Myth: Eye Movements Show If Someone Is Imagining or Remembering

What's actually true: Where people look while thinking does not show whether they are recalling, imagining or lying.

MythWiseman et al., 2012 · PLoS ONE, The Eyes Don't Have It; Bandler & Grinder, 1979 · Frogs into Princes (source of the claim)

Direct tests found no link between eye direction and lying or recalling; NLP's eye-accessing cues have no research support.

What the research found

NLP claimed that eyes up and to one side mean making things up. Wiseman's team tested it with lying and truthful speakers and found no pattern. Observers trained in the cues did no better.

What to do instead

  1. Ignore eye direction when judging what someone says.
  2. Ask clear follow-up questions instead.
  3. Check facts that matter with documents or references.
  4. Treat any training built on this claim with caution.

What to say

Can you walk me through the dates in your last role?

Who can I speak to who worked with you there?

Avoid

Rejecting a candidate because they looked up and right when answering.

Example

A hiring manager in Chennai doubted a candidate for looking away while answering. Lata checked the candidate's references instead and found every claim true.

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