Why are we so bad at spotting liars? We talk to leading deception researcher, Dr Timothy Levine, to answer this question. If you liked Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell then this interview will give you an opportunity to dig deeper into deception and Truth-Default Theory.
3:15 - the importance of interpersonal communication.
6:38 - causes of breakdowns in communication.
8:58 - how a student challenged Dr Levine's thinking on deception.
14:34 - the value of being open-minded and humble.
16:36 - how good are we at telling lies?
18:37 - why are we not better at spotting lies?
20:07 - being truth biased is helpful.
21:05 - how prevalent is lying?
23:26 - why do people lie?
25:46 - lying to protect other people's feelings.
28:35 - most common lies.
31:04 - is evasion deception?
34:09 - the role of motive in detecting lies.
35:27 - what is truth default theory and how did it help deception detection?
37:34 - non verbal cues cannot help us detect lies.
38:09 - how we can actually detect lies.
42:15 - cheating experiments.
46:34 - are federal agents better at detecting lies?
48:14 - what questions can we ask to tell if someone is lying?
49:57 - how even professionals can get it wrong. The Amanda Knox case.
52:11 - how to be more believable.
56:43 - your reaction to being accused can make you look guilty.
58:39 - finding the balance between scepticism and truth default.
01:00:48 - What got Tim into deception.
01:02:05 - is love really blind?
01:03:37 - Is Santa is real?
01:06:30 - importance of character in deciding whether to believe someone.
01:08:16 - two big take-aways.
01:08:58 - how to connect with Dr Timothy Levine.
You find more detailed show notes with links to references at: https://candourpodcast.com/dr-timothy-levine/