Pinnochio Effect

When C. Collodi wrote "The Adventures of Pinocchio", he was not kidding about the fact that Pinocchio's nose actually grew longer. The author did actually do his homework, well, either that or it is a serendipity.

Do you know that it is a fact that one's nose can actually enlarge when the person is intentionally lying - I mean "The Malicious Lie" as opposed to "The White Lie".

To prove my point, I would like to share with you an interesting fact that I have learned from the book I'm reading right now, "The Definitive Book of Body Language" by Barbara & Allan Pease.

According to Barbara & Allan Pease, Scientists at the Smell & Taste Treatment & Research Foundation in Chicago found that when ones lies, chemicals known as catecholamines are released, causing tissue inside the nose to swell. They even used special cameras that show blood flow in the body to reveal that intentional lying also causes an increase in blood pressure. This technology indicates that the human nose actually expands when a person is lying - this is known as the "Pinnochio Effect".

Increased blood pressure inflates the nose and causes the nerve endings in the nose to tingle, resulting in brisk rubbing action to the nose with the hand to "satisfy" the "itch". So be wary if someone touches his nose so often (save for sinuses and allergies, of course!) when having a conversation with you.

Ah hah! Another give away - do you know that a man's penis also swells with blood when he tells a lie? Hehehe...as the authors suggested, maybe the Grand Jury should have pulled Bill's trousers down instead!