What does the CIA have in common with Disney, Apple, Harvard and the New York Police Department? According to Paul Ekman, the staff of these companies and agencies – how many is unclear — have taken his classes on how to detect lies based on so-called "micro-expressions." Ekman, a famous psychologist who was once one named of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine and was ranked fifteenth among the most influential psychologists by a scientific journal, sells "Micro Expressions Training Tools" on his website. For $299/year, it is possible to purchase "all the tools to help read micro expressions plus tools to help you respond to the emotions you detect in other people."
Ekman's training revolves around learning how to read facial expressions in order to spot what he calls micro-expressions – supposedly, fleeting and subtle expressions of a strong emotion that a person is trying to suppress. According to the website, training to detect micro-expressions is "appropriate for those whose work requires them to evaluate truthfulness and detect deception, such as police and security personnel, as well as those in sales, education, and medical professions."
