Detecting deception is more difficult than most people realize.

Contrary to popular belief, people give off few, if any, nonverbal cues when lying. For instance, most people believe that breaking eye contact is an indicator of deception. Research, however, does not support this claim. There are no differences in eye contact when individuals lie or when they tell the truth. People are just as likely to look you in the eye when lying as they are when telling the truth.

In fact, decades of research indicate that there are few reliable, nonverbal cues of deception. And when you think about, this makes sense. Most lying occurs with little effort, thought or planning. Lying comes very naturally and, for the most part, people are good at it. In fact, people tell the same lies so often that they even begin to believe their own lies. So, while we think that lying is difficult and stressful, this is not typically the case. It is very common for people to lie with little anxiety or nervousness.

And ironically sometimes telling the truth can be very stressful. In other words, not only is it possible for people to look