CROSS POST FROM MAIN STACY THREAD:
BLINK COUNT FROM THE TODAY SHOW VIDEO:
TOTAL VIDEO TIME: 6 minutes 26 seconds
0:01 - 1:00 = 0 blinks (Matt Lauer giving background info; DP not on camera)
1:01 - 2:01 = 38 blinks
2:02 - 3:02 = 30 blinks
3:03 - 4:03 = 35 blinks
4:04 - 5:04 = 46 blinks
5:05 - 6:05 = 40 blinks
6:06 - 6:26 = 15 blinks
Experts say that
humans blink, on average 20 times per minute. During this video,
DP blinked a total of 204 times in 6 minutes and 26 seconds (that I could count) making an
average blink rate of 31.68 times per minute, well over the average human blink rate.
It is well known that rapid blinking is a sign of lying through rapid thinking. Experts say that rapid thinking causes blinking to become more rapid. It could also be a sign of being under pressure, but DP looked cool, calm, and collected, even a bit cocky.
"
Eye Tells
Most people believe that gaze aversion is a sign of lying. They assume that because liars feel guilty, embarrassed and apprehensive, they find it difficult to look their victim in the eye. This is not what happens. First, patterns of gaze are quite unstable - while some liars avert their eyes, others actually increase the amount of time they spend looking at the other person.
As gaze is fairly easy to control, liars can use their eyes to project an image of honesty. Knowing that other people assume gaze aversion is a sign of lying, many liars do the exact opposite - they deliberately increase their gaze to give the impression that they're telling the truth.
Another supposed sign of lying is rapid blinking. It's true that when we become aroused or our mind is racing, there's a corresponding increase in our blinking rate. Our normal rate is about 20 blinks per minute, but it can increase to four or five times that figure when we feel under pressure. When liars are searching for an answer to an awkward question, their thought processes speed up. In this kind of situation, lying is frequently associated with blinking. But we need to remember that there are times when people have a high blinking rate, not because they're lying, but because they're under pressure. Also, there are times when liars show normal rates."
Exerpt from article entitled "Dead giveaway":
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...783343045.html
ETA: I'd be VERY interested in knowing what DP said during those increments in the video. I don't have a sound card on my PC at work, so I cannot hear the video.
