MYTH OR MEDICAL MIRACLE?

Many of you have heard the tale of Pinocchio, the wooden boy who nose grew longer and longer every time he told a lie. But have you heard of the “Pinocchio effect?”

Interestingly, a recent study has shown that our noses can give us away when we are lying. What you witness in a liar’s nose may be described a modern day medical miracle!

When examining the relationship between our mental state and body temperature, researchers found that a person’s nose will warm up when he or she tells a lie. With a technique called thermography, scientists used specially adapted cameras to detect infrared radiation, which produced images of objects based on heat signature. Researchers concluded that if a person misrepresents his true feelings – by telling a lie, for example– the temperature around his nose goes up. Heat causes engorgement or growth. How long after Gepetto’s discovery about Pinocchio’s nose did it take researchers to uncover the “Pinocchio effect?” Hmmm…

Photo credit: CartoonBros.com