The ‘Irish Mammy’s Secret Guide to Spotting a Liar’  reveals all you need to know about lie detection as we celebrate Mother’s Day.  A two-timing lover, a friend holding out on you, work buddy using you, fudging from a professional – lies hurt big and deep. Prevention, on the other hand, saves heartache and hard cash. First a few facts…
 Why do we lie?
Simple answer – because we can! Some enjoy the power kick. We lie because if everyone told the stark truth life would be harder. Humans adapted to live together. Social lies underpin domestic harmony and common politeness. Heaven help the bloke who doesn’t know the correct reply to “Does my bum look big in this?’
Lies start as self-preservation. We teach our kids to lie. ‘Tell them I’m not in.’ Â Husband spots a new handbag. ‘Oh, that?’ says she, nonchalantly, ‘Been in the back of the wardrobe for ages.’
Easier than truth
Who answers a calm ‘Yes’ to the accusation of a suspected affair? Certainly not a president. How many women fuel an affair, cushioned by that big, fat old whopper: ‘I’ll leave my wife … now’s just not a good time, honey?’
Why do lies matter?
Discovering a deceit rankles, and breeds mistrust. It’s hard to trust someone again. Something is lost from the relationship. You feel devalued, used and humiliated.
 Spotting a liar
Any mammy worth her salt can spot a liar in her family instantly.
Shifty looks, that wriggling, blushing, stammering discomfort gives it all away. Â Mammies pick up on small clues and inconsistency, pouncing like elite Special Ninja interrogators.
It’s harder to spot a lie if you don’t know someone well or you’re on the phone. Mammies look for signs of stress. Any deviations from normal – posture, gestures and responses. They trust their visceral instincts when they smell a rat and POUNCE!
The Irish Mammy’s Secret Guide to Spotting a LiarÂ
-  An overly detailed account of a situation, a rambling explanation with lots of repetition  – they’re making it up as they go along! As Shakespeare said, ‘…thou dost protest too much.’
- Fixed eye contact that’s just a bit too intense? They’re trying hard not to look shifty!
- Talking loudly drowns out any questions or discussion. Lying is uncomfortable so the perp wants to spill the story quickly and have done with it while they remember the lie.  Answers coming  too quickly show a practiced pitch.
- Agressive stance signals a readiness to fight. It’s a hangover from cowboy days – when the talk fails out came the fists at the not-so-ok-saloon.
- Itchy noses flag up lies. The nose houses a vast number of blood vessels which dilate during the stress of lying. Notice any nose scratching when you’re asking the tough questions?
- Keep an eye on  pink ears. They blush before the face catches up. Adults ears may be the only area to redden during lying.
- Hands and feet leak information about a persons comfort in a conversation. Tune out the sound and watch what those hands are really telling you! Are they waving about, covering the face or pointing the way out? Maybe they’re holding your attention – Â until you submit to the story?
- Bums on seats shift under pressure. The owner wants out to leave, right now.
- When someone’s lying the pupils of their eyes dilate. A flashing happens as the pupil normalizes and dilates again rapidly.
- Lot of eye movement doesn’t indicate fibbing. Focus on where the eyes move to instead. If someone looks downwards and to their right side it indicates an internal dialogue of emotion. Eyes down to the left show calculation,  ‘What am I going to do now?’
Always trust an Irish Mammy. She may not know how she knows, but she’s the one to trust:)
