Paul Ekman’s classic book on reading faces and body language provides the science for highly anticipated Fox TV series Lie to Me.
Paul Ekman is a renowned expert in emotions research and nonverbal communication. In Telling Lies, he describes how our language, facial expressions, and the way we hold our bodies can be read to tell whether we are being honest or not. Fox TV has created a series inspired by Ekman’s work starring Tim Roth, of Reservoir Dogs and The Incredible Hulk, as Dr. Cal Lightman, who is hired by law enforcement agencies to spot deception and expose the truth in criminal investigations. For this edition, Ekman has added a new chapter on his latest research. He has figured out the most important behavioral clues to deceit, developed a one-hour self-instructional program that trains people to observe and understand “micro expressions,” and done research that identifies the facial expressions that show if someone is likely to become violent. A self-instructional program to train recognition of these dangerous signals has also been developed. Lie to Me premieres on January 28, 2009.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Paul Ekman, director of Paul Ekman Group, is the author of Emotions Revealed, Emotional Awareness (coauthored with the Dalai Lama), and twelve other books. The FOX series Lie to Me is based on his research. A professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco, he lives in the Bay area.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
110 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good book on Lie detection, Ekman really shines,
By
This review is from: Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, Third Edition (Paperback)
As I've said in my other reviews, I am not Susan Gill, I'm her son.
Dr. Ekman's work on lie detection has been getting a lot of attention lately, due to the fact his science is regularly practiced on Fox's new show Lie to me. The producers even asked him to be their scientific consultant and have put on a quite impressive display of how effective Ekman's study really is. Alright, first off, the problems. Dr. Ekman has a notorious habit in the entire book for stating that his science is, "inconclusive" and "still has a lot of faults" and that he`s not sure about this, or that. In other words, he tries to come off like there is no real way of knowing if his science works or not, and if it`s a real practical way of catching deciet. This is mostly because he focuses on "deception clues" instead of "deception leakage" which are two entirely different things to look for in a person when looking for deceit (don't worry he describes both in detail, although deception clues in more detail). But the truth is, it does work, and it works very effectively when used correctly. The reason he keeps saying it's inconclusive is because he wrote well over half of this book in `85, way back when he didn't have funds for research on his study. However, if you get the updated version to `01 or even better `08, then he begins to write that his work is much more conclusive than before, and that using facial reading with body language, you are well over 90 % accurate in your lie detection (and concealed emotions reading) ability. One more complaint that I have is that it seems he shouldn't have written the book himself. It can be a very tough read at points, sometimes having so many technical terms it's hard to keep up, so if you're looking for really easy reading, this book isn't for you. Also, he seems to neglect certain findings that he makes and doesn't give them as much detail as he should sometimes (i.e. mouth shrugs and one sided shoulder shrugs). Another thing he doesn't give enough attention to is (oddly enough) his main point of research, the face. He gives great detail on the body, voice, and words for lying, but when it came to the face, he didn't give hardly any detail on the seven universal emotions. Instead, he gives greater detail to different smiles a person can make, and what each of them could mean (valuable, of course, but that won't tell you if they're lying). For the most part, though, he gives great detail on most of the important things. Now, for the positive aspects. If the hard reading doesn't bother you, and you're as committed as I was when it comes to lie detection, then this book is completely worth your time. Dr. Ekman may have a hard time writing out what he means, but you always seem to understand the important things when he does write about them. He includes many things that are not in the show Lie to Me like the difference between "manipulators" and "illustrators". He also gives the three reasons why people can fail in their lies, and even has an entire (long) chapter on the use of the polygraph and his science. This chapter can be useful, because it gives you ideas on where to start with your questions for the liars. Using the "Guilty Knowledge Test" is an example of something you can use to your advantage when questioning a liar. These questions may be meant for use with the polygraph, but as Ekman's science proposes, a person using his techniques (I believe) are much more accurate at lie detection than the polygraph. One thing I should mention is the fact that Ekman states in his book that people look in the wrong places for lie detection, and that those places are the face and words. Although words are obviously the wrong place to look for deception leakage, the face however, is not. A person's face may be able to lie about certain things (and I realize that certain people get the wrong clues from the face), but he tells you the signs to look for in the face that reveals a false expression, and later goes on to state that looking for micro-expressions alone for lie detection is 70 % accurate on it's own, so the face is actually the first place you should look (hence why he reprinted this book so many times). Ekman also gives the right impression by saying "there is no actual sign of lying itself". The truth is, there isn't. You may wonder how his science works then, but really all you're looking for is signs of emotion that are out of place, or contradictions between the face and body that don't match the words. Most of the time, you need to investigate certain emotions a person gives, because, if you don't, you could commit the "Othello Error" or even the "Brokaw Hazard" (which are in detail in his book). All in all, this book is very good at describing his lie detection science. As long as you pick out what is conclusive from his books, then you should have no problem figuring out his lie detection techniques. Watching Lie to Me is a great way at spotting his more conclusive stuff, and figuring out what's what in his book. Not only that, but it's a great excuse for watching the show. My only advice is to get two other books if you're interested in lie detection. Ekman's other book Emotions Revealed is totally focused on the face, and even has an extra chapter on lying that can be quite useful. The third book is actually a book totally devoted to body language called The Definitive Book on Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease. It gives you some bases for negative body language and also has a chapter on body language and lying, but it's mostly a bunch of different manipulators. However, the book is good, nevertheless, because the information on those manipulators is valuable to most lie detecting, and that's something Ekman never really focused on. Of course, it gives much more information than that, and all of it is useful. So if you're interested in being thorough for lie detection, buy this book, and the two other books I listed. You can't go wrong between these three amazing books. Just make sure you get the most updated version of this book (And to be sure and watch Lie to Me for better distinguishing Ekman's conclusive work! you can watch episodes on [...] ***EDITED NOTES*** Just so you all know, I have a new reccomended Body language book for you all. If you've been looking into this I'm sure you've heard of it. "What Every Body Says", is written by an ex FBI agent.. while I was shyed away from the book because of that reason, this guy REALLY knows his stuff! I was shocked at how much and how deep his knowledge of body language went! I HIGHLY reccomend this book! In fact I'd be so bold as to get it instead of "The Definitive Book on Body Language" ! While that book is still excellent, I'd have to say that "What Every Body Says" is a bit better.. happy hunting!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Liar is as a Liar Does,
By
This review is from: Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, Third Edition (Paperback)
Paul Ekman's classic book on how to tell when someone is lying has been issued in a third edition which includes his more recent research. Made popular by the Fox TV show "Lie to Me," this book documents the line of research used, not only by the show, but by Secret Service, police, jealous spouses and a host of others who want to be better at detecting lies. New material includes how to identify the facial expressions indicating that someone is likely to become violent.
Ekman points out that we often look for the wrong things when trying to detect deception. Even much of the information he has reviewed in training materials for job interviewers, jury selection, and other deception detection professionals is just plain wrong. The hard part about lying effectively is not concealing information, it is concealing the emotions the liar feels while lying. Guilt, fear and even the "duping delight" a clever liar feels when getting away with a falsehood can provide clues obvious to a trained observer. While Ekman acknowledges the value of verbal slips and body language cues, his research reveals the greater value of focusing on facial expressions, particularly "microexpressions" that are displayed and quickly concealed. He teaches readers to identify and interpret them. Some of the interesting points the book makes as it teaches us to catch liars in the act: - We should avoid the "Brokaw Hazard" of assuming someone is lying because their speech seems evasive or convoluted. Some people just speak this way, lying or not. - We should also avoid the "Othello Error" of branding someone a liar because of fidgety behavior, such as repeatedly touching themselves or adjusting their clothing. They may be uncomfortable, but are not necessarily lying. - Emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, disgust, distress, happiness, contentment, excitement, surprise and contempt are conveyed by distinct facial expressions, common across all cultures. - Deception detection is most effective by someone who is familiar with a possible liar's usual behavior and can notice deviations from it. Paul Ekman's book is recommended for anyone interested in detecting lying. It is a rough read in some places for a popular book, but is far more readable that the journal articles we would need to read without it. Forgive the author his writing style and learn some valuable lessons about his area of expertise.
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some good info, but not too useful,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, Third Edition (Paperback)
Being a big fan of the Fox TV show "Lie to Me" I had high hopes for this book. While the book does tell some interesting stories and information about deception, it fails to provide key information, such as good photos of the seven universal expressions. The book has a very few, small, poor quality photos with no baseline (expression-free) photos. This is especially disappointing given how the book reveals that some subtle expressions can only be detected by measuring slight changes in certain facial muscles.
I was also troubled by the way earlier chapters did not appear to have been edited at all - all subsequent versions offered were additional chapters. For example, there was a reference "as I write these words, the [Reagan] White House has revised its proposal about the use of polygraph and Congress will begin hearings on it next week." No further information was provided of what came of it, or subsequent polygraph usage guidelines or laws. In summary, the book offers some interesting background on the science, but not much to help one detect lies.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
