The Fox TV show Lie To Me is one of my favourite ways to while away an hour. Micro expressions are real.
They are momentary flashes of truth - hidden feelings which are suppressed except for that micro second that betrays hidden contempt, concealed fear and other emotions such as happiness.
The TV show is loosely based on Dr Paul Ekman, a leading researcher on human emotions who spoke at the recent Happiness and Its Causes conference in Brisbane. I did a workshop his daughter gave on detecting micro expressions.
Fascinating. All those micro expressions of contempt that I think I detect are probably real. It's interesting that the same researcher who named micro expressions also wrote a book about compassion with the Dalai Lama called Emotional Awareness. I think emotional awareness lessons of sorts actually go by the title of media training these days. However, it appears that you need a lifetime of practice, not a few lessons, to be a really good liar.
I watch for micro expressions when I watch the news. How they focus doggedly on making statements that they can actually say without breaking into a snarl - they don't quite address the question but they sound convincing. Very interesting. I became interested over the years that I watched John Howard on TV. His micro expressions are easy to detect. His face just goes completely blank after he tells a lie. "Take that." "So there."
Well, that's my interpretation and I am not the only one if you watched the recent ABC documentary on the refugees, Leaky Boat. But the ABC is of course biased because it continues to take the blow torch to a Coalition Government years after the fact. What do you think? But then there was that pesky inquiry into the Oil for Food scandal. That was when I started paying attention to micro expressions as well as the tone of their voice.
I do put a lot of credibility in the tone of their voice. This is why Julia Gillard has problems. She doesn't use a natural tone of voice - even though she really believes what she's saying most of the time.
You can do an extensive free workshop on detecting micro expressions online if you please on Ekman's website.
The workshop demonstrates the process featured in the TV show - they decrypt the truth using slow motion video that reveals micro expressions.
Give it a go. Makes the news more interesting. It's also a reason to say what you really mean because I know when you are lying. ;)