A series of four studies conducted in Poland found that when people put their hands over their hearts, they were seen by others as more honest, and acted more honestly, too. Compared to other participants, they gave more truthful assessments of strangers’ attractiveness and were less likely to lie about how well they did on a math test. So next time you go shopping with a friend, try getting her to lay her hand on her heart before you ask her how those jeans look.

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