It was 40 years ago that psychologist Paul Ekman began to seriously consider whether there was a way to tell when a psychiatric patient was lying. He has since generated the science of microexpressions - tiny flashes of facial expression revealing intense concealed emotion which give away lies.

His career's work on the issue of lying has led to consulting jobs with various law-enforcement agencies, a book, and online course and now a TV show based on his work, "Lie to Me" on Fox, according to a profile appearing in The Guardian.

Not surprisingly, Ekman sometimes gets asked how someone can become a better liar, which he says he can't do.

"The ability to detect a lie and the ability to lie successfully are completely unrelated," he told the news source. "I have been asked by people running for high office - for very high office - if I could teach them to become 'more credible'. But I don't work that side of the street."

The Bureau of Labor statistics predicts that by 2016, there will be almost 200,000 psychologists employed in the U.S., a growth rate faster than average for most jobs over that time period.