Human brain has built-in lie detector

Dec 22, 2010 |

IANS

London: Scientists have discovered a circuit in our brain that lets us predict when someone is about to lie to us.

The findings could help explain why some people become paranoid. Scientists from the Oxford University scanned volunteers’ brains while they chose one to two boxes to win points.

The participants were sent advice on which box to choose from a second player who was sometimes dishonest, reports the Daily Mail. When the volunteers suspected they were being lied to, activity levels in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, an area near the front of the brain, rose dramatically.

If a volunteer thought the player was telling the truth, the brain activity remained low.

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