Liars tend to blink more because lying is stressful. ... People tend to blink more rapidly when they become nervous or when they hear or see something unpleasant (Navarro & Schafer, 2001).

Do people blink rapidly when they lie?

Liars blink less frequently than normal during the lie, and then speed up to around eight times faster than usual afterwards. ... Dr Sharon Leal, co-author of the study at Portsmouth University, said: "It is striking what different patterns in eye blinks emerged for liars and truth tellers.

What does it mean when someone starts blinking rapidly?

Excessive blinking can be caused by problems with the eyelids or anterior segment (front surface of the eye), habitual tics, refractive error (need for glasses), intermittent exotropia or turning out of the eye, and stress. It is very rare for excessive blinking to be a sign of an undiagnosed neurologic disorder.