Psychology researchers from the University of Granada in Spain used thermography to study the temperature of faces in experiments and found a jump in the temperature around the nose and in the orbital muscle in the inner corner of the eye when people were lying. Which means that while your schnoz won't pop a woodie like Pinocchio's, it will turn red from the increase in temperature. Researchers suspect that this has something to do with lying boosting activity in the insula, a region of the brain involved in consciousness as well as the detection and regulation of body temperature.
Also tied into this study and the use of thermal cameras is a study detailed earlier this year in the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics by researchers at the University of Patras in Greece which found that this same process and increase in heat/redness of the face could be used to out the drunkies. I am actually shocked they needed a study to conclude that. Seriously, I'm Irish so obviously I know all about drunk red face. A couple of glasses, and my cheeks are as crimson as my Cabernet.
So now we know, lying and getting drunk both turn your face red and pick up heat on these thermal cameras? Therefore, if you lie while drunk, a thermal camera couldn't catch your lie. Interesting. Now we just need take that study further to find what causes people to tell perposterous lies while flirting red-faced drunk at a bar. ("I'm single." "I'm a doctor." "You look just like Megan Fox.")
But really, I think the big use for these lie-detecting thermal cameras should be for those prone-to-hyperbole politicians. Just think of Romney at those debates with a thermal camera in his face. Santa could give Rudolf the night off this year and have Romney lead his sleigh.
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| Can't hide that lying nose Romney-we got you on candid thermal camera. |
