I cannot believe this!!! This is NOT true…

This is on the front page of MSN.com right now. 

There is nothing more horrifying than to see myths about deception being touted as facts.  This video says that someone who can’t maintain eye contact could be lying.  Oh dear.  This is not the case.  But it gets worse!!  This video tells you that if someone gives you direct eye contact, “it signals honesty!”

Please restrain me (and consider writing to MSN.com and rating this video appropriately).

Was this made in 1950?  It’s completely the opposite of what scientific research says.  Liars are more likely to maintain eye contact as they know most people believe this myth!

Eyes that shift downward also do not indicate guilt or shame across the board.  Many people look downward, and this is circumstantial.

The video then talks about neuro linguistic programming–that the direction of the eye tells you if a person is lying or honest.  Again, science has not found any evidence to support this and as an expert in deception, I second that. I would never call a person as truthful or deceptive based on gaze direction.  Heck, what if a bird flew by the window and your suspect looked left–oops!!  Forget about it.

Fidgeting is not always a sign of a person being bored.  A fidgeting person can be nervous or uptight, too!  They may have a limited amount of time. There are plenty of reasons why people fidget and not all of them are negative.  When I am excited, I often fidget and if you were to think I was bored, you’d be sorely mistaken!

A swinging foot?  Again, there are various reasons why people do this.

Looking at lips doesn’t not necessarily mean someone is sexually attracted to you.  You could have parsley hanging there from lunch.  Hello!

I don’t think there is any need to continue.  It’s sad to watch people put together such rubbish when there is good science out there to follow and learn from. MSN.com should showcase the science–it’s so much more interesting!