158 W H A T EVERY BODY IS SAYING
blood being forced away from the tension points. Matters clearly are get-
ting worse as this behavior manifests.
Interlaced Stroking or Rubbing of the HandsA person who is in doubt (a lesser degree of lowered confidence) or un-
der low stress will only slightly rub the palms of his hands together (see
figure 57). However, if the situation becomes more stressful or if his con-
fidence level continues to fall, watch how suddenly gentle finger-to-palm
stroking transitions to more dramatic rubbing of interlaced fingers (see
figure 58). The interlacing of fingers is a very accurate indicator of high
distress that I have seen in the most acute of interviews—both in the FBI
and in people testifying before Congress. As soon as an extremely deli-
cate subject comes up, the fingers straighten and intertwine, as the hands
BOX 42: A LESS THAN MOVING EXPERIENCEThe tendency for liars to be less animated in their gestures was a major
reason I didn’t believe a young woman who had told local sheriff ’s depu-
ties that her six-month-old son had been kidnapped in the parking lot of
a Wal-Mart in Tampa, Florida. As the woman told her story, I observed her
from a monitoring room. After witnessing her behavior, I told the investi-
gators that I didn’t believe the totality of her story; her demeanor was too
subdued. When people tell the truth, they make every effort to ensure that
you understand them. They gesticulate with their arms and face and are
emphatically expressive. Not so with this suspect. The retelling of a hor-
rific kidnapping story by a loving and distraught mother would have been
accompanied by more demonstrative, ardent behaviors. Their absence
was alerting to us. Eventually the woman confessed that she had actually
killed her child by stuffing him in a plastic garbage bag. The kidnapping
story was a total fabrication. The freeze response of her limbic system
that restrained her movements betrayed the lie.