Believe it or not but it is true. There are people who lose the ability to understand or use words due to brain damage. But they become extremely good at something else. They become experts at spotting liars. The condition in which people lose their power to understand or use words due to brain damage are called aphasia . A study conducted in Massachusetts, U.S., has clearly proved that aphasics make good lie detectors . 

In the last 100 years, many doctors studying the brain have mentioned examples of this amazing power of patients suffering from aphasia. Recently, scientists conducted tests to see if all that was said about aphasics was true. They studied the powers of a mixed group of people. Some were normal; others were aphasic. And it was proved clearly that the normal volunteers still got fooled by words. The aphasics were far ahead of them in recognizing false speech. The results of the study were reported in the magazine Nature. 

`Fourteen years ago, famous American doctor, Dr. Oliver Sacks, wrote about his experiences with aphasic patients in a book. He remembered a particular incident in a hospital. Patients from the aphasia room were watching TV. Their president, Ronald Reagan, was giving a speech. He was trying to put feelings into each and every word of his speech. But his speech had an opposite effect on the patients. They were not impressed. On the contrary, the whole room shook with their laughter. The aphasics knew that he did not mean a word of what he was saying. 

Dr. Sacks saw aphasics as more gifted than normal people. Normal people "get carried away" by words. An aphasic cannot understand words. But he or she can still understand what is being said. He said most of the aphasics had this superior understanding. So, while normal people think of aphasic patients as brain damaged, they actually seem to understand human expressions better.
where was the study conducted?
what is the condition called?
what does it do?
why?
how long have doctors studied it?
who wrote about them?
when?
did the study involve all aphasics?
then who?
are aphasics considered normal?
what are they considered?
what do they understand?
how do normal humans look at them?
who did the aphasics laugh at?
what was he doing?
why did they laugh?
how?
what do the patients lose?
what do they gain?
which magazine was the study featured?
Massachusetts, U.S.,
 A study conducted in Massachusetts, U.S., has clearly proved tha
aphasia
 aphasia
people lose their power to understand or use words
people lose their power to understand or use words
brain damage
brain damage
100 years
the last 100 years
Dr. Oliver Sacks
Dr. Oliver Sacks
14 years ago
Fourteen years ago
No
 Some were normal; others were aphasic
Some were normal; others were aphasic.
Some were normal; others were aphasic. 
no
Dr. Sacks saw aphasics as more gifted than normal people. 
as more gifted
 as more gifted
human expressions
 human expressions
as brain damaged
as brain damaged
Ronald Reagan,
 Ronald Reagan,
giving a speech
 giving a speech
They knew that he did not mean a word of what he was saying.
The aphasics knew that he did not mean a word of what he was saying.
his speech had an opposite effect on them
his speech had an opposite effect on the patients
the ability to understand or use words due
the ability to understand or use words due
recognizing false speech
recognizing false speech
Nature
Nature