False Confession Day

What the day is

False Confession Day is observed on November 21. It is a playful, unofficial day with no documented founder, and the idea is to confess, with a straight face, to something harmless that you did not actually do. The humor works only when everybody knows it is a game.

A good false confession is absurd, obviously untrue and entertaining to the listener. Admitting to hiding all the missing socks in the house is the right kind of thing. Admitting to something that could cause real trouble for you or anyone else is not.

Origin and background

The origin of the day is not recorded, and it appears in lists of offbeat observances without a stated source. The real subject it brushes against, though, is far from funny. False confessions are a well-documented phenomenon in the criminal justice system, and they have played a part in a large share of the wrongful convictions that were later overturned by DNA evidence. Research on interrogations has found that long questioning, pressure and fatigue can lead innocent people, especially teenagers and people with intellectual disabilities, to admit to things they did not do.

For that reason, the day is best treated as a game of tall tales and never as a template for how to behave when asked about something serious. If you are ever questioned by police, you have the right to ask for a lawyer, and it is wise to use it.

How to take part

• Confess something ridiculous to a friend, such as having trained the neighbor's cat to deliver your mail.
• Make it a game: everyone writes down one false confession and one true one, and the group guesses which is which.
• Keep it harmless. Never confess falsely to something that could embarrass someone, cost money, or involve work, school or the law.
• Give away the joke quickly if your listener looks worried.
• Tell one true embarrassing story as well, since honest confessions are what bring people close.