Not as easy as you might think!

Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews, and if you have friends or partners who are chronic liars then you've come to the right place.

Nonverbal cues are widely considered to be the most telling indicators of when a person is lying, but what should you be looking out for?

Well, one of the first signs of a nervous liar is fidgeting, so pay close attention.

Are they shuffling their feet or playing with their hair or messing with their watch or clothing?

All of these could be potential signs of deceit.

Now, you've probably heard that liars tend to avoid eye contact, but did you know that dilated pupils can also be a sign?

These are caused by increased tension and concentration, typically experienced when someone is lying.

Defensiveness is another telling behavior that can manifest in multiple ways.

If someone's voice suddenly gets higher, for example, that's a pretty good giveaway.

Liars also tend to be uncooperative, and make more negative statements,

using words like "sad" or "hate."

Most of these seem pretty obvious when you think about it,

but modern research suggests that they may not be entirely accurate.

A study published last month in the journal Psychological Science claims that

humans are better at detecting lies when they're doing so unconsciously,

rather than consciously trying to decipher certain behaviors.

According to Maria Hartwig, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice,

looking at a person's behavior and listening to their statements

has a lie detection accuracy rate of about 54%,

which is only slightly above the rate you'd obtain from simply guessing.

The real indicators, she says, are much more subtle than the nonverbal cues we've been taught to rely on.

Clark Freshman is a law professor who runs a firm that trains lawyers and negotiators

on proper lie detection techniques.

He says that while there's no surefire method for detecting liars,

there are some advanced methods they employ during questioning.

The "unanticipated question approach," for example, is useful in cases

where you suspect someone may be trying to cover something up.

This is based on the idea that people in these situations

will often fabricate stories without considering all of the details.

So, if someone commits a crime but their alibi says they were at a restaurant when it happened,

ask them questions that they wouldn't expect.

Like, where was the restaurant's bathroom located?

A person who's telling the truth, will have no problem answering these details

but a liar, might struggle more.

If you already have evidence that someone has lied,

Hartwig says the worst thing you can do is to let the liar know you have evidence.

Instead, ask them general questions, and see how much information they're willing to volunteer.

People who are telling the truth, tend to be more forthcoming with information

than liars, who are naturally evasive.

Freshman also says to look out for microexpressions

which are subtle facial cues that appear for only a split second.

A 2008 study on the topic showed that people who are being deceptive about their emotions

display inconsistent expressions and blink more often than those telling the truth.

So if you REALLY wanna catch someone in a lie,

try not to focus too much on the obvious clues.

Because it's the subtle ones that are usually the most telling.

If you know any other tried-and-true methods for catching a liar with their pants down,

let us know in the comments below,

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