Dear Yahoo!:

Dear Yahoo!:
How can I tell if someone's lying to me?
Shaka
Chicago, Illinois

Dear Shaka:
With the exception of politicians ("no new taxes") and unscrupulous mechanics ("You need a new transmission"), most folks don't enjoy lying. Yet it's pretty hard to not fib every once in a while.
Thankfully for the poor saps being lied to, visual cues are often easy to spot. According to eHow, avoiding eye contact is one of the most common physical giveaways of someone telling you a whopper. Other tip-offs include the person placing his or her hand over their mouth, touching their nose, scratching their ear or neck, or abruptly changing their pattern of speech.

A "good liar" can mask these impulses, but some behavior can't be so easily controlled. Dilated pupils, sweating, and excessive swallowing are all indicators that something's fishy in the state of Denmark.

As far as we know, there are only two ways to be absolutely sure somebody's lying -- either they break down and confess or their pants catch fire. Unfortunately, both rarely happen, so listen to your gut and keep an eye out for a sweaty brow.