There has been plenty of research on how lies are uncovered, but which people are most successful at cheating?

In early studies, researchers examined personality and the ability to lie successfully. They collected a series of personality measures for the research participants, who were then filmed telling lies and truths. They were then shown videotapes of the other participants and each tried to find the lies and the truth.

Here's what the researchers found: The people who were the most successful liars were very confident, dominant, and lucky types. The less successful liars were nervous, anxious, and shy.

However, much of the success of confident liars was due to the fact that they simply seemed more honest overall - whether they were lying or telling the truth.

When analyzing the specific nonverbal cues emitted by participants, it was found that certain suggestions were more likely to be judged as indicators of truthfulness - pleasing facial expressions, faster speaking, greater eye contact, and pleasing gestures. Other signs of nervousness, such as self-touch and speech disturbances ("ëm" and "hmm"), were judged to be "deceptive".

The researchers also found that the most successful liars were more likely to get high scores on measures of being social or socially liked. People with good social skills were better at managing emotions - so they were seen as more honest.

This research is consistent with another study by Psychology Today, which says that people "manipulative, sociable, and people concerned with impression management" lie more.

So the bottom line is this: The most successful liars are sociable, capable of social situations, and capable of looking positive and confident, expressing nonverbal suggestions that make them look even more credible. Those who are more motivated to lie are manipulative and anxious to leave a positive impression on others.