• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Odds / Can Lie Detectors Really Detect Lies?

Can Lie Detectors Really Detect Lies?

April 25, 2020 by Karen Hill

Lie detectors cannot actually identify lies; all they can do is detect certain activities of a person’s body that are usually associated with lying: abnormal perspiration and flushing of the face, rapid breathing, increased heartbeat, and excessive swallowing.

Because this method does not actually guarantee the truth, the results are not generally accepted as evidence in court.
Although each of the body changes, alone, does not necessarily indicate a lie, when put together, they can provide an indication of one.

When a person is given a lie detector test, various parts of the machine are attached to his body, and a written record is made of his answers. Usually, three or four tests are given to be sure that the answers were not accidental.

Yet, amazingly enough, a lie detector can be fooled! There are some people who are truly unaware that they are lying. These people cannot be caught by a lie detector.

Related Facts

  • Where did Mark Twain say "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics"?
  • How does a polygraph machine detect lies and How is a lie detector test conducted?
  • Why do smoke detectors come with a radioactivity warning?
  • Why Does Most of Western Europe Have Such a Mild Climate Even Though It Lies So Far North?
  • Where Is Turkey Located In the Middle East and Which Part of Turkey Lies In Europe?
  • How do zoo animals such as lions and my pet cat lie around all day and stay fit?

Filed Under: Odds

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Do Children Teach Their Parents Their Native Language?
Next Post: Why Do Wooden Stairs Creak? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy