Tell the Truth Day

Imagine a world where nobody lies, says anything misleading, or does anything dishonest. Tell the Truth Day aims to achieve this for just one day – presumably to allow people the rest of the year to get over insult, hurt and the result of truths which perhaps should have remained un-said!

Now is the time to take a full 24 hours to honor the important facet of telling the truth. This is a great opportunity, whether people are working toward being more honest with themselves, with others or both. It’s time for Tell the Truth Day!

History of Tell the Truth Day

According to a book by M. Hirsch Goldberg, the average human being lies approximately 200 times each day, which includes “white lies” as well as avoiding the truth by omission. If that seems like a lot, then maybe the University of California research will sit a little better, suggesting that humans typically tell two lies per day, on average.

But whether it’s two lies a day or 200 lies per day, this research might indicate the need for a day like Tell the Truth Day!

Although telling a little white lie to protect someone’s feelings might be standard (for instance, “your new purple mohawk looks great on you!”), Tell the Truth Day was created as an opportunity to push past the surface and get honest with the world.

It is important to remember, however, that telling the truth doesn’t just give people license to go around hurting each other’s feelings, (maybe try something more along the lines of, “a purple mohawk probably wouldn’t be my thing, but if you like it, then that’s what counts!”).

Tell the Truth Day is slightly different than Honesty Day, which is celebrated in late April. Another day with a similar bent is celebrated on April 2, the day after April Fool’s Day, and the idea is to undo all of those silly little lies that were told as jokes the day before.

In any case, the concept of spending a whole day telling the truth might cause some to flinch and worry, while for others it might be the standard that they live by most of the time anyway. For anyone, though, Tell the Truth Day can offer a little bit of freedom to say what’s true and possibly even start making a habit of it.

Get started on the road toward honesty with Tell the Truth Day!

How to Celebrate Tell the Truth Day

Celebrating this day might seem super simple, but for many people telling the truth just isn’t all that easy! Try these ideas for getting involved in the day:

Be Aware of the Truth

Of course, the idea of telling the truth would require that people are aware of when they are lying. So a good place to start might be to take some time throughout the day to be more aware of whether what is being said is actually the truth. Just start by paying attention to truth and lies that come out of your own mouth, then decide if something needs to be done about it.

Watch Movies about Truth (and Lies)

Even the entertainment world is fascinated with the idea of telling the truth (as well as lying!). Take a look at these films that center around the theme of Tell the Truth Day. Grab some friends and get to watching:

• Liar, Liar (1997). A clever comedy starring Jim Carey, this movie tells the story of a lawyer who built his entire career on telling lies, but is cursed with telling the truth for one full day. The character evolves from the experience even as the web of lies that is his life is revealed.
• La Vérité (1960). This interesting movie by French filmmaking legend Henri-Georges Clouzot, titled “The Truth” offers a black and white look at the conflict between truth and justice. Starring Bridgitte Bardot, the story is shown from different points of view while the question about what is actually true regarding a murder needs to be answered.
• (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies (2016). A documentary based on important research into why people lie, social scientist Dan Aierly’s film takes a look at the science behind lying as well as providing revealing testimonies of those who were caught in lies and paid the consequences.
• Pinnochio (1940). Fun for kids and adults, this classic Disney film offers up the beloved tale of the little wooden puppet whose greatest hope is to become a real boy. As his nose tends to grow when he lies, the natural consequences of truth telling are revealed.

Come Clean About a Lie

Those who have an untruth that has been haunting them, today might just be the day to correct that lie. It might be risky to let a friend or family member in on something that has been lied about but, in most cases, some freedom will come from being honest and the relationship can begin to recover and heal from the past lies.

Play Games About the Truth and Lies

For a Tell the Truth Day Party, fun games can be played that offer the opportunity to get to know friends better and enjoy access to the truth. Try these fun party games about the truth and lies:

• Truth or Dare. A classic game at middle school parties, Truth or Dare can be played with two players or many players. Players are given the opportunity to choose between answering a question with the truth or performing a “dare” which is a stunt that is at the discretion of the gamemaker. 
• Two Truths and a Lie. This is a fun ice breaker game for a group of friends that might just be getting to know each other. Each person names three different facts about themselves–two of which are true and one of which is a lie. Then the rest of the group tries to guess which is a lie. The more absurd the facts are, the more fun the game is! 
• The Horrible Truth. This is a card game played with a group of friends or family. It uses five different types of cards to get various pieces of revealing information out of players, including questions, drawing, writing, and more. The more revealing the truth is, the more points are scored!