Quick Summary:
Blinking is a natural reflex that keeps our eyes moist and protected, with the average person blinking about 15 to 20 times per minute during rest. Psychologically, blinking rates vary with emotional and cognitive states. Like, people blink less when focused on tasks like reading, and more during conversations or moments of stress.
Regarding lying, excessive blinking can sometimes be a sign of emotional discomfort or nervousness, which may occur when someone is deceptive. However, blinking alone isn’t a definitive indicator of lying. Medical conditions such as dry eyes, allergies, or neurological issues can also cause frequent blinking, so physical causes should be ruled out.
To spot deception through blinking:
- Observe sudden increases in blink rate, blinking that does not match normal patterns for the situation.
- Pay attention to inconsistencies in blinking frequency during moments of stress or when certain details are being questioned
- Combining blinking observations with other behavioural signs and context improves accuracy in detecting lies.
- You can utilise polygraph tests as an effective tool to monitor blink-related physiological responses.
Introduction
Excessive blinking indicates anxiety and discomfort, which are linked to lying. No matter how much a lying person tries, their nerves won’t stay calm when they’re hiding something. Therefore, they face severe anxiety.
Psychology says that blinking can be a major indicator of honesty. Excessive blinking is often a sign of dishonesty, as it conveys that something is amiss with the person speaking.
You’re about to get a total breakdown of what exactly excessive blinking indicates, along with the psychology behind it.
What is the Psychological Connection Between Blinking and Emotion?
Japanese researchers have published that due to our brain activating certain mechanisms, we tend to blink excessively when we’re stressed. Excessive blinking often occurs in moments of emotional difficulty or high cognitive load, anxiety, fatigue, deception, sadness, and even fear.
Other than the negative emotions, blinking is also linked with positive emotions such as motivation, pleasure, excitement, and understanding. Because frequent blinking is caused by higher dopamine levels, which generates such emotions.
According to several psychological studies, blinking is also connected to emotions like embarrassment or callousness. People blink more than usual when they feel overwhelmed with such discomforting emotions.
On the other hand, moderate blinking indicates that the person is feeling safe and comfortable. Normal to very little blinking between 10 and 15 times per minute is a sign of relaxed nerves.
Is Excessive Blinking a Sign of Lying?
According to a study on lie detection, rapid blinking is said to be related to negative hedonia, which means negative or unpleasant feelings. This study explains that a liar blinks excessively because they exhibit the emotion of guilt, which is a negative emotion.
In contrast, some research says that blinking is often minimal when the liar is formulating a lie, and it increases after the liar has already lied. This is because the blinking rate gets reduced when a person is focused and cognitively active.
Another study revealed that blinking is related to a person’s comfort with dishonesty, not momentary lies. If a person is comfortable with lying and doesn’t feel anything when being deceitful, they will blink at their usual pace.
Why Does It Happen?
- Severe Stress and Anxiety: Lying makes a person stressed due to the fear of being caught or the pressure of making up a perfect lie, and thus increases the blinking rate.
- Cognitive Labour: It takes a lot of cognitive labour to fabricate a believable lie and instantly come up with stories to back up the lie, and this excessive cognitive load leads to rapid blinking.
- Faking Comfort: The attempt to be more natural in body language while lying can ironically lead to increased blinking due to constant tension.
- Listener’s Approach: Sometimes the unusual blinking is linked to the listener, as he can make the liar more uncomfortable through intriguing questions.
- Mental Preparation: Trying to prepare a lie mentally and rehearsing it repeatedly requires an intense focus that can cause excessive blinking.
Other Possible Causes of Excessive Blinking
Excessive blinking isn’t necessarily always a sign of lying. Sometimes it can be caused by other neurological or physical factors.
- Dry Eye: Blinking rapidly to reduce the irritation caused by dry eye is a defence mechanism to protect the cornea from damage.
- Allergies: Excessive blinking helps tears to get distributed across our eye surface, which helps wash away the allergic impurities.
- Eye Conditions: Eye conditions or vision problems, such as Myopia, Hyperopia, and Astigmatism, can cause excessive blinking.
- Corneal Abrasion: A scratch or injury in the outer surface of the cornea is known as a corneal abrasion. It causes pain and irritation that leads to excessive blinking.
- Eye Strain: Eye strain means tired or sore eyes, which are usually caused by too much screen time, and to reduce the irritation, we blink rapidly to moisten our eyes.
- Trichiasis (Misdirected Eyelashes): The misdirected growing eyelashes rub against the cornea and conjunctiva, causing rapid blinking and discomfort.
- Neurological/Mental Health Conditions: Neurological diseases such as Tourette’s Syndrome and Blepharospasm can cause involuntary, excessive blinking.
How to Spot a Liar Through Blinking Patterns?
Eyes are the windows of a person’s soul, and only they can expose the deepest lies hidden by the person. That is why professionals often focus on the blinking patterns to spot a liar.
Observe Their Normal Blinking Pattern
Blinking habits vary from person to person. Therefore, the guaranteed way of spotting a liar through blinking patterns is by comparing their normal blinking pattern with the present one.
Look for Suppressed Blinking
Studies say that liars blink less than usual or have suppressed blinking in the moment when they are telling a lie. It happens due to the increased cognitive focus that is required to make up a lie and remember all the details.
Check for Constant Blinking After Telling a Lie
According to Dr. Sharon Leal, liars blink faster immediately after they’re done telling a lie because they are relieved of the tension. Through rapid blinking, they release the stress and fear of getting caught.
Consider Contextual Factors
Trying to catch a liar only through blinking patterns can be misleading if contextual factors like personality, emotional condition, cultural norms, and environment are not taken into consideration.
If any of the contextual factors seem like they can lead to unusual blinking, then you can’t solely blame lying for it.
Use a Polygraph Test as a Last Resort
Solely depending on the blinking pattern cannot be wise when trying to detect a lie. In that case, a polygraph test can be helpful to provide accurate results by analysing all the involuntary behavioural changes. Such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. These physiological indicators can help determine whether a person is experiencing the physical stress commonly associated with lying.
In Closing
Liars can play many cunning games to hide their truths. But their nervous system is not necessarily always on their side and therefore exposes their treachery through unconscious bodily changes such as excessive blinking.
