ing the truth; the actor is lying.
According to experts, an individual telling a story that is false or that he does not believe exhibits telltale signs of lying that viewers may not consciously notice but can still perceive at a subliminal levelùnonverbal cues; physiological activity, or ôbody language;ö and linguistic styles that give the actor away (Newman, et al. 1). Involuntary minute facial expressions, changes in voice pitch, shifts in posture, and small movements in the hands and feet communicate the underlying veracity of the stand-up comicÆs relationship to the materialùresponses that are lacking in other sitcom comedians (Newman, et al. 1). These responses go beyond acting to actual physiological responses that the actor is unlikely even to be aware of, even less to control. Furthermore, an analysis of linguistic styles when people honestly write or talk about personal topics have ôa very different linguistic profileö than those viewed as more detached:
This suggests that creating a false story about a personal topic takes work, and results in a different pattern of language use. Extending this idea, we would predict that many of these same features would be associated with deception or honesty in communication (see also Undeutsch, 1967, cited in Vrij, 2000) (Newman, et al. 1).
Therefore, the showÆs writers are inadvertently introducing a non-believable linguistic style into every script they write that is purely fiction, in essence contaminating the script with a lack of verisimilitude.
Jerry SeinfeldÆs humor serves as an excellent example of the difference that authenticity can make in conveying humor:
While studying theater at Queens College, Seinfeld
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