The honest truth about lie detectors
Howtown
Feb 5, 2026 15:28
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FtfEu62cL51ezImrLE9mRqVZlMix19umXS2GNpCYYs8/edit?usp=sharing
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How reliable are polygraphs in police interrogations and government screening, can you beat a polygraph, and why aren’t lie detector results admissible in most courts? In this episode of Howtown (the “how do they know?” show) we investigate polygraph tests / lie detectors - from the viral Vanity Fair celebrity lie detector videos to the real science of whether polygraphs can actually detect deception. We start by testing human lie detection (truth bias, body language myths, eye movement, pupil dilation) and then break down how polygraphs work (blood pressure, respiration, skin conductance, comparison questions) and why results can fail: stress vs lying, examiner bias, and countermeasures. We meet the early pioneers William Moulton Marston, John Larson, and Leonarde “Nard” Keeler, and explore a major 2003 government report on accuracy. Finally, we go full “internet detective” and do a measurement deep-dive on David Corenswet’s height, including uncertainty, lens distortion, and even circadian variation in human stature.
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Science & Technology