Lie detection tests have worked the same way for 3,000 years – and they're still hopelessly inaccurate

By Rebecca Wilcoxson, Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, CQUniversity Australia
Emma Turley, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, CQUniversity Australia

Popular culture is fascinated with the ability to detect liars. Lie detector tests are a staple of police dramas, and TV shows such as Poker Face feature “human polygraphs” who detect deception by picking up tell-tale signs in people’s behaviour.

Records of attempts to detect lies, whether by technical means or by skilled observers, go back at least 3,000 years. Forensic science lie detection techniques have become increasingly popular since the invention of the polygraph early in the…

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