Vincent, Denault and Zloteanu, Mircea (2023) Misinformation about evolution and nonverbal behaviour : how body language experts undermine global scientific efforts. In: EHBEA 2023: Annual Conference for the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association; 18 - 21 Apr 2023, London, U.K.. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Objective: Nonverbal behaviour is the subject of thousands of scientific publications. However, on traditional and social media, “body language experts” gain unparalleled visibility, who propose that body language can be read like words on a page. These so-called experts promote many erroneous beliefs about nonverbal behaviour to the public, including to people in position of power (e.g., police officers, judges, security agents). We highlight the dangers of this misinformation, and the impact of misinformation about nonverbal behaviour on the reach of scientific research, focusing on nonverbal behaviour and body language analysis. Methods: We present a critical analysis of the discourses of various "body language experts” who receive thousands of views on YouTube every day, including the most viewed “body language” video on YouTube, with about 45 million views since 2019, or nearly 36,000 views per day. Based on the literature on misinformation, we will also explain how, in practice, these experts undermine global scientific efforts. Results: The analysis shows that “body language” experts disseminate unfounded and discredited claims about human behaviour and promote misinterpretations of legitimate research. Moreover, the literature on misinformation suggests that their discourses will continue to be accepted by the public, even after researchers have made their findings public. Conclusions: For researchers concerned that the reach of their work extends beyond the walls of academia, given the misinformation about nonverbal behaviour, human behaviour researchers should take an active part in the fight against so-called experts.
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