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Are you getting the whole truth and nothing but? The answer may be lying right in front of you.

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  Step 1: Watch their hands

  Watch the suspected liar’s hands. Body language studies show that people tend to touch their face and scratch their nose when they lie.

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  Step 2: Follow their eyes

  Follow their eyes. Liars tend to blink a lot and don’t maintain eye contact.

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  Step 3: Note their words

  Note their words. A liar will skip contractions—saying “I did not” instead of “I didn’t”—and avoid pronouns, using someone’s full name instead of “he” or “she.”

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  Step 4: Check their smile

  Check their smile. People who are telling the truth use many facial muscles, but liars smile with just their mouth.

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  Step 5: Note their posture

  Notice their posture. Liars tend to keep their body posture closed (by folding their arms, for example). They may also unconsciously put an object between you, like a cup of coffee.

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  Step 6: Pause before responding

  Pause momentarily before responding; if the silence makes them uncomfortable, they may be lying.

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  Step 7: Note the details

  Pay attention to details. If they provide more information than necessary, that’s a bad sign. People tend to be overly specific when they’re making something up.

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  Step 8: Change the subject

  Change the subject. If they seem relieved, that’s probably a red flag that they’ve been lying straight to your face!

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  Step 9: Teach your liar a lesson

  What you do from here is up to you. It may be smart to file your knowledge away for future use. However, if you’re noticing a trend, it might just be time to teach your liar a lesson.

• Fact

  In a recent poll, 91% of Americans reported lying on a regular basis.