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There's a Twitter account (that can now also be found on Facebook) which offers people the chance to anonymously reveal their secrets, and with 535K followers, it has become a viral online sensation.

Titled Fesshole, the account is the brainchild of Rob Manuel. Those of you that are well-versed in internet culture might know him from creating 'B3ta', a meme design website that famously sued Coca-Cola after they ripped off one of its viral animations for a TV ad.

Anyway, the "sins" on Fesshole range from the clumsily awkward (messing up a handshake) to the hilariously outrageous (hiring someone because they share your love for pro-wrestling), and, I guess, their popularity shows that in the age of social detachment, a little gossip can go a long way.

Continue scrolling to check out Fesshole's latest content, and don't miss out on the chat we had about secrets with Dr. Michael Slepian, the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School, spread out in between the pictures.

However, if you go through the entire thing and your curiosity wants more, fire up our earlier publication on Fesshole.

More info: Twitter | Facebook

#1

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Trisha Howson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I see nothing wrong with this at all. They wouldn't take care of her give her to someone that can and will

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To begin with, Dr. Slepian said when we keep a secret, we often mean to protect something. "Perhaps we believe that it protects our reputation, or our relationship with someone. And yet, our secrets tend to harm our well-being, and can harm our relationships too," the author of The Secret Life of Secrets: How Our Inner Worlds Shape Well-Being, Relationships, and Who We Are told Bored Panda.

"When we choose to be alone with something, especially something important, we tend not to develop the healthiest way of thinking about it. It often takes another person to get the help that we need. Even a short conversation with a trusted person can offer so much. Emotional support and fresh perspectives can easily be offered by your confidant, but are hard to find on your own. This is why we often want to bring others in. We know that another person can prove helpful, and that having a conversation about the secret would be a healthy thing to do. To have a secret from everyone is to be alone with that thing, and we don't like to be alone. Your desire for help and social connection is in battle with your fear of how others will respond. When we let fear win, we hold the secret tight."

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Nick Jeffery
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The only possible issue I see would be if the mum has occasional "lucid" spells, and discovered the multitude of lighters - if she then felt that OP was "tricking" her going behind her back, she could be upset... It may be worth OP explaining what she did to her mum if/when she has one of these lucid moments, to prevent that... but otherwise, if it makes mum happy, then it's a kindness...

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MGlenn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one kind of terrified me. When my grandmother was in the early stages of dementia she almost burned the house down leaving a burner unattended. I’d be petrified of a lit cigarette in the hands of a dementia patient

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The Other Guest
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree. My mom had quit smoking long before she showed any signs of dementia, but as the disease dug deeper she started asking for cigarettes (she didn't remember quitting). Considering she almost caused a fire by attempting to make toast with potato chips instead of bread, I hate to think what would have happened with a lighter or burning cigarette.

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Jaekry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Totally okay. When my parents tell something for the umpteenth time, we (all children) happily oblige. It's okay, they light up. Remember when your parents had to tell you as toddler for the umpteenth time? Yeah...

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Randolph Croft
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do that for my mother. She's 88 and loses her reading glasses, so I buy the same one ten times, and every time she starts fussing over missing them I slip a pair at the dinner table where she reads the newspaper.

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Manon Scully
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That isn't a sinn, if you ask me. It's a sweet, kind gesture from a loving son/daughter to a mom

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Μαρίνα Χρύσα Τσιάτσου
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually very cute and sincere. I know relatives of people with dementia who bully them daily, now THAT'S a sin!

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wv10014
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sad that she's smoking but I think it's great to bring her some satisfaction wrt her memory (or lack thereof)

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Lady Goldberry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Smoking might be the only pleasure she can afford and it is the most addictive of addictions...I say let granny smoke :)

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Robert Klonoski
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mine constantly accused me of stealing her nutcrackers, so every time I found any at tag dales / thrift stores, I'd buy them and leave them on the kitchen table. Probably 100 of them over the course of time. Every single time she'd stash them away, then suddenly need one, and once again accuse me.

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Ash
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s good she’s happy, bad that she’s smoking. But hey, you can pick your poison, sad but healthy or unhealthy and happy.

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Eli K
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whilst I personally am a Christian, I’m sure many people here are not. Yet even they could tell you this isn’t sin, it’s love!

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Janine Hunt-Jackson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wonderful! For naysayers, she's going to die from this horrible condition anyway. More smoking at this point won't hurt!

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GramDB
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

80 fire starters in a home with a dementia patient … I don't think that actually safe.

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Petra Biedermann
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hope she doesn't smoke and leaves a burning cigarette somewhere.....

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Sarabura
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have nail clippers in pretty much every room of my house - not because I forget where they are, but because my wife keeps taking them and putting them elsewhere.

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Sebastian Köster
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

its sweet i guess, but also dangerous. hopefully she doesnt forget how to use the lighters.

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Mary Tyree
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

sweetie, I would not let her smoke, could start a fire. My mom has dementia also.

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Kim Bush
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's ok only if the lighters were empty.. if not then it's potentially dangerous.

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Lynn H
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We let patients smoke outside on the Alzheimer's and Dementia unit. They for some reason didn't forget their cigarettes. I would suggest she smoke outside just in case. This is sweet of you 😊

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Lisa Intally
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know someone whose mom accidentally set their kitchen on fire cooking. Dementia and fire don't mix well.

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Debrina Blackmoon
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing wrong there! :) Too bad she didn't quit, tho'-if it's "regular' cigs.

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Dan Silviu
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother had dementia. I can relate to the smiling when you see her happy. Those moments ...

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rhubarb
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aw, that's really nice of them. I hope she remembers to put out her cigarettes, though.

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Shelby Moonheart
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had an old friend who was getting dementia and forgot that she smoked. Her daughter asked what she was looking for, knowing it was cigarettes, and my friend couldn't remember. So she gave up smoking. Kind of sad but it makes me smile a little.

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Mary Mosher
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That really was a sweet gesture ... what frightens me is what if she forgets a lit cigarette somewhere?

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Kzincat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As long as she doesn’t forget that she has a lit cigarette. That’s my only fear. I had a great uncle who accidentally set his bed on fire. He survived that. A different accident took him. ☹️

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Michael Largey
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let your mom have all the lighters she wants, but hide her cigarettes. When she says she wants one, tell her "But you just finished one two minutes ago!" She has dementia, so how would she know otherwise?

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Emiloy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or just let her make her own choices and find joy in her vice where she can, even if you don’t approve. There’s no need to be manipulative.

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Nitka Tsar
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought is would go the other way and they confess to having swiped the lighter so she could not smoke and blaming it on the dementia

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James DUNBAR
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1 year ago

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Who would steal someone's ashes? Real d!ckhead move there.

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April Caron
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a 6 year old foster kid who was obsessed with wanting glasses like her older sister. Alas, she didn’t need them. :/ While her older sister walked around trying on various frames for her new glasses, she was trying to be supportive. I couldn’t bare to see her disappointed, so I told her to pick out whatever frames she also wanted. She was over-the-moon elated! We bought her “glasses” as-is without a prescription… just a clear lens. They were a hideous pink cat eye style. She wore them EVERYWHERE! And anytime she would get complimented on them, she’d tally up those compliments, “See? Another compliment!” It was ridiculously cute! :)

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James Morris
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always want to ask Alexa to end the simulation {like the Matrix} but don't. I'm afraid if it does life might be worst then it is.

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With Edy Moulton-Tetlock, a doctoral student in management studying organizational behavior, Dr. Slepian asked more than 800 online participants to describe their personal secrets, using his list of 38 common categories of secrets as their guide.

The participants described more than 10,000 secrets, including both those they had shared with someone ("confided secrets") and the ones they had kept all to themselves ("total secrets").

The data revealed that confiding a secret predicted improved well-being. That's because the participant received social support and because the act of revealing the secret seemed to minimize the amount of time the person spent thinking about it.

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Dr. Slepian's research suggests that someone who is more secretive tends to be less extraverted and less emotionally stable, but more conscientious.

However, we also need to be aware of what it means to be "unloaded" on.

"When another person confides in us, this can be a boon but also a burden. When someone trusts us to the point of revealing a secret, we understand this is an act of intimacy, and often feel closer to the person as a result."

And yet, Dr. Slepian explained that if the secret is something we find troubling or surprising, we might find our thoughts returning to it again and again.

"The secret can weigh on our mind. And if the secret implicates someone you know, then you'll have to keep the secret from them, which will bring its own burden," he added.

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While Dr. Slepian thinks it's possible for people to live like an open book, sharing everything with the world, he wouldn't advise it.

"There is a class of secrets that most everyone agrees is okay to keep. People often call these 'white lies,'" he clarified. "If you are just arriving at the party, and your friend asks you how their outfit looks, but it is too late to change, then most people agree that saying something positive is the kinder response ('You look great!'). If the truth needlessly hurts someone's feelings, holding back is often the more compassionate choice."

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DuchessDegu
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't like the taste of beer, wine or spirits, I'm more than happy with a soft drink or juice. I've done it to stop people asking "but whyyyyyyy?" I don't drink and "just try this one".

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Aroha
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cute idea, I'll do the same! *remembers that she has never been asked out* Oh... 😐

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Paul C.
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The company I worked for supplied free vend coffee machines. I put fake price stickers on the machines. It went ballistic. HR had to put out an Email assuring everyone it was somebodies idea of a joke. I think I got away with it.

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There's no exact formula that tells Rob Manuel which submissions he needs to feature on Fesshole. His choices are based on simply going through the list and reading them. Everything depends on his judgment of what he thinks is funny or interesting. So if you send Rob something and it doesn't appear on the account, don't sweat it. There are other online "priests" you can share your secrets with. Like the subreddit r/confessions.

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April Caron
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I have a Furbo camera… so I can talk to my animals. My cat is too smart! When he wants my attention… he triggers the camera, so I’ll check on him and have a little chat with him. :)

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Paul C.
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My brother-in-law, who is a right know it all, fitted his fridge freezer into his kitchen work tops. For years my sister-in-law complained nothing was ever cold and the freezer took an eternity to do basic freezing......he'd left the Styrofoam encasing the whole of the back.

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Trisha Howson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well you told him. It on him should of listened sometimes that is what it takes and you can have a laugh about it

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Elizabeth Elliot
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Shame on you! Think of all the jobs you're stealing from people with REAL interpretive dance degrees! :)

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Paul C.
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good thinking, can't have somebody with a different opinion than yourself can you? Sarcasm alert.

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Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.