Mind reading takes over from the classic polygraph

Sky-high blood pressure, a thumping pulse rate, and rapid breathing are physical reactions which have been used to disclose lies, since the classic polygraph was invented in 1921. But now, scientists can use brain activity scans to identify the lie, where it is produced: in the brain. The brain consumes extra energy in specific areas, when we tell a lie, such as in the frontal lobe, the front part of the brain, which is involved in problem solving and planning. Generally, the brain areas that handle language, analysis, and logic are working overtime, when we tell lies. According to experiments by the Perelman School of Medicine in the US, brain scans are 24 % better at spotting lies than the good old polygraph.

The polygraph has been criticised, because the challenging situation of the test can easily cause an erroneous, positive result.