The fingers on my two hands wouldn’t be enough to count how many times I’ve heard that Einstein was bad at school math. Or that bulls go into full-on rage mode when they see red.
Turns out, many of those are just urban myths disguised as common knowledge. So what other nonsense do we, my fellow human beings, all blatantly believe in? This thread on r/AskReddit may give us some answers as people share some of the most annoying myths we all are guilty of trusting in.
Have any annoying myth on your mind to add to this list? Hit us in the comment below!
This post may include affiliate links.
That certain animal 'parts' have healing/magical properties. Like tiger whiskers protect the wearer or rhino horn cures impotence and hangovers.
That vaccines cause autism, are made by the government to control you etc etc.
That gold fish can life in small fish bowls. Worst possible thing to do to them. They die so quickly because they are messy fish and ultimate swimming in toxic water. The need twice the water a regular fish needs to dilute the ammonia their food and waste create. Goldfish can grow up to 12-14 inches and live 10-15 years in a proper habitat! Just because your parents’ parent did this or you see them at the fair doesn’t mean it’s right. Same goes for most animals kept in small cages/tanks. If you aren’t going to do it right, then you should not own that pet. Do your research. End rant ha
Not sure if this fits here exactly, but the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit being a frivolous case filed by a money hungry customer. That poor lady was a real victim who suffered legitimate injuries who only wanted her medical costs covered.
She suffered third degree burns to her upper thighs and lower lap! McD's even acknowledged that the coffee was dangerously hot.
Poor people are poor because they don't know how to manage their money
And, somewhat ironically, its actually pretty expensive to be poor.
Load More Replies...
They are poor because being poor actually costs more. You can't buy in bulk for discounts and there are sneaky penalty fees for like turning electricity back on or bank overdraft fees.
People who live low income can actually be clever economists because they are forced to live within their means and below. I wish people would understand it takes self-discipline, will power, creativity, compromise, patience and innovation. Try living a month on porridge.They work harder and put up with more workplace abuse than any higher levels of employment but keep coming back to earn a living. Not everyone who's poor gambles, smokes and drinks, and for those who do are having their own issues that are not about being poor. It is also a myth that the poor are uneducated. There are millionaires that didn't finish high school but no one tells them they are uneducated. The poor are often trying to gain more credentials, and also putting themselves in necessary debt, rendering them poor again just to acquire essential skills and knowledge. Some people start investing to earn lots of money, but the poor know this is just another form of risky gambling for middle and upper class.
No. Rich people are rich because they got lucky and were given an opportunity other people weren't. Rich people are rich because their parents were rich. Working hard is only a small part of it, and there are so many rich people who did not work hard for their money. Stop buying into capitalist propaganda.
Load More Replies...
Unfortunately, this isn't the myth many want make it out to be. Quite real problem. Personal finances are not taught in the vast majority of U.S. schools.
Many lose their savings in "get rich quick" ponzi schemes. Personal finances should be taught in schools. I'm pretty sure you can throw out some algebra and calculus to make way for it.
Load More Replies...
another one that originated by the wealthy and is perpetuated by the scared middle class.
Poor people are poor because they cannot make a decent wage, are charged higher rates and fees and cannot get home loans for a $900 mortgage, so they're stuck spending $1500 for rent. THAT's why people are poor.
I had a friend, who inherited a thriving business, tell me that if I invested my idle money properly it would double in seven years. Swell, in seven years I'd have two hundred dollars. I invested it in groceries and gas instead.
This is one -ism (classism) that needs a lot more light shed on it. I believe it's at the roots of all other -isms, because if you're rich enough, nobody gives a rat's about your physical or personal details. Conversely, if you're poor, none of the usual "advantages" will save you.
Please read Vimes' Theory of Poverty - by the late, great Terry Pratchett (in his Discworld books)
That is a work of FICTION. It has no basis in reality.
Load More Replies...
I see people who are on government assistance getting tattoos and buying dollar store items that will break in a few months. But then begging for a gallon of milk. That IS not managing the money you have.
This one isn't necessarily 100% true. There are poor people in existence simply because they can't, don't care to or don't know how to manage their money. It would be interesting to know how many people who qualified for all the various stimulus payments spent that money on unnecessary and valueless items rather than using it to beneficial means for their particular circumstance.
Well actually, rich people work harder to become rich than any poor person has ever worked. They put forth the energy and used what they have between their ears to get rich. Many rich people were once poor. They weren't all born with big inheritances and silver spoons in their mouths.
Load More Replies...
For the most part, people that are poor were born in a family with a lower socio-economic status to begin with. This is especially true in third-world countries. Are there exceptions? Absolutely. Just look at Oprah Winfrey or some of these Youtubers who saw an opportunity and ran with it. But generally speaking, if you do not have the resources (i.e 2 parent household, loving family, good educational system, ect...) then the deck is stacked against you.
No, many rich people have become poor by making stupid decisions with their money. What you said is patently false.
Load More Replies...
It’s not like rich people are rich because they know how to manage their money. Their money is managed by professionals. They don’t do it themselves.
But how did they get to the point of having so much money? No one handed it to them in most cases. They worked their asses off to get where they are. Stop spreading bullshit nonsense.
Load More Replies...
Rubbish. Large companies contrive to keep poor people poor. I work for one that does that.
And rich people are rich cause they whored themselves out to get there . What’s your point?
Poor people are often the best money managers and great at mental arithmatic -you have to be when every penny counts.
Some people are poor, because they don't manage their money, some people are poor because they refuse to get a job, some people are poor because they can't work, etc. There a plethora of reasons people are poor, but mismanaging their finances is one of them.
Poor people are often poor because they don't have enough time, and get a decent living wage for starters.. Try being poor - not having a car - simple things like shopping takes 3x the time you don't really have, because you have to work double jobs just to buy the bus ticket, the food and get a roof over your head...
Rich people are rich because they make the system so complicated, few others can become or stay rich
Not only that but many people assume that poor people are stupid. Worse yet is those people who have all these misconstrued ideas have no idea how close they are to being homeless themselves
Much of the time thats exactly why. I was very poor once as was my whole family.
Sometimes true. I know people personally who had great opportunities but are poor and even homeless because of years of really bad decisions. My brother is one of them. Had a very successful family business practically handed to him, but spent every dime he had on luxury goods, drugs, and booze. Oh, and prostitutes. He's on welfare now, but according to his daughter he continues to spend on drugs, booze, and prostitutes.
The truth is that the top 10% are not in the top 1% because they do not know how to manage their money. They hear that one guy has a boat, another has a pool, and a third has a 2nd home. So they get a boat, a pool, and a 2nd home. Then wonder why they can't afford their debt.
Some people are poor because of their buying behaviors and addictions. Not a myth.
Most are poor because they live beyond their means. They had children too soon, took on debt (car loan, mortgage, student loan, credit card), have expensive habits like smoking, etc.
Very true. I think this "myth" can be true to some, but it's amazing how many people go broke even after winning the lottery. It all depends on what situation they are in and the choices they make. For some, it's easier to crawl out if the hole than others.
Load More Replies... 
That the customer is always right.
"...In matters of TASTE." Yes ma'am that orange plaid looks wonderful on you! Let's wrap it up.
You can "detox" your body from toxins and parasites by drinking certain teas or taking some weird medication.
Repeated diarrhea and frequent urination doesn't indicate toxins leaving your body, your liver and kidneys do the job. If your liver is not functioning or you have a kidney disorder, obviously you need help but it won't be teas that someone on Instagram is boasting about.
Many people still believe hymens are like plastic food seals that cover up the hole and get popped when you have sex for the first time, and if a girl doesn't bleed she's not a virgin.
The whole idea of “virginity” is made up BS to manipulate and control people. Particularly women.
Fish only have a 5 second memory. My fish are fed automatically on a timer and they know dinner time better than my goddamn cat.
We used to have a fish called Grimnos who chose what he was fed with. Crumb, Flake or pellets. We would line them up in front of his tank and he would swim to the one he wanted and stare at it until we picked it up, and he would swim to the top and wait. We tried giving him one he didn't choose once, and he refused to eat!
That violence in the world is getting worse and worse. Actually, in relation to the world's population we live in the most non-violent era in history. The problem is that, while 500 years ago you might have not even heard all the news from within your city, we can now hear all the horrible news from all over the world (and we're also more people). But still, human interaction and conflict in general is much less violent than it used to be.
This. The news love to spread negative news because they think to made more audience that way. But looking around in less main stream media is obvious that we, as humans, are going in the right way. Still a lot of work to do but we should be glad to be born in these times.
That historically, corsets were extremely dangerous. That is false. “Tightlacing”, which is basically just what’s seen in the movies, where they make the corset as tight as they can, was not very common, and only used in the extremely upper class. Most people wore corsets completely safely, lacing down very little, if at all. Women climbed mountains, biked, did sports, and everything, in corsets.
Sometimes I think a comfortable corset would feel much nicer than a contemporary bra!
That if you touch a baby bird, its mother will abandon it because of the smell. Birds actually have a very bad sense of smell.
Ah, this ones good for children though. It stops them reaching out trying to 'play' with the bird, ultimately damaging them. Helps children show respect of animals. For adults though....
That woman can hold their period like we can hold our pee. I am still pissed at that teacher...
A lot of commonly believed stuff about the female reproductive system/anatomy, like vaginas getting loose if a woman has a lot of sex, or that having a lot of sex somehow drastically changes the look of a woman's labia.
People with OCD just repeatedly wash their hands and like things clean and organized. This is how it presents in some people. There is so much more to this mental illness that people aren’t aware of that lead to people not getting diagnosed or help.
I don't have full blown OCD but do have some compulsive behaviors. For example if I see my nails and enough has grown for me to bite (I'm a yucky nail biter) it will "scream" at me until I bite it off. Then I can continue my day as per normal. For my aunt, skew or crooked things "scream" at her until she fixes them, so she doesn't go to restaurants with purposely crooked art anymore. Human brains are weird.
You swallow 8 spiders a year in your sleep. The thing was created to see how easily fake news spread.
Astrology: that your horoscope tells something about your personality
The five second rule.
We all know it's not 5 seconds till it's too dirty to eat, it's really just 5 seconds before other people judge you for eating off the floor.
You have to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person's report.
It's the opposite. If someone been missing over 48h then most of clues or evidences already dried out
I have a black cat with white spots on her belly and people have made comments about never having a black cat because they are bad luck or evil. Dude, it’s a cat. Also, hear often comments regarding not breaking mirrors or sweeping over someone’s feet. Its 2021 we really still believe this?!
Black cats are rarely adopted from shelters because of this stupid superstition.
That dairy cows just "make" milk.
Cows aren't any different than the rest of the mammals. They make milk when they have a baby. Humans just take the baby away after it's born.
This is fairly obvious, but their young still get looked after, and *spoiler alert* the cows end up as burgers and leather after they've finished their usefulness as dairy cows.
That carrots improve eyesight. It was actually British propaganda from World war II, I think to explain how they kept on shooting down German planes at night, in order to conceal their invention of a new type of radar I believe. More funny than annoying, I just want to say it.
The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space. First of all, it's not, and second, other ones are.
Organic means no pesticides used. As I understand it, it means that no synthetic pesticides were used.
Not a myth per se, but the number of people who grossly misunderstand how evolution and natural selection works is crazy high.
Ostriches bury their head in the sand when confronted. The fact that Ostrich legs and claws are powerful enough to kill any predator makes a mockery of the myth. In actual fact, they don't make nests but bury their eggs in warm soft soil. They then frequently turn the eggs over in the ground to stop them overheating giving the appearance that they are sticking their heads in the ground from a distance.
MSG - a lot of people still believe it's basically poison. It's no more harmful than regular salt.
That margarine is "one molecule away" from being plastic.
Firstly, "one molecule away" makes no sense. It is a meaningless phrase.
Secondly, being "one atom away" is also meaningless, because a change in atomical structure means the substances are different.
A molecule of H2O has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. H2O is water.
H2O2 has two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms. H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide.
But we don't caution against drinking water by saying that it's "one atom away" from being hydrogen peroxide, because that one atom completely changes the makeup of that substance. Water isn't "almost" peroxide or vice versa.
This is an oversimplification, obviously, but suffice it to say that you shouldn't take advice from someone who claims that margarine is "one molecule away" from being plastic. It's a complete misnomer.
I don't even like or eat margarine but this drives me up the freaking wall.
Anyone who ever drink dihydrogen monoxide will be dead sooner or later
Schizophrenia is the same thing as Multiple Personality Disorder
Scholars in the middle ages didn't believe the Earth was flat. The ancient Greeks knew that [stuff] was false. The myth of the flat earth was a post-Romanticism fancy in pop culture, not a serious scholarly movement.
That line from Men In Black has pissed me off ever since I learned the truth.
That cutting your hair off makes it grow in thicker.
It just takes off the thin or split ends so the hair looks fuller and thicker.
We only use 10% of our brains. If you don't know what 100% is, then how do you determine what 10% is.
After reading most of these beliefs people have I' positive they are using only 10% of thir brain power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cracking your knuckles makes them bigger/gives you arthritis.
This is an ongoing battle between myself and my older coworkers.
That historical armor was basically useless, only increasing the chance of maybe deflecting a blow if you were lucky. You still see it in movies, shows and games where a knife or sword or arrow will go through armor like it's cardboard.
In reality armor was very useful. Very good armor, like a knight's suit of plate, made the wearer virtually invincible. The best plate could stop even early firearms. A knight in full plate and wielding a shield was pretty much the tank of the medieval battlefield. Doubly so if on horseback. Specialized weapons and a concerted effort was needed to defeat one, although typically no one would try to kill a knight since you can't ransom a corpse.
But even simple gambesons, which were made from layers of fabric, could resist a sword cut. High quality gambesons could resist all but the strongest cuts from specialized cutting swords.
Also: that swords were super heavy. A typical one-handed arming sword from the middle ages weighed around 3lbs, 4 max. A two-handed long sword could get up to 5lbs. Rapiers weighed around the same as other swords, which is contrary to popular belief.
Yes, swinging around a 3-4lb object would tire someone out, but the people doing so were generally more fit than the people reading this thread.
Piggybacking on this, the myth that the sword was the most important weapon on the medieval battlefield. Nope, your primary weapon was a sort of polearm - spear, lance if on horseback, halberd, pike, bardiche, naginata, you name it. The sword was actually the sidearm, the weapon you used after your spear broke or became ineffective (tight in melee, for example) or the one you took with you everywhere, even in context where you were unarmored. Sure, there are examples of fully armored knights fighting with two-handed swords, but that's sort of an edge case, because that usually requires a full plate harness and some specific circumstances to pull off and it's debatable wherever it doesn't straddle the border between sword and pole arm anyway, especially later examples, like the Zweihänder of the German Landsknechte, which was popular in the 16th century - those guys even had smaller swords (usually some type of messer) as sidearms to their swords...
Bulls get angry when they see the color red. It's not true..
Bulls are actually red-green colorblind. What actually triggers the bull's anger is the movement in front of them.
Did you see mythbusters test the "bull in a china shop"? Calm, sensible, and didn't break a thing
If you lift your hands above your head while pregnant you will strangle the baby. I am sure it was started by smart women who didn’t want to do all the housework while pregnant and tired. I still hear it every now and again.
The highest tax rate means your entire income is taxed at that rate
I HATE this one! It's used deliberately to reinforce the idea that the rich shouldnt be taxed somehow - yet it's usually perpetuated by people who are middle class at most (since a lot of the ultra rich either fully understand the tax system, or can employ people who do on their behalf). It's a mindset that leads to "you cant have a 75% tax rate because *when I'm earning more* you'll be taking more off me". Like the whole thing where people who were several tens of thousands of dollars off being affected were protesting because of some hyperthetical future pay rise they were going to someday maybe get.
That Napoleon was short. He was average height
He was about 5'7" in English measurement, 5'2" by French. Also he was affectionately dubbed The Little Colonel by his troops, likely because his bodyguards and some officers were taller. Another source says that when he was victorious in Italy, he was a young, inexperienced and relatively unknown officer so it was a derogatory moniker. Either way, the nickname stuck.
that myth about how nasa invented ballpoint pens for space while the USSR just used pencils... basically completely untrue
Einstein was bad at school math.
That one is interesting. Einstein went to school in Switzerland, where grades are opposite of other countries (in Germany i.e. 1 ist best, 6 is worst / Swiss 5 is best, 1 is worst). Einstein had a 4-5 in math, meaning the best to second best grade in swiss. It's just a Transmission error.
That you can spot-reduce fat. Far too many quacks on the internet talking about “toning” and “melting belly fat” with a hundred sit-ups a day.
sit-ups are bad for your back. No good physiotherapist would tell people to do sit-ups.
Black belts have to register their fists as weapons... I can't believe I was dumb enough to fall for that.
History is filled with this stuff, but I'm gonna go with general misconceptions due to an inability to read history in context.
Often if you read a funny and strange story where you go 'haha those dumb superstitious people in the past' in reality there isn't superstition behind it, there's politics and power. For example, if you hear of someone being excommunicated and declared a witch / heretic for some odd reason the truth is the given reason is just a made up excuse, and the real reason is political intrigue.
Note: this post originally had 88 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
This was a good article - it was fun to read, and it not only reinforced a lot of things I'd already understood, it added to some things I hadn't heard of. The calendar item, for example. Well Done!
Another one: that is your ever have sex with HIV positive person you will instantly get the virus. Well no. The most risky situation which is a**l sex as being passive side has only 1/265 chance of infection. Other types of sexual activity even less, and are very dependent on the situation,
Very true, but it remains a pretty bad idea to knowingly have unprotected sex with an HIV positive person. Your chances do depend on the "viral load" of the infected person too. Higher load = higher chance of tranmission.
Load More Replies...
I dunno if this is still going around but when I was young, it was commonly believed to be illegal to drive in bare feet (ostensibly because metal pedals in older cars grew hot while driving). As an officer pointed out during a defensive driving course back in the day, not only is is perfectly legal to drive barefooted, it's also really not a great idea to be reaching under the front seat hunting for your flip-flops when an armed officer is warily approaching your drivers side window.
You don't have to water your lawn every day. Lawns were a thing long before irrigation. My favorite discourse on the matter is from a youtuber who calls himself "The History Guy"
Who waters their lawn at all? What an incredible waste.
Load More Replies...
... while some myths just sound like weird stuff no one believes in, ... people actually do believe that certain parts of rare animals cure or improve something they're not satisfied about regarding their own body. Often, it is either meant to prolong or enable an erection, or fertility - as if these were mankind's most pressing issues. But the snakeoil salesmen know their customers - something improving your eyesight in old age won't sell as good as something making your hard on a hard to deflate one, or making you horny or fertile, or all of the above. And these beliefs contribute to getting those species extinct - so, I say f**k all that superstition, f**k all the idiot's medicine, f**k all the so-called alternative cures. Evidence based medicine not only works better, it also will not make sharks or tigers extinct. Don't be stupid. Don't believe in magic.
It was kind of interesting. But so many should have been explained further. Just like getting 1/2 of an idea.
Some are obviously bullshit but I'd like to see evidence, or a source, for others. How for they know that Napoleon was average height instead of short? Not that I don't want to believe it, but to me those are 2 theories that both could be true.
Because he was captured and imprisoned by the British, twice. They'd have seen him close up. Someone had to have made his coffin after he died.
Load More Replies...
"God" or "Gods" seems to have been missed from this list. Very annoying twaddle that lots of people still believe in.
Yes, why have a fun thead when you can arrogantly and condescendingly insult readers as well?!
Load More Replies...
Vaccines do not cause autism at all, but there are things that may lead to an increased rate of autism that are good. For example, preterm infants may be more likely to be diagnosed with autism compared to full term infants. This means that a higher survival rate for preterm infants can lead to an increased rate of autism.
Not sure why you were downvoted. I hadn't heard about the link to preterm infants, but if someone thinks they have evidence to the contrary, I wish they'd post that, instead of just downvoting. SOMETHING is causing the increase in autism. I'm curious as to what (especially being autistic myself).
Load More Replies... Why do you have children so much that you think it's an insult?
Load More Replies...
There is also the fact that a lot of people put false information on the internet and many people aren't properly taught at school how to differentiate between correct facts and false facts and how to tell if a resource is as trustworthy as it claims or appears.
Load More Replies...
This was a good article - it was fun to read, and it not only reinforced a lot of things I'd already understood, it added to some things I hadn't heard of. The calendar item, for example. Well Done!
Another one: that is your ever have sex with HIV positive person you will instantly get the virus. Well no. The most risky situation which is a**l sex as being passive side has only 1/265 chance of infection. Other types of sexual activity even less, and are very dependent on the situation,
Very true, but it remains a pretty bad idea to knowingly have unprotected sex with an HIV positive person. Your chances do depend on the "viral load" of the infected person too. Higher load = higher chance of tranmission.
Load More Replies... I dunno if this is still going around but when I was young, it was commonly believed to be illegal to drive in bare feet (ostensibly because metal pedals in older cars grew hot while driving). As an officer pointed out during a defensive driving course back in the day, not only is is perfectly legal to drive barefooted, it's also really not a great idea to be reaching under the front seat hunting for your flip-flops when an armed officer is warily approaching your drivers side window.
You don't have to water your lawn every day. Lawns were a thing long before irrigation. My favorite discourse on the matter is from a youtuber who calls himself "The History Guy"
Who waters their lawn at all? What an incredible waste.
Load More Replies... ... while some myths just sound like weird stuff no one believes in, ... people actually do believe that certain parts of rare animals cure or improve something they're not satisfied about regarding their own body. Often, it is either meant to prolong or enable an erection, or fertility - as if these were mankind's most pressing issues. But the snakeoil salesmen know their customers - something improving your eyesight in old age won't sell as good as something making your hard on a hard to deflate one, or making you horny or fertile, or all of the above. And these beliefs contribute to getting those species extinct - so, I say f**k all that superstition, f**k all the idiot's medicine, f**k all the so-called alternative cures. Evidence based medicine not only works better, it also will not make sharks or tigers extinct. Don't be stupid. Don't believe in magic.
It was kind of interesting. But so many should have been explained further. Just like getting 1/2 of an idea.
Some are obviously bullshit but I'd like to see evidence, or a source, for others. How for they know that Napoleon was average height instead of short? Not that I don't want to believe it, but to me those are 2 theories that both could be true.
Because he was captured and imprisoned by the British, twice. They'd have seen him close up. Someone had to have made his coffin after he died.
Load More Replies... "God" or "Gods" seems to have been missed from this list. Very annoying twaddle that lots of people still believe in.
Yes, why have a fun thead when you can arrogantly and condescendingly insult readers as well?!
Load More Replies... Vaccines do not cause autism at all, but there are things that may lead to an increased rate of autism that are good. For example, preterm infants may be more likely to be diagnosed with autism compared to full term infants. This means that a higher survival rate for preterm infants can lead to an increased rate of autism.
Not sure why you were downvoted. I hadn't heard about the link to preterm infants, but if someone thinks they have evidence to the contrary, I wish they'd post that, instead of just downvoting. SOMETHING is causing the increase in autism. I'm curious as to what (especially being autistic myself).
Load More Replies... Why do you have children so much that you think it's an insult?
Load More Replies... There is also the fact that a lot of people put false information on the internet and many people aren't properly taught at school how to differentiate between correct facts and false facts and how to tell if a resource is as trustworthy as it claims or appears.
Load More Replies... 