14 DAY TRIAL // Harry Potter learned the hard way that one must never tell lies. Others, on the other hand, never have and probably never will.
Still, researchers at the Brigham Young University say that there is one simple way for ordinary folks to figure out when a person they're having a conversation with via text messages is lying to them.
They argue that, more often than long, awkward pauses in one such conversation indicate that the person at the other side of the line is about to tell a lie.
Science News says that these people also make more edits and write shorter responses. Keep it simple, keep it safe, they are probably thinking.
The researchers warn that, all things considered, individuals who find themselves in such situations should not automatically assume that they are being lied to.
Still, they maintain that, according to general patterns, this is often the case. Future investigations are expected to shed more light on the issue.
“Digital conversations are a fertile ground for deception because people can easily conceal their identity and their messages often appear credible.”
“Unfortunately, humans are terrible at detecting deception. We're creating methods to correct that,” specialist Tom Meservy commented on the importance of such studies.