Think you know a liar when you see one? Maybe you should listen a while

IF you haven’t told a single lie thus far this week, it’s probably because you’re reading this column early on Monday morning.

If you don’t get to read it until later in the day, the chances are that you’ll be nicely started on your deception score for the week.

All of us lie, all the time. Little social lies, designed to make us feel better about our interaction with other people, although we convince ourselves they’re designed to make other people feel better about themselves. “Of course I remember you,” we say when we can’t retrieve a name. “Love the dress,” we smile, when we really think it belongs in a discount brothel. “No problem,” we shrug, when in fact we’re grinding our teeth down to nubbins with rage and frustration.