Looking someone in the eye and lying to them is apparently much easier than Hollywood films and politicians have led us to believe.

Researchers who watched hundreds of hours of video footage of lying criminals in high-profile court cases have found that fibbers share a surprising selection of common tells.

A team at the University of Michigan discovered that far from averting their gaze, people actually make more eye contact when they lie.

Being dishonest also makes people scowl and use their hands more.

The study found people share these traits when lying:

Move their hands a lot
Scowl or grimace their whole face
Use fillers such as "um," "uh" and "ah"
Try to sound more certain
Look their questioners in the eye more often than those telling the truth

Are they lying? The surprising new ways to tell if someone is being dishonest