"You know the power of my magic lasso. No one bound by it can tell a lie." - Wonder Woman.
Apart from her iconic powers, Wonder Woman’s signature weapon is her Lasso of Truth, which she uses to compel villains to be honest with her.
With this said, it has been claimed that the person who created Wonder Woman also came up with an early medical test that could determine if a person was lying.
Is this claim true?
Verdict:
TRUE
Dr William Moulton Marston was the psychologist credited with creating an early version of the lie detector in the form of the Systolic Blood Pressure Test, which aims to detect whether a person is being dishonest through changes in blood pressure.
As documented, the spark that inspired this in 1915 was an observation by Marston’s wife Elizabeth that her blood pressure climbed when either angry or otherwise excited.
It would also be notable that this element of lie-detection was incorporated into more modern polygraph systems, such as the one created by psychologist John Larson.
As for Wonder Woman, All-American Comics founder Maxwell Charles Gaines hired Larson in 1940 as the comics published were controversial and criticised for violence and sexual imagery.
Gaines hired Marston as his consultant following his defence of such comics in an interview.
“When a lovely heroine is bound to the stake, comics followers are sure that the rescue will arrive in the nick of time. The reader’s wish is to save the girl, not to see her suffer.”
Given this platform, Marston wanted a character who fought injustice with love and compassion rather than fists and weapons, and he made the character a woman due to a suggestion from Elizabeth.
In 1941 he submitted his first script for Wonder Woman, complete with her golden Lasso of Truth, which prevents anyone bound by it from lying - a clear nod to his lie detector work.
So yes, Marston blended psychology, invention and storytelling in a way that still captivates readers.
SOURCES:
https://nap.nationalacademies.
https://barrybradford.com/
