"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?