Liar, Liar

### Cold Open

Jason Silva: It's something you likely do every day. And whether it's telling a little white lie, or a full-on betrayal, your brain is meant to know when tweaking the truth could be beneficial. When it comes to lying, we all do it. Well, maybe not me - I would never tell a lie(He's lying). And while we all have our reasons and justifications, the simple fact remains sometimes your brain would rather rationalize a lie than tell the honest truth. Think about how many times you've told a lie to spare someone's feelings. But you might be surprised to learn just how often we lie. Studies tell us that 60% of people you meet will tell you two or three lies in the first ten minutes of conversation. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're not one of those people. Personally, I would never lie to someone I just met(He's Still Lying). But while we like to think of ourselves as truth tellers, truth is, many of us are lying to ourselves.

### Questions

But how can you tell when someone else is lying to you?

How early do we lie?

Is having an inflated sense of self so wrong?

Is a little self-deception really a bad thing?

## Games

### Game #1: Suspect

Pick a suspect that is lying.

Result: While you probably picked the one that avoided eye contact since you think it correlates to lying, there is actually no correlation.

So: No matter how you picked, eye movements can't tell if anybody is lying.

We can lie because we don't want to hurt somebody, to make ourselves look better, conceal a secret, etc. So it's not surprising that the most famous liars had the most to lose. But we're starting to realize that these liars have more in common than we think.

### Game #2: Born Liar?

Will kids take a bit out of cake and lie about it?

Result: 3 out of 4 kids lied.

Why: Lying is a sign of cognitive development early in life. It starts early in life and evolves as you grow. But that doesn't mean they're going to a dishonest life. They're just developing and might be more successful as life. Human beings are almost born to lie. Animals also lie or fake-out thieves. Size of the brain determines lying ability. And humans have the best ability to lie. Think about chess, football, poker, these games reward being deceptive.

### Game #3: That's What It Looks Like When You Lie

Apollo tests people at the park and tries to guess when they're lying.

Result: Using ground truth, which is watching someone deny something they know is false, he's able to predict cards by seeing what they look like when they lie.

So: Despite picking the card, he had some luck. He'd by lying if he could do this 100% of the time. Lying is a complex task and our brain regulates that behavior. Your brain works much harder to lie.

### Game #4: The Board

Say the position of the word in the box.

Result: When the words were similar to their position, it was easier. When they were in different positions, it was harder.

Why: This is known the stroop test. It activates the area of the brain that decides between conflicting ideas.

### Game #5: Out Loud

Answer three questions out loud about yourself.

Result: If you exaggerated any of the answers, you're not alone.

So: People who lied may have less stress with lying, and may improve their lives in the future.

### Game #6: Faking It

Spot the fake smile.

Result: You might have been surprised.

So: A real smile causes the muscles around the eyes to contract.

### Game #7: You vs Steve

Play against steve and see when he's lying.

Result: Basketball is his real favorite sport.

How: With the tells of his hands and the fake smile.

## List of Experts

* Daniel Ribacoff(Polygraph Expert)
* Barry Mcmanus(Ex-CIA Investigator)
* Steve Shirripa(Bobby, The Sopranos)
* Apollo Robins(Deception Specialist)