposite. While some people avoid eye contact due to anxiety when lying, others might stare intensely at the other person to show they are honest, resulting in 'excessive eye contact.' Additionally, eye contact can be interpreted differently based on cultural norms, either as rudeness or honesty.
Q5. How should we utilize these signals?
Instead of using them to label someone as a 'liar,' we should use them as 'hints to improve the quality of conversation.' If the other person shows signs of anxiety on a specific topic, it may indicate that more information or assistance is needed in that area. It’s wise to clarify the facts by asking open-ended questions like, "Could you elaborate more on this?"
We engage in countless conversations every day. In these interactions, we sometimes face truth and sometimes lies. How wonderful would it be if we could detect lies with just a blink of the eye like in a crime drama on TV? However, in reality, detecting lies is much more complex and subtle. Lying is a highly cognitive activity that places a tremendous burden on the brain, and the anxiety and cognitive overload that seep through often manifest unconsciously in gestures, speech, and expressions. Today, we will explore seven unconscious cues to scientifically read the true feelings behind someone's words.
Unconscious Signals 1-3: Subtle Tremors of the Face and Hands
The hardest things to hide in our bodies are facial expressions and hand gestures.
1. The 'flicker' of micro-expressions: Sometimes, someone might say “I’m really happy,” with a smiling mouth, but a fleeting look of sadness or contempt might pass around their eyes. This is a very brief expression, lasting around 0.2 seconds, that reflects true emotions more than conscious efforts to suppress them. Capturing moments when words and expressions do not align is crucial.
2. ‘Under/over’ gestures: A person who usually uses hand gestures actively may suddenly keep their hands still or, conversely, use exaggerated gestures when talking about a specific topic. This can happen because the brain focuses its resources on fabricating a story, making it hard to control additional actions like gestures, or perhaps the person is consciously exaggerating to persuade the other.
3. ‘Self-soothing’ touches: People unconsciously touch themselves to calm down when anxious. This can include rubbing the neck or collarbone, fiddling with the lips, or constantly adjusting their watch or collar. While this could simply be a habit, if such actions increase suddenly after a sensitive question, it may signal heightened anxiety.
Episode: Observations by Interviewer Mr. Park
Mr. Park from the HR team values understanding the 'baseline' of candidates. “In the first five minutes, I ask comfortable questions about the weather or hobbies to observe how much they make eye contact, use their hands, and what tone they use.” He noticed that a candidate began fiddling with his tie and adjusting his neck when asked about his “achievements at the previous job.” “I didn’t conclude that he was lying. However, I took it as a sign of discomfort or anxiety about that topic and asked a follow-up question like, 'What was the most challenging aspect of that project?' to gain deeper insights.”
Unconscious Signals 4-7: Changes in Speech and Around the Mouth
Cognitive load in the brain can also become evident in subtle changes in voice and the muscles around the mouth.
4. Subtle changes in vocalization and breathing: When fabricating a story, the brain becomes busy, making it challenging to control breathing and vocalization simultaneously as usual. Hesitations like “uh…” or “um…” may lengthen, the speech rate may suddenly speed up or slow down, or the voice tone may rise slightly compared to normal.
5. Eye avoidance or excessive eye contact: It’s a well-known sign that avoiding eye contact during lying indicates anxiety. However, conversely, some may intentionally stare into the other person's eyes to prove their honesty, which is a behavior of 'overcompensation.' It’s essential to notice if the natural pattern of eye contact has changed.
6. Tension in the lips and jaw: When the impulse to tell the truth collides with the urge to conceal it, that tension can manifest in the muscles of the lips or jaw. If someone bites their lips hard, swallows, or tightens their jaw immediately after a specific question, it can be a noteworthy signal.
7. ‘Duping Delight’: This refers to the unconscious pleasure or superiority that seeps through as a fleeting smile when successfully deceiving someone. If a person shows a subtly smiling expression around the corners of their mouth or eyes while discussing serious matters or denying unfavorable facts, it can be a strong indicator that the situation and emotions are not aligned.
In-Depth Exploration 1: Microexpressions – The Truth in Less Than One Second
One of the most fascinating signals to pay attention to is 'microexpressions.' These are unconscious emotional expressions that appear and disappear in a fleeting moment, lasting between 0.04 to 0.2 seconds. Microexpressions occur because the response speed of the brain's 'limbic system,' which feels emotions, is much faster than the control speed of the 'frontal lobe,' which tries to socially conceal those emotions.
For instance, when an employee hears, “I have to let you go,” they might consciously respond with, “It’s okay, I understand,” but during that 0.2 seconds, microexpressions of 'fear' or 'anger' may flash across their face and then vanish. If someone says, “I’m really happy,” while a momentary expression of 'contempt' passes by, it gives us a strong clue that their words and emotions do not align. Of course, reading these microexpressions requires significant training, but simply capturing moments when someone's words and expressions momentarily misalign can enhance the quality of conversation.
Episode: A Mother Reading Her Child's Mind, Ms. Lee Soo-hyun
Ms. Lee Soo-hyun noticed that when her son said, “I didn’t fight with my friend,” the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, showing a mix of 'joy' and 'superiority' ('Duping Delight'). Instead of scolding him, she gently said, “Really? It seems like something very fun happened with your friend today. You look very happy.” The relieved son eventually shared the incident that happened while playing with his friend, using the signal as a hint to open up the conversation rather than as 'evidence of a lie.'
In-Depth Exploration 2: Do Lie Detectors Really Catch Lies?
In movies and dramas, lie detectors (Polygraphs) often appear as all-powerful machines that reveal the truth. However, reality is a bit different. The term 'lie detector' itself is somewhat exaggerated. This machine does not measure 'lies' directly but rather measures the 'physiological arousal state' that may occur when someone is lying.
Lie detectors record changes in the autonomic nervous system, such as heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and skin perspiration (skin conductance). Essentially, they measure whether someone is 'anxious or tense.' The problem is that the reasons for a person being anxious or tense are not always due to lying. An innocent person may react to extreme stress from being suspected of a crime, while a skilled liar or someone with antisocial traits may show no physiological changes while lying. Because of this, lie detector results are often not accepted as direct evidence in many countries' courts.
Common Misconceptions (FAQ)
Q. Isn’t it true that "looking to the left indicates lying, and to the right indicates truth"?
No, this is merely a hypothesis from the 1970s based on neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and has not been scientifically proven. Each person uses different brain areas or visual habits when recalling memories or imagining, so one cannot determine truthfulness based solely on the direction of eye movement.
Q. Then, isn’t it useless to know all these signals?
No, it is very useful. The key is not 'lie detection' but rather 'deepening understanding.' If you notice discrepancies between what someone says and their gestures, it doesn’t mean, 'That person is a liar,' but rather, 'Ah, this topic is very sensitive or anxious for them, or it's an important issue.' Based on that clue, when you attempt to ask deeper questions and show empathy, you can get closer to the truth.
Author Information: The content of this article has been compiled from academic literature related to nonverbal communication, cognitive psychology, and interview techniques, objectively outlining the scientific principles (cognitive load, autonomic nervous system responses, inhibition failures, overcompensation) of unconscious cues related to lying, along with practical applications and limitations.
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