From teleportation and flying to invisibility and super strength, I'm sure many of us have thought about what superpowers would come in most handy on a day-to-day basis.
But, what if I told you that you could acquire something similar to mind-reading by learning how to spot deceit 'like a pro' by just keeping a handful of tell-tale signs to look out for in mind when someone is lying to you.
Well, luckily for you, one TikToker has shared the exact things to be wary of - quoting advice taken straight from FBI agent LaRae Quy. Have a look:
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Quy has over two decades worth of experience working as a counterintelligence agent for the FBI, and is now using her expertise to share with others all the nifty tips she learned from the Bureau.
Speaking to Inc. about her advice on how to catch out some spouting porky pies, the woman mapped out eight key pointers that anyone who fancies themselves a bit of a detective should make a mental note of.
The first tip Quy shared was to 'build rapport' with the potential liar.
"Experience shows that 'good cop' typically gets better results than 'bad cop'," she explained.
Instead of entering the convo guns blazing, the expert highlighted the importance of coming across as 'empathetic'.
"You'll get the person to open up more than when you are cold and accusatory," Quy noted
Up next is the element of 'surprise'.
Quy says: "A deceptive person will try to anticipate your questions, so that their answers sound instinctive and natural.
"They may even practice answering specific questions ahead of time."
So, to counteract this, be sure to ask the person 'something they don't expect'.
They will most likely 'stumble' and, Bob's your uncle, you've caught yourself a liar.
Third on the rundown is: "Listen more than you speak."
Quy states: "Liars tend to speak more than truthful people in an attempt to sound legitimate and win over their audience. They will also use more complex sentences to hide the truth."
When listening closely, be sure to stay wary of the pace of a person's speech as 'stress usually makes people speak faster' as well as volume as 'stressed persons often talk louder'.
Voice 'cracking' is also a common response that 'usually occurs at the point of deception' as well as 'repetitive coughing and clearing the throat' being signs of tension.
However, Quy does acknowledge: "This isn't to say that a conversation partner who does one or more of the above is lying to you.
"But if you witness these actions, proceed with caution."
Fourth on the list is to pay attention to how the the person says 'no' as this could be your biggest indicator of some major fibbing.
So, when someone says the word and looks in a different direction, closes their eyes, says it after hesitating, says it in a 'singsong' manner or says it in a stretched out 'nooo' then alarm bells should be raised.
"Watch for changes in behaviour," tip five warns, as a 'subtle change' in a person's general vibe can be a 'strong sign of deception'.
That could include; memory lapses at 'critical times', answering questions with 'short answers', speaking 'more formally' and using 'extreme superlatives or exaggerated responses'.
That last one basically saying things are 'amazing' or 'incredible' instead of plain-old 'good'.
Number six of the rundown advises people to 'ask for the story backward'.
"Truthful people tend to add details and remember more facts as they repeat their story," Quy explains. "Liars, on the other hand, memorise their stories and try to keep them the same."
Asking a person to recall situation back to front is 'easier' for truthful people whereas liars 'often simplify the story to avoid contradicting themselves'.
Seventh is to simply 'beware of too many compliments' whether that's someone agreeing with literally everything you say, relentlessly praising you and cracking up at all your gags - all signs that they're trying a little too hard to make a good impression.
Last, but by no means least, is to 'ask follow-up questions'.
This sounds pretty obvious - but this could be the determining thing that sets apart an honest individual from a deceptive one.
When in doubt, Quy concludes, ask away and see what sticks - or doesn't.
Rhiannon Ingle