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!
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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.
She only wanted that McDonalds paid her medical bills. McDonalds refused and that why she took them to court and got the $2.9 million awarded.
If you work hard at school and get good grades you'll get a good job and enjoy a stable life.
That diamonds are rare and therefore should be expensive, that is just a myth perpetrated by the de beers diamond cartel.
Many myths widely circulate as truth in our society, as this post has shown us all. And while some of them go about their ways for years and years after someone finally disproves them, other myths turn into full-blown fake news and conspiracies that can do a lot of harm.
Take anti-vaxxers, who vehemently avoid vaccines on the premise that they are dangerous and unhealthy. With the rise of the internet, they’ve organized into massive affirming echo chambers on forums like the Vaccine Resistance Movement. Researchers say that many conspiracies, just like covid denialism and anti-vaccination, are nothing new and they are all the result of fear and distrust. Think of 9/11 conspiracies surfing on the internet forums that were basically fueled by the lack of faith in the government.
That you have to wait for 24h before you can report a missing person. If someone is missing, go get help!
Bulls hate red. They are actually colour blind and are reacting to the movement of the cloth and the a**hole behind it.
The mystery of how the pyramids were built. They know how they were built. Ramps, pulleys, ropes, and labor.
So in order to find out how exactly conspiracy theories work and why some people are more prone to believing them than others, we spoke with Annika Rabo, a professor emeritus of the Department of Social Anthropology, Stockholm University.
“Conspiracy theories can be understood as a response to the question: why are bad things happening to me (or my family, my ‘group,’ my country.) In conspiracy theories there is no room for chance but BAD THINGS happened because of the evil plotting of hidden actors out to harm,” the professor explained.
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.
people believe in the whole alpha and beta wolves thing
It’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.
Yes, the original theory was based on observations in a zoo, where a group of unrelated wolves had been artificially brought together. In the wild, packs are always family groups and don't show the same dynamic. Sadly, the incorrect theory had already spilled over into a lot of dog-training theories which are still used.
The Food Pyramid
A pyramid has three or four sides. I want to know what is on the other sides!
Prof. Rabo said that there may be a few reasons why people are prone to conspiracies. “Some researchers claim that people who are less able to handle uncertainties are more prone to embrace conspiracy theories. Other researchers claim that people embracing conspiracy theories are evenly distributed in the population.” Having said that, she added that “populations in stable democracies in North and West Europe have until now been less prone to embrace conspiracy theories of a political nature.”
The Bible.
I am Christian and I read the bible. But for heavens sake people it's far from a primary source, its been translated many times by people who are far from perfect, and the context of what its about, and it's translation should be taken into account. Words change meaning in less that centuries. It's far from a literal and perfect document.
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.
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
When it comes to the conspiracy theories we notice now in the pandemic period, Prof. Rabo said that they are not really different from earlier ones. “They involve hidden agents who are either evil outsiders or insiders. The suspicion against vaccines and the pharmaceutical companies is not new. What is new is the fact that news and conspiracy theories are spread VERY quickly across vast distances today,” she explained.
“The basic elements—the theme—of conspiracy theories are fairly constant, but the elements differ and if they do not resonate with local conditions, they will disappear or evolve into new elements,” the professor concluded.
That you can tell if someone is a "virgin" by looking at their hymen to see if it is "intact."
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.
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.
I know a friend with a PHD in physics, who still believes that getting his feet wet causes colds.
This is another myth, having an adavanced degree in one thing does not make you an expert in another field.
Load More Replies...Colds are more prevalent in winter. Either because the cold virus does not like excessively warm conditions or because we spend more time indoors and in closer proximity to others in winter. There are also many many different strains of cold virus and so you can't gain immunity to colds just by having had one of them.
I actually read this the other day: it's thought that it's because we spend time indoors with others without windows open. Sharing the same air means you're more likely to catch it if one person has it. And winter is darker, less vitamin D, people's immune systems are less active.
Load More Replies...The extra cleanliness under Covid restrictions has reduced colds and STIs.
As evidence this past year. Lots of folk avoided catching common colds and flu because they wore masks.
Yup. Haven't had as much as a sniffle since covid brought the world to a standstill, and I live in a cold climate.
Back in the seventies or eighties, there was a study done about this. People were subjected to cold temperatures for extended periods. Nine of them developed any cold symptoms. However, those who were put in a room with someone who had an active cold did develop symptoms. Germs, not temperature, are the culprit.
Upvote for first paragraph - with the caveat that there are numerous viruses known to cause colds - but not the 2nd. Cold doesn't necessarily make us more susceptible to colds. I've a bit of a suspicion that the idea might've caught hold because, historically, we tended to huddle around sources of heat with more people when it was cold, but I don't know. I do know I only get colds when I've been around a lot of people.
Colds spread more when people are indoors with others, especially after touching nose and mouth without handwashing
You'll catch a cold if you go out with wet hair. Not unless I swap spit with someone, I'll be fine.
I don't know that anyone I know has ever thought getting cold DIRECTLY CAUSED a cold. But if you get really chilled, it is pretty common to then get sick. That's all they mean. I'm a little tired of people trying to debunk a non-existent myth. At least not when they are well aware that people don't mean that the cold air somehow magically produces virus out of nothing.
I thought like that till a few months ago till my friend told me I am wrong, while I knew cold is a viral infection I still believed it, and still sure there is a strong connection. I want to tell why I thought like that: 1. I have never got cold in warm seasons. 2. Almost every instance I got cold it involved some exposure to cold weather.
First day masks were no longer mandatory at work I caught my first cold in almost two years (despite still wearing mine and washing hands). I HATE IT.
Do not try yelling this to my wife's Latino side of the family. If it's cold out they believe kids will get sick and need to wear 3 pairs of socks and 2 long johns and keep their hands in the toaster or something like that...
I’d just go with that we use a lot more energy to stay warm when cold so the defense system isn’t as powerful.
Changing temperatures will often make your nose run temporarily - this is not a cold.
That the tongue has different regions for salty, sweet, bitter, and sour.
The Bermuda triangle. Turns out ships and planes disappear at the same rate all over the world's oceans.
Bermuda Triangle is just a highly active part of the ocean when it comes to sea trade
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.
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.
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.
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!
Actually, as a lifelong knuckle cracker, it doesn't cause arthritis but can cause tendon/ligament damage in the fingers and hands.
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.
You have to wait 30 min to swim after eating
When I was a kid, in Spain, it was said you had to wait 2 hours! :)
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.
That social media is not addictive. And that it’s not dangerous.
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.
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).
That MSG is very bad for health and anything with it is seen as unhealthy.
MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese. The reported negative health effects of MSG are based on excessive dosing. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31920467/
A few lies parents tell:
If you tell the truth, I won’t get mad
I’ll be proud if you just do your best
Someone will love you for who you are
If they’re bullying you it means they like you
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.
They practiced with Kool-Aid. It's easy to understand why people get that confused.
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.
That consumption of dietary cholesterol is directly linked to a rise in the body’s total cholesterol levels.
that violent video games make you violent by that logic games like Mario make you wanted you jump up and hit some bricks with your head or jump on a turtle
If you don’t stop making that face, it’ll get stuck like that!
That social media is not addictive. Also that it’s not dangerous.
tht-
1. black cats r bad luck
2. women shudnt handle money
3. u DONT have to stand d nonsense just cuz they r elder than u
That you need to make at least 10k steps a day. While moving around and going for a walk is certainly healthy, that 10k number actually has no scientific backing. It was a clever marketing strategy of a Japanese pedometer manufacturer, Japanese symbol for 10k looks like a walking figure.
And people who believe you can accurately count steps by wearing a fitbit on your WRIST.
Load More Replies...This place has rapidly become RedditLite. What happened to all the non-recycled non-political fun??
Having an advanced degree in one thing making one an expert in all other fields. No it does not. I have met a few Master/PHD holders who were pretty clueless- except for their narrow speciality.
You'd hope though that everyone who has done some sort of proper scientific research has a grasp of what science is and how it works. Understanding how immensely huge the seemingly tiniest topics can be in the scientific world and hence have a better understanding of what to respect respect or be sceptic about published results.
Load More Replies...I think we all have learn that not everything posted online are the truth. So I will consider all things posted in this thread as such
I have learn That not everything posted online are the truth And that also what I think about these posts
I was thinking of Politicians being honourable and working for the people but does anyone ever believe that
Haha yes they do. This corona virus proves it. Everyones doing what the govt is telling them and noone is actually checking to see if they are wrong. Australia, March 2020: don't wear masks, they are not needed. 7 months later and they're telling us to wear masks cause it's airborne, subtle info that should have been made very clear from the onset, that would have saved possibly 1000 lives
Load More Replies...Please take away "The Bible" part. I don't believe that the Bible is a myth, and I find it very offensive for you to say so publicly that the Bible is fake. I think people should be allowed to have beliefs without being insulted and hated on. We should all work to respect and love each other.
How about: Guns are bad, and if the Gummint takes 'em all away, then there'll be no more crime. ?
Still waiting for the U.S. to prove they are good though. Crimes rates / murders / deaths involving firearms smash my country’s figures into the dust and weirdly we are pretty much unarmed as a nation. We are proving every year that firearms are best kept locked away and only used for sport. Protection by way of firearms leads to more of your own household being killed. Guns? A great tool. Humans? Also great tools, just a different kind of tool.
Load More Replies...Hate that people think that: All your body cells are replaced every 7 years. No, then tattoos would all go away. Thomas Crapper did NOT invent the flush toilet.
That skipping meals is bad for me. No it's not, I don't eat when I'm not hungry and that's far healthier than you stuffing your face with mcdonalds just because the clock tells you it's a certain time Karen!
OK, I don't know why you are angry at a "Karen" that clearly isn't here. Can it please be time to put "Karen" to rest now? It already feels reeeally passé.
Load More Replies...That you need to make at least 10k steps a day. While moving around and going for a walk is certainly healthy, that 10k number actually has no scientific backing. It was a clever marketing strategy of a Japanese pedometer manufacturer, Japanese symbol for 10k looks like a walking figure.
And people who believe you can accurately count steps by wearing a fitbit on your WRIST.
Load More Replies...This place has rapidly become RedditLite. What happened to all the non-recycled non-political fun??
Having an advanced degree in one thing making one an expert in all other fields. No it does not. I have met a few Master/PHD holders who were pretty clueless- except for their narrow speciality.
You'd hope though that everyone who has done some sort of proper scientific research has a grasp of what science is and how it works. Understanding how immensely huge the seemingly tiniest topics can be in the scientific world and hence have a better understanding of what to respect respect or be sceptic about published results.
Load More Replies...I think we all have learn that not everything posted online are the truth. So I will consider all things posted in this thread as such
I have learn That not everything posted online are the truth And that also what I think about these posts
I was thinking of Politicians being honourable and working for the people but does anyone ever believe that
Haha yes they do. This corona virus proves it. Everyones doing what the govt is telling them and noone is actually checking to see if they are wrong. Australia, March 2020: don't wear masks, they are not needed. 7 months later and they're telling us to wear masks cause it's airborne, subtle info that should have been made very clear from the onset, that would have saved possibly 1000 lives
Load More Replies...Please take away "The Bible" part. I don't believe that the Bible is a myth, and I find it very offensive for you to say so publicly that the Bible is fake. I think people should be allowed to have beliefs without being insulted and hated on. We should all work to respect and love each other.
How about: Guns are bad, and if the Gummint takes 'em all away, then there'll be no more crime. ?
Still waiting for the U.S. to prove they are good though. Crimes rates / murders / deaths involving firearms smash my country’s figures into the dust and weirdly we are pretty much unarmed as a nation. We are proving every year that firearms are best kept locked away and only used for sport. Protection by way of firearms leads to more of your own household being killed. Guns? A great tool. Humans? Also great tools, just a different kind of tool.
Load More Replies...Hate that people think that: All your body cells are replaced every 7 years. No, then tattoos would all go away. Thomas Crapper did NOT invent the flush toilet.
That skipping meals is bad for me. No it's not, I don't eat when I'm not hungry and that's far healthier than you stuffing your face with mcdonalds just because the clock tells you it's a certain time Karen!
OK, I don't know why you are angry at a "Karen" that clearly isn't here. Can it please be time to put "Karen" to rest now? It already feels reeeally passé.
Load More Replies...