“Don’t lie to me, I know when you’re lying to me.”

A phrase we often use when we know someone is lying to us. We typically know this because we either have evidence or we use reverse psychology in hopes the person will tell the truth.

But what if we could literally tell when someone was lying?

Lie to me, a series that aired on FOX in 2009, was about a man that not only taught courses on body language, but he also helped in various investigations detecting lies. He was able to interpret micro expressions through the Facial Action Coding System and through body language.

The series was inspired by Paul Eckman and one of his famous books, Telling Lies. He is a professor of Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco and an expert on facial expressions. Eckman has also served as an adviser to police departments and anti-terrorism groups.

In his book, he covers all angles of lying and even displays pictures of various emotions. He shows us facial clues to deceit and how to detect deceit from words, voice, or body.

This is a great book to read if you’re looking to inform yourself on deception and lying. He also gives clues to detecting deceit in the marketplace, politics, and marriage. Therefore, if you’re trying to catch your significant other, it’s time to go out and buy this book.

For most people, we suck at lying and give ourselves away easily whereas, other people, who are experts at lying. They can mask their emotions to the point where even they believe their lies. Truthfully, lying is a hard job. Not only do you have to remember your lies, but you also have to mask your emotions. With this book, it will not only show you how to perfect your lies, but also how to catch them.

While reading, I’ve learned that the face is the most valuable source for someone looking for lies. Our facial expressions can display what we want to show and what we are trying to conceal. However, it is up to the person trying to detect our deceit to catch that.

Micro expressions are very brief facial expressions, lasting about 1/25^th and 1/15^th of a second. They occur when a person either deliberately or unconsciously conceals an emotion being felt, according to the Paul Eckman Group.

Therefore, these micro expressions are vital when trying to figure out if someone is lying. It is very difficult to point them out due to how fast they occur. It will take time and a lot of experience to fully grasp this concept.

Once you’ve got micro expressions down packed, the next important factor to look at is body language. By watching a person’s body language it generally reflects their emotions or personality. This may not always be accurate but we can typically get an idea.

Because a person’s body language may not accurately prove if a person is lying, it still serves a purpose and can reveal the emotions felt during the lie. Therefore, always be keen to one’s body movements. The book continues to go in depth about catching lies and why some lies fail.

Therefore, if you’re intrigued on the concept of detecting deception and lies, it is best to buy the book. Eckman does not leave anything out and will make sure that by the time you finish reading you will be well-equipped on catching someone lie.

In the end, if you tell the truth, you have nothing to remember.