The world isn’t perfect . Though we all seek to share things that are true and in good faith, sometimes the wrong type of information gets out there and spins wildly out of control.
This list is a testament to that fact, as it’s chock full of myths that some people still believe as fact despite the fact that they’ve been debunked multiple times. Let’s see if there’s something you still believe on here!
Creepy crawlies.
“[That] one thing about swallowing like 7 spiders a year in your sleep. [Why] the hell did anyone ever think that was a thing lmao.”
One reply explained that this fact was actually made up by a scientist to prove a point about how easily false information can spread, but according to some digging, that’s just a myth too! It’s myths on myths!
Give them some credit.
“Goldfish have a memory of 3 seconds. Actually they have a relatively good memory and can even be trained to perform tricks.”
As another user explained, “That was likely propagated to not feel bad about having those poor animals in a glorified drinking glass their whole lives.” Please get proper tanks for your goldfish.
Pop and lock.
“The myth that cracking your knuckles can cause arthritis.”
As a frequent cracker of knuckles and many other bones, hearing this one wasn’t actually true was a huge relief. A habit I can guiltlessly indulge in!
Bless you!
“Your heart stops when you sneeze.”
This one was news to me. I can kind of get why people might believe it because when you sneeze it feels like your whole body is on pause, but if it were true, that’d be pretty dangerous!
The edge of danger.
“Daddy Long legs/carpenter spiders being the most venomous spiders in the world only their fangs aren’t long enough to bite you.”
Lots of spider-related myths, huh? It makes sense, easy for scary things to spread about an animal many people are already afraid of.
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McSerious.
“That the McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit was frivolous.”
To give you a quick summary, the woman in that lawsuit was severely burned by boiling hot McDonald’s coffee, like, needed-skin-grafts-level severe. She originally only asked McDonald’s to cover her medical costs, but they refused, and the story spun out until she ended up as the bad guy.
Halvsies.
“I’m still tired of hearing about the ‘right brain, left brain’ thing. Or that you can have a ‘math brain’ or a ‘language brain’.”
This goes hand in hand with that ‘we only use 10% of our brains’ myth, which yes, also isn’t true.
Moral measurements.
“5 seconds rule, [is such] bs. Of course, if a piece of chocolate drops to my kitchen floor I’m going to eat it anyway, but this is independent of how many seconds it touches ground.”
One person replied and said it depends on the floor, which is true, but someone else said this, “The 5 seconds is for my guilt, not for the bacteria,” which is much more relatable.
Shades of red.
“That your blood is blue. It’s not blue. It never was.”
This particular myth was that blood is blue when it’s deoxygenated, or before it hits air. That’s not true, it’s red in all states, but it does tend to be darker red when it’s deoxygenated.
Leader of the pack.
“‘Alphas’ aren’t a thing. In wolves or in emotionally stunted men”
Someone who says they’ve studied wolf pack dynamics said, “Yep, wolf packs are basically just families. The ‘alphas’ are the breeding pair or parents and usually most if not all the pack members are offspring. Occasionally the breeding pair can become a subordinate and one of their offspring and their mate will be the new breeding pair.”
The ultimate cure.
“Cranberry juice can cure a UTI – it can promote a healthy urinary tract & help prevent them but can’t do anything to cure one once you get one.”
If any juice had the ability to fully cure any infection, I think we’d be hearing about it all the time.
A sullied reputation.
“That Wikipedia isn’t a credible source. I don’t know how this one started but it just feels like cheating to use it I guess?”
People did mention that in its early conception, Wikipedia was a lot more wild west than it is now, and at that stage, it wasn’t a credible source. Use it with care, like any other source, but by and large it’s fine now.
Crash and burn.
“Sugar makes kids hyper.”
Sugar highs and crashes have long since been disproven. It’s not the sugar in your kids’ snacks making them get hyper, it’s the fact that they ate a snack at all, food gives you energy! And treats are exciting!
Extra steps.
“That chicken needs to be washed by water […] all you’re doing is introducing bacteria to the sink area. Any culinary school will tell you that.”
This was how I learned that washing not only chicken, but other raw meats, is actually somewhat common. Please don’t do this.
Bundle up!
“That cold weather itself will cause you to catch a cold. The common cold is a rhinovirus. You get it from exposure to other people with a cold. Like sure, cold weather can irritate the airways, lower the immune system, etc…but it’s not the actual weather itself that’s the cause. You need to come into contact with an infected person.”
