“Our privacy is under siege. The government, corporations, our employers, even neighbors seek information about us. Our last refuge may be our own minds – but not for long. “Body language can reveal a lot of information about what a person is thinking. For instance, the eyes are a good place to look for subtle clues. Facial expressions and speech patterns can also betray a person’s thoughts. Let me demonstrate.” After getting a participant to join me, I recite four objects. Let’s say they’re “a ring, a quarter, a key and a watch.” I ask the participant to pick one mentally. It’s a free choice and I don’t influence it in any way. “Do you have an object in mind? Great! I will ask you a question. You may answer it either truthfully or by lying. It’s your choice.” I stand a few feet away and stare into the participant’s eyes as I ask the question. “Is the object you have in mind either the quarter or the key?” The participant answers “No.” “You’re making good eye contact. You have a nice smile. You’re not giving up your thoughts easily. Your body language is subtle. I can’t tell yet if you’re being truthful. So let’s try it again. I will ask you another question. If you answered truthfully the first time, then please answer this next question truthfully as well. If you lied the first time, then please lie again. Understood? “Is the object you have in mind either the watch or the quarter?” The participant answers “No.” “There are no facial tics to give you away. You’d make a good Poker player. But I believe I now have a reliable baseline to work from. I’ll ask you one more question. If you told the truth the last time, then please do so again. If you lied, then please lie again. Understood? “Is the object you have in mind either the key or the watch?” The participant answers “Yes.”
“You took a little longer to start answering and you averted your eyes. I will take a chance. Your body language is telling me that you’re lying. Am I right? “…Oh, by the way, the object you have in mind is the quarter.” With a willing participant who can follow instructions, the result will be correct 100% of the time.
How? I don’t bother messing around with body language. The real secret is the binary code. All it takes are 3 questions and some simple addition, and I can tell whether the subject is lying or telling the truth and what the object is. Here’s how it works. I begin by assigning numbers to the objects: ring=0, quarter=3, key=5, watch=6. How I’ve assigned the numbers determines the questions. The “quarter or key” makes up the 1st question, the “quarter or watch” makes up the second question, and the “key or watch” makes up the third question. The first question is worth 1 point if the participant answers “yes.” Otherwise it’s worth nothing. The second question is worth 2 points for “yes.” The third question is worth 4 points. In our example, the participant answered “No, No, Yes,” which adds up to 4 points. None of the objects has a value of 4, which means the participant lied when answering the three questions. To arrive at the correct object, I subtract 4 from 7, which gives me 3 points. So, I now know the chosen object is the quarter and the participant was lying throughout. Here are all the possible totals and what they mean: A total of 0 means “ring” and the person told the truth. A total of 3 means “quarter” and the person told the truth. A total of 5 means “key” and the person told the truth. A total of 6 means “watch” and the person told the truth. A total of 1 means “watch” and the person lied. A total of 2 means “key” and the person lied. A total of 4 means “quarter” and the person lied. A total of 7 means “ring” and the person lied. SUMMARY The participant may either answer the three questions by lying or answer the three truthfully. The objects are represented below by A, B, C and D. A=0, B=3, C=5, D=6
Question 1: B or C, worth 1 point Question 2: B or D, worth 2 points Question 3: C or D, worth 4 points
The effect will work with any number of objects. More objects add more complexity and the effect with 4 objects seems just about right. But if you’re so inclined, here are a few more examples: TRUTH TELLING WITH THE FIVE ZENER CARDS Wavy lines=3, Square=4, Circle=9, Star=13, Cross=14 Question Question Question Question
1: 2: 3: 4:
Wavy lines, Circle, or Star, worth 1 point Wavy lines or Cross, worth 2 points Square, Star or Cross, worth 4 points Circle, Star or Cross, worth 8 points.
If the answers add up to a number different than the numbers assigned, then the person is lying. In that case, subtract the number from 15 to find out which symbol the person has selected. TRUTH TELLING WITH 8 OBJECTS A=1, B=3, C=4, D=6, E=8, F=10, G=13, H=15 Question Question Question Question
1: 2: 3: 4:
A, B, G or H, worth 1 point B, D, F or H, worth 2 points C, D, G or H, worth 4 points E, F, G or H, worth 8 points
I’ve done this version with 8 Tarot cards taken from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck. The numbers are printed right on the cards themselves. The Magician=1, The Empress=3, The Emperor=4, The Lovers=6, Strength=8, Wheel of Fortune=10, Death=13, The Devil=15 Question Question Question Question
1: 2: 3: 4:
The Magician, The Empress, Death, or The Devil The Empress, The Lovers, Wheel of Fortune, or The Devil The Emperor, The Lovers, Death, or The Devil Strength, Wheel of Fortune, Death or The Devil
Alternatively, the following set of Tarot cards will work equally well. The Fool=0, The High Priestess=2, The Hierophant=5, The Chariot=7, The Hermit=9, Justice=11, The Hanged Man=12, Temperance=14 Question Question Question Question
1: 2: 3: 4:
The The The The
Hierophant, The Chariot, The Hermit, or Justice High Priestess, The Chariot, Justice, or Temperance Hierophant, The Chariot, The Hanged Man, or Temperance Hermit, Justice, The Hanged Man, or Temperance
