Celebrated on April 30th every year, National Honesty Day is a day that celebrates honesty and straightforwardness in all its many forms. It is considered by many to be the antithesis of April Fool’s Day—a day which deals mostly with dishonesty and various pranks, so it can be thought of as the Anti-April Fool’s Day.

This holiday was originally created by M. Hirsh Goldberg, a writer who has written several books, including “The Book of Lies: Schemes, Scams, Fakes, and Frauds That Have Changed the Course of History and Affect Our Daily Lives.”

The History Of National Honesty Day

National Honesty Day was created by M. Hirsh Goldberg while he was conducting research for his book, “The Book of Lies: Schemes, Scams, Fakes, and Frauds That Have Changed the Course of History and Affect Our Daily Lives,” in 1991. While some critics say that he invented this holiday only to sell more books, Mr. Goldberg has stated that he created the holiday to serve as a contrast to April Fool’s Day.

Facts About Honesty

As an addendum to this holiday, we decided to provide some trivia to our readers. Trivia that tells everyone everything they need to know about honesty. So, let’s jump right into the thick of things and look at the following bullet points.

A Lot Of People Lie Regularly

According to a scientific study published in the Journal of Basic and Applied Social Psychology, approximately 60% of people lie at least once during a typical 10-minute conversation. The lies are told either to make the person look competent in what they’re discussing or because they’re trying to make themselves appear more likable.

The Average American Lies Approximately 11 Times A Week

Yes, you read that correctly. According to the latest research, Americans lie about 11 times a week. That’s approximately 1.5 lies per day. In our estimation, that’s quite a lot.

Humans Are Bad At Lie Detection

Another recent scientific study shows just how bad humans are at detecting lies. According to research, humans can only detect when someone is lying about half the time. Statistically, that’s about as accurate as flipping a coin to determine if a person is lying or not.

Primates Can Lie, Too

One thing that humans and primates share is that both can lie. However, primates are about twice as good at telling if they’re being lied to as humans are.

Customs, Traditions, And Celebrations Of National Honesty Day

Anyone observing this day is allowed to ask anyone they want a question and expect an honest answer in return. Of course, for this to work as it should, the other person has to not only be aware of this holiday but also be willing to participate in its tradition.

Of course, this cuts both ways, so if you’re observing this holiday and expect other people to be honest in their answers, then you too have to be honest in answering the questions you are asked on this day. After all, it’s only fair.