
So, you thought Pinocchio was just all fairy tale?
Well, think again. According to a book called "The Definitive Book of Body Language", liars have a tendency to touch their noses whenever they tell lies. Apparently, neurologists and psychiatrists who did an extensive analysis of Bill Clintons's testimony during his trial on his affair with Ms Monica Lewinsky discovered that when he was telling the truth, he hardly touched his noise. However, whenever he lied, he gave a split-second frown before he answered, and proceeded to touch his nose.
Evidently, liars do this because "chemical known as catecholamines are released" when they lie, "causing tissue inside the nose to swell". They called this the "Pinocchio Effect". The book added that the increased blood pressure inflates the nose and causes the nerve endings in the noise to tingle, resulting in a brisk rubbing action to the nose with the hand to satisfy the itch.
So, if you look yourself in the mirror, and somehow found your nose looking longer than usual, you know what you've been up to :P
Oh, there's something else that's even more intriguing then the revelation about our nose. According to the book, the nose is not the only body part that expands when one lies. Apparently, body-imaging cameras have revealed that a man's penis also swells with the blood when he tells a lie. Hmmmm.... no wonder some of us men are incorrigible liars... Heh.
Category: Musings