"I can tell if you are lying..."

Has anyone else noticed the recent dozen or so books released (or re-released) in the last year or so that are about learning to tell if someone is lying, and how to ‘interrogate’ them to confirm lies or truth?

There’s even a book on tape about it! Publishers seem to think this is a hot social topic right now… or is it that there are just (suddenly) a bunch of authors who are experts in the subject and decided to publish in 2005? Hmmm.

Do you think this is a hot topic in America right now? Why do you suppose it has the public interest right now, as opposed to a few years ago or a decade ago?

I’ve seen the meme (about 20 years old now) that says there are people who can tell by somatic body language if someone is lying. It has been mentioned in movies (such as “The Negotiator” and others), books, and TV. There are caveats to these methods, of course - for example, it helps accuracy a great deal if they know the person they are assessing.

Could it be that just the idea that it is *possible* to tell if someone is lying through skill and knowledge that has brought about a popularity of this topic with the general public?

What do you think?

Re: "I can tell if you are lying..."

If this is a hot social topic, I'm out of the loop.  What comes to mind when I read it, though, is that the current environment in the states certainly would support such an interest and demand for this type of material.  We live in a country, in my most humlble opinion : ), that breeds fear.  We're taught that we shouldn't trust anyone outside of our own homes.  We can't walk to our cars in a parking lot, let our kids cross the street to go to the homes of their friends, or feel safe on our computers.  Your SUV may rollover and nobody knows if coffee is good for you or not, or if your microwave is killing you, or if  your neighbor has bugged your house.  The more I think about this the more bazillion examples bombard my brain.  It boils down to the fact that I'm not surprised at all given the goal of modern media to shock and awe. 

On another note, I certainly agree that there are ways to tell if a person is lying.  I don't know if any of them are fool proof and would have a hard time believing so.  I would guess knowing the subject would be of utmost importance.