Scientists claim to have discovered a series of tell-tale clues in the handwriting of fibbers. They found those who write lies press harder on the paper, have longer strokes of the pen and produce taller letters than those telling the truth.The differences are too subtle to see with the naked eye, but can be detected using a computer and a touch-sensitive pad. The study’s authors stressed that the research is in its earliest stage, but says the system could one day be used to test the veracity of loan applications or insurance claims.
Researchers at the University of Haifa, Israel, asked 34 volunteers to write two short paragraphs, one recalling a real memory, the other a fictitious event. The volunteers used a wireless electronic pen with a pressure-sensitive tip to write their memories and lies on paper placed on a computer tablet, which monitored andanalysed their writing style.
‘In the false writing condition, the average pressure, stroke length and height were significantly higher than in the true writing condition,’ the researchers reported in theJournal of Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Psychologists suggested that lying changes handwriting because it forces the brain to work harder to invent facts, interfering with the normal writing process. Professor Richard Wiseman, psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, said the technique was promising, but needed testing on a much bigger scale.
‘We know that people hesitate more when they lie and some companies already use this fact to see how long it takes people to tick boxes when filling in surveys online,’ he said. He pointed out that traditional polygraph lie detectors were unreliable and ‘messy’. By contrast a handwriting test would be less intrusive and could be used at a job interview for example. (Daily Mail)
