Medical researchers have identified a new physiological quirk in liars they have dubbed the “Pinocchio Effect” — a notable rise in body temperature around the nose when a person tells a lie.
The phenomenon, reported by University of Granada psychologists, can be detected by “thermographic” cameras that map changes in body temperature and has a range of applications in the field of medicine, as well as various industries.
Granada researchers Emilio Gómez Milán and Elvira Salazar López found that when we lie it activates a brain feature called the “insula” — a part of the brain’s reward system that is involved in the regulation of body temperature.
They found a strong correlation between insula activity and temperature increase; whenever a mental effort is made — such as performing difficult tasks, being interrogated on a specific event, or lying — face temperature changes markedly.
“The thermogram is a somatic marker of subjective or mental states and allows us see what a person is feeling or thinking,” said Salazar Lopez.
Researchers noted patients with certain neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, have impairments that prevent the body from properly regulating temperature. As a result, the findings may offer a new technique for identifying patients with such conditions.