Body language lies: The pseudoscience and silliness spread by alleged behavior "experts"

Body language lies: The pseudoscience and silliness spread by alleged behavior "experts"

Can you really tell who’s lying just by watching their body language? Are there any practical takeaways you can reliably and regularly get from studying nonverbal behavior in interrogation/interview settings? In this episode, I, Zach Elwood (author of some popular books on poker tells) talk to Chris Shelton, host of Speaking of Cults (speakingofcults.com). We take a hard look at the booming industry of alleged “body language experts,” behavior-based deception detection, and viral interrogation analysis (popular on YouTube and video platforms). We unpack why confident claims about blinks, posture, eye direction, and micro-movements are often misleading, how pseudoscience sneaks into true crime media and even law enforcement, and why innocent people can easily be anxious and seem suspicious under pressure. We discuss if there are realistic uses of body language in interrogation and other real-world settings, and what that might look like. If you’ve ever been persuaded by a YouTube body language "expert," this conversation might change how you think about behavior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(206)

My life-changing experience with meditation

My life-changing experience with meditation

In the summer of 2024, I went on a five-day solo retreat in the mountains of New Mexico. It was the first time I’d ever really committed to meditation, and to my surprise it turned out to be a deeply ...

19 Aug 202537min

Are you a psychopath? Debunking myths and looking for nuance in "dark" traits

Are you a psychopath? Debunking myths and looking for nuance in "dark" traits

What does the word “psychopath” really mean—and how often are we getting it wrong? Can someone have some psychopathic traits and still be empathetic? How often are we embracing simplistic ideas of wha...

9 Aug 20251h 8min

Penalty kick mind games: Reading and using body language in sports

Penalty kick mind games: Reading and using body language in sports

I talk with sports psychology and behavior researcher Philip Furley about how athletes' body language communicates far more than we realize — and how it can affect teammates, opponents, judges, and ev...

2 Aug 20251h 4min

Madness explained: How trauma and stress can break the mind

Madness explained: How trauma and stress can break the mind

I talk to psychologist Richard Bentall about psychosis, schizophrenia, and the psychological roots of mental illness. Bentall is the author of the well known book "Madness Explained." We explore how s...

26 Jul 202559min

Our memory and sense of self are full of illusions | with Anne Wilson

Our memory and sense of self are full of illusions | with Anne Wilson

Psychologist Anne Wilson studies how we construct our identities over time—how we remember the past, imagine the future, and tell ourselves stories that shape who we believe we are. In this episode, w...

19 Jul 202552min

Are you a narcissist? The psychology and spectrum of narcissism

Are you a narcissist? The psychology and spectrum of narcissism

What if we’ve been thinking about narcissism all wrong — and some forms of it are not only normal, but healthy? Why do we so often confuse genuine confidence or ambition with something pathological? C...

12 Jul 20251h 8min

The "deep whys" behind autistic behaviors | with Barry Prizant

The "deep whys" behind autistic behaviors | with Barry Prizant

I talk to Barry Prizant, author of the popular book "Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism," about the often misunderstood world of autism. We explore the idea that many so-called “autistic...

27 Jun 20251h 10min

The psychology of how we react when our sense of meaning is threatened

The psychology of how we react when our sense of meaning is threatened

Why do we feel so unsettled and agitated when the world doesn’t make sense? In this episode, I talk with psychologist Steven Heine about his Meaning Maintenance Model — a theory that explains how we r...

15 Jun 20251h 5min

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