Crocodile tears don't fool us all: Study gives behavioral clues to spot fabricated versus genuine displays of remorse

Crocodile tears don't fool us all: Study gives behavioral clues to spot fabricated versus genuine displays of remorse
How easy is it to fake remorse? Not so easy if your audience knows what to look for.

In the first investigation of the nature of true and false remorse, Leanne ten Brinke and colleagues, from the Centre for the Advancement of Psychology and Law (CAPSL), University of British Columbia and Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, show that those who fake remorse show a greater range of emotional expressions and swing from one emotion to another very quickly -- a phenomenon referred to as emotional turbulence -- as well as speak with more hesitation. These findings have important implications for judges and parole board members, who look for genuine remorse when they make their sentencing and release decisions.