It’s no secret that it’s been getting increasingly hard to separate facts from fiction. With so much chaos, fake news, conspiracies and whatnot surfing around the media, it’s easy to lose your own standpoint.
But believing nonsense, aka myths, is part of (often flawed) human nature. In fact, people believed all kinds of crazy things a long time before the pandemic hit, and ridiculous beliefs, like that when you get a covid vaccine, you get injected with a microchip, started spreading much like the virus itself.
So when someone asked “what myth is still widely circulated as truth?” on r/AskReddit, the 33.2k responses came flowing in. We selected some of the most eye-opening ones that debunk so-called common knowledge that turns out to be anything but knowledge!
#1
people believe in the whole alpha and beta wolves thingIt’s not true. The “leaders” of the pack are the parents.
-in natural wolf packs, the alpha male or female are merely the breeding animals, the parents of the pack, and dominance contests with other wolves are rare if they exist at all.
Image credits: rawsugar87
#2
That you can reduce fat from a particular body part
Image credits: AAAARRRGGGGHHHH
#3
That you have to wait for 24h before you can report a missing person. If someone is missing, go get help!
Image credits: radiusmcfly
#4
Gum takes 7 years to digest
Image credits: Snoo48391
#5
The Food Pyramid
Image credits: WCGWjoiningReddit
#6
The mystery of how the pyramids were built. They know how they were built. Ramps, pulleys, ropes, and labor.
Image credits: MedicalWelder
#7
If an HIV-positive person has sex with another HIV-positive person, they don’t have to worry about protection. They do, because there are 140 different strains of the HIV/AIDS virus, and getting infected with another strain, especially a potentially deadlier one, could be dangerous. Also, pregnancy is still a very big risk for HIV-positive women. If you are considering a sexual relationship, get tested, and talk to your doctor about birth control.
Image credits: PaulfussKrile
#8
That the tongue has different regions for salty, sweet, bitter, and sour.
Image credits: honguss
#9
The Bermuda triangle. Turns out ships and planes disappear at the same rate all over the world's oceans.
Image credits: MedicalWelder
#10
You have to wait 30 min to swim after eating
Image credits: Lizardsteve
#11
That diamonds are rare and therefore should be expensive, that is just a myth perpetrated by the de beers diamond cartel.
Image credits: Herrjulias
#12
That washing chicken gets it rid of bacteria. No. Cooking chicken gets rid of bacteria, given that you do it well. Washing chicken, on the other hand, can contaminate your whole kitchen with salmonella.
Image credits: Peterthemonster
#13
Organic crops don't use pesticides or herbicides.
Image credits: reddit
#14
I was adamantly told by some seniors at work not to drink the water that boiled twice because it cooks the oxygen out of it.
Image credits: DesignerPilky
#15
That you can tell if someone is a "virgin" by looking at their hymen to see if it is "intact."
Image credits: TravelBookly
#16
If you work hard at school and get good grades you'll get a good job and enjoy a stable life.
Image credits: Ben716
#17
Antibiotics can cure virus infections. No, they don't
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#18
That we only use 10% of our brain
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#19
Knuckle cracking doesn't lead to arthritis, it is just an old wives tale people use in place of simply telling you it's annoying them. Crack away!
Image credits: SquilliamFancySon95
#20
Shaving hair causes it to grow back longer and thicker.
Image credits: IllusiveAceOfSpades
#21
Bulls hate red. They are actually colour blind and are reacting to the movement of the cloth and the a**hole behind it.
Image credits: pumperthruster
#22
That MSG is very bad for health and anything with it is seen as unhealthy.
Image credits: rajbaymax
#23
Carrots being good for your eyes. It was a myth created in WW2 by the allies to explain how their pilots got so good at shooting down enemy planes all of a sudden. (The real reason was radar technology).
Image credits: P4Y4L
#24
That goldfish have a 6 second memory. I mean it's still not great, I think like a couple of months. But still... Get your fish a bigger damn tank
Image credits: SilverRabbit1
#25
That whole "you eat seven spiders a year" myth. It was created by some lady in the late 90s or early 2000s to prove that ridiculous things can be found on the internet, spread like wildfire, and believed by many.
Image credits: JasaProxy
#26
Your blood is blue when not oxygenated
Image credits: maizeplusblueisgreen
#27
A lot of people still believe a woman sued McDonald’s because her coffee was hot. In reality, the woman had 3rd-degree burns throughout her pelvic area and only asked that her medical bills be paid.
Image credits: staugh3
#28
That the seeds are the spiciest part of hot pepper. The seeds are the only part of a pepper that isn't spicy. The white stuff near the seeds though, spice max.
Image credits: Toxicsully
#29
That cold is caused by lower temperatures. The cold is a virus that transmits between people.Edit: a lot of people are saying that cold temperatures weaken the immune system and thus indirectly make you more susceptible, and while it’s true, the direct cause for common colds is caused by human contact.
Image credits: reddit
#30
The Myth: You can tell if a snake is venomous or not by the shape of its pupil (slit for venomous, round for nonvenomous).The Truth: Pupil shape has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a snake has venom, and, if you're close enough to get a good look at a snake's pupils, you're probably close enough to get bit.
The Advice: If you cannot, from a safe distance, immediately identify a snake beyond a reasonable doubt, assume it's dangerous and behave accordingly; keep your distance, stay out of its direct path, and keep your eyes on it until one or the other of you leaves the area.
Image credits: reddit
#31
The European "Dark Ages"People seem to love the idea that, between the fall of Rome and, like, DaVinci or something, everyone in Europe was just blowing spit bubbles and looking at the funny pictures in the Bible. Not only was there not a complete absence of classical learning in Europe during the dark ages but throughout the dark ages and medieval period, there actually was a fair amount of progress in fields like architecture, engineering, metallurgy, philosophy, theology, and yes, even science.
But then again, I suppose it all ties back to the notion that people in the past were somehow far stupider than we are.
#32
That soap destroys cast iron skillets. Soap used to have lye in it which was used to break down human bodies and bones into dust. Now some mild dawn dish soap won’t do damage to a pan unless it soaks for a long time.#33
That consumption of dietary cholesterol is directly linked to a rise in the body’s total cholesterol levels.#34
If you don’t stop making that face, it’ll get stuck like that!#35
That there are only five senses.#36
That Corsets are a lethal torture item and every Victorian woman did tight-lacing.The myth about harmful Corsets was started by Victorian men, in order to bring down women-owned businesses. And some feminists (looking at you, Emma Watson) swallowed that lie, hook, and sinker, thinking they are empowering somebody with it.
The truth is, Corsets are way better than bras. If you have back pains, which many women have because of their bras, switch to Corsets. There is a reason, why it was used that long.
#37
That breakfast is the most important meal of the day#38
That the people in Jonestown used Kool-aid to commit suicide. You hear the term "Drank the kool-aid" for someone blindly following orders.It was actually Flavor-Aid. I know it is a dumb distinction. I'm sure it makes the Flavor-Aid people happy.
#39
That historical armour was useless, or just something you wore so you had a slight chance to turn a death blow into merely a serious injury.Shows and movies still perpetuate this. Game of Thrones has "acclaimed" sword fights where guys casually shove swords through dudes in plate armour. Impossible. Metal is not cardboard.
Even the most basic iron or bronze chain mail armour will be barely scratched by a slash from the sharpest katana. Well-made plate armour is impervious to all damage short of a blow from a specialized armour-piercing weapon (lance, pole axe etc.). Even the earliest guns couldn't penetrate plate armour.
Armour was incredibly expensive. Common people couldn't afford it so made do without or, if lucky, with fabric armors (that were still very effective protection!). A suite of the custom-made plate would have cost a knight the equivalent of a modern high-end luxury car. Why would people pay that much for something useless?
Armour was very useful. That's why weapons continued to advanced over the centuries and why armour did as well. It was an arms race.
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