Once involved, the emotions must be concealed if the lie is not to be betrayed.
Thus emotions often become involved in lies that were not undertaken for the purpose of concealing emotions. She would have to conceal her surprise or at least the reason for it. The embezzler might feel surprise when someone else is accused of her crime. He would thus not only have to conceal the source of his work and to pretend ability that is not his, he would also have to conceal his contempt. The plagiarist might feel contempt toward those he misleads. To succeed in his deceit he must conceal not only his age but his embarrassment as well. For example, the vain middle-aged man who conceals his age might be embarrassed about his vanity. Yet even when the lie is about something other than emotion, emotions may become involved. Not all deceits involve concealing or falsifying emotions. Often the signs of this internal struggle between the felt and the false emotion betray the deceit. But to falsify anger the person must pull them down. The brows, for example, are involuntarily pulled upward in fear. One set of impulses arising out of the fear pulls one way, while the deliberate attempt to seem angry pulls the other way. Trying to look angry is not easy, but if fear is felt when the person tries to look angry the person will be torn. These difficult-to-perform movements are vital to successful falsification of distress, fear, and anger.įalsifying becomes much harder just when it is needed most, to help conceal another emotion. There are certain movements of the face face, for example, that very few people can perform voluntarily. It is not easy to assemble the right movements, the particular changes in voice, that are required for falsifying emotions. It requires more than just saying “I am angry” or “I am afraid.” The deceiver must look and sound as if he is angry or afraid his claim is to be believed.
While concealing an emotion is not easy, neither is falsifying the appearance of an unfelt emotion, even when there is no other emotion that must be concealed. Even when the concealment is successful and there is no leakage of the feelings, sometimes the struggle itself will be noticeable as a deception clue. Concealing the changes in face, body, and voice requires a struggle. Once an emotion is strong, however, it is much harder to control. When an emotion begins gradually and remains slight, it may be more noticeable to others than to one’s self, not registering in awareness unless it becomes more intense. When an emotion begins gradually rather than suddenly the changes in behavior are small and are relatively easy to conceal if one is aware of what one is feeling. A strong emotion explains, even if it does not always excuse, improper action. It may not even be possible to control one’s actions if the emotion felt is very strong. Not only is there little choice about when an emotion is felt, but people often don’t feel they have much choice about whether or not the expressive signs of the emotion are manifest to others. Instead, they usually experience emotions more passively as happening to them, and, in the case of “negative” emotions such as fear or anger, it may happen to them despite themselves. These changes begin in a split second…People do not actively select when they will feel an emotion. When emotions are aroused, changes occur automatically without choice or deliberation. One has less choice in concealing a facial expression or rapid breathing or a tightening in the voice. Unless there is a wish to confess what is felt, the liar doesn’t have to put into words the feelings being concealed. An attempt to hide a feeling or conceal an emotion at the moment it is felt could be betrayed in words, but except for a slip of the tongue, it usually isn’t. Not every lie involves emotions, but those that do cause special problems for the liar. Mistakes are also made because of difficulty in concealing or falsely portraying emotion. A failure to think ahead, plan fully, and rehearse the false line is only one of the reasons why mistakes that furnish clues to deceit are made when lying.
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