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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAnticipation is high as we prepare to settle on the sofa and watch the first episode of the much-anticipated The Celebrity Traitors.<\/p>\n
The show has gained popularity throughout the last few years for its fascinating exploration of human psychology \u2013 particularly how we judge who can and can\u2019t be trusted. It raises compelling questions about whether behaviour can reliably reveal honesty or deceit.<\/p>\n
To delve deeper into this, we spoke with psychology lecturers who explained why truthfulness is far more complex than it seems \u2013 and offered their expert advice for faithfuls hoping to uncover traitors in their midst.<\/p>\n
Are there any clear behavioural signs that indicate someone is telling the truth?<\/strong><\/p>\nMany people think body language like fidgeting or lack of eye contact are clear signs of deceit, but Dr Wendy Ross, senior psychology lecturer at London Metropolitan University, says this is not necessarily always the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we can see from the research is that there\u2019s not clear or easy behavioural signs to identify,\u201d says Ross. \u201cWe often have a false belief in our ability to understand things through body language and what we actually see is that people have a certain way of being and a certain body language which can change when they\u2019re under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, if you\u2019re somebody that speaks a lot, you might find that when you\u2019re under pressure you slow down, whereas if you\u2019re somebody that naturally speaks more slowly when you\u2019re under pressure, you might speed up.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is something you can pick up much quicker once you know someone well, which is why it can be incredibly hard for contestants on the show to detect what behaviour is different among a group of strangers.<\/p>\n
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