Falsely accused? Stay calm, because anger makes you look guilty
When the finger of blame points unjustly in your direction, maintaining composure can be a challenge. Yet, it's crucial to remember that anger often paints a picture of guilt. Let's explore why staying calm is your best defense.
Man pointing finger
A new study conducted various experiments to explore the relationship between anger and judgments of guilt
- The results suggest that when an accused person becomes angry, perceivers are more likely to view that person as guilty, even though the accused might be innocent
- People who are falsely accused generally become angrier than people who are rightfully accused
- Paradoxically, being angry tends to make the accused come off as guilty but their anger is usually a sign that they’re innocent
Humans are terrible lie detectors
Most people simply aren’t good lie detectors, and this deficit is likely contributing to interpersonal conflicts and false criminal convictions
- Anger is not a sign of guilt but of innocence
- There are many reasons to be angry, but perhaps none as strong as the belief that one has been falsely accused
If falsely accused, stay calm…but not quiet
Across six studies, the researchers explored how laypeople and experts make guilt judgments when the accused person is angry
- The results showed that participants were more likely to rate angry defendants as guilty
- In another study, participants read about a fictitious person named Andrew Smith who was accused of committing an armed robbery. The study included four versions of Smith’s reaction to the accusations during his hypothetical testimony: angry, calm, silent, and irritated
- Being angry made Smith come off as most guilty, while being irritated made him seem guiltier than being calm
The falsely accused are angrier
When someone reacts angrily to an accusation, others generally see that person as guilty
- But is anger really a sign of guilt?
- To test that question, the researchers asked another set of participants to complete one of two tasks, both of which involved editing text
- One task was simple, the other difficult
- After completing the task, researchers accused them of doing it incorrectly and therefore they wouldn’t receive a bonus payment
- This represented a false accusation for the participants who completed the simple task, most of whom had done it correctly
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