DIY Life

For a few months this year, my son went through a maddening stage where he was lying to me all the time. Thankfully, he is a terrible liar: I could see through it every time. After months of behavior charts and doing everything I could think of to teach him the importance of truthfulness and trust, his lying just went away. I'd like to say it was because of stellar parenting on my part, but I think it was just a phase, and he worked through it.

But not everyone is as easy to spot in a lie as my son is. With a keen eye and some understanding of body language, you have a better chance of catching a liar in the act. Possible signs that someone might be lying to you include:

• Starting a sentence with "The truth is..." or something of the sort.
• Speaking with a higher pitch.
• Lips pressed more tightly together than usual.
• Hemming and hawing while telling a story.

Check out the AOL Body slide show for a full list of signs that someone might be lying to you. You may also enjoy a few previous DIY Life posts on this topic, Catch a liar in the act and Mind reading through simple visual cues, both by M.E. Williams.