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Here Are 33 Of The Weirdest “Theories” Science Has Debunked Yet Many Folks Still Consider True
They say that in medieval times, people didn’t believe in weather forecasts - according to legend, one of the dukes in a fit of anger ordered his court weather forecaster to be hanged right from the spire of his castle, saying that maybe now the guy would at least correctly indicate the wind direction. Today, we believe in weather forecasts as something completely usual, right?
Why am I telling you all this? Well, here’s the point: in our world, there are actually many things that by all indications are nothing more than pseudoscience, but people all over the world still fervently believe in them. Today’s list by Bored Panda is made up of exactly these ideas, theories, and things.
More info: Reddit
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#1
Cleanses to reduce the "toxins" in your body. We have organs for that: your liver and kidneys. If those aren't working you have problems way bigger than any juice can handle.
RELATED:
#2
Flat earth. I know a lot of it is trolling, but there are some sincere crazies out there.
#3
"Manifestation." Babe, that’s not the universe aligning. That’s just you ignoring red flags while journaling in cursive.
It all started a couple of days ago, when the user u/miaangelaa decided to ask readers in the AskReddit community the question: "What’s a pseudoscience that people still commonly believe is real?" In just a couple of hours, a thread has formed that we are pretty sure will soon be a contender for viral status, with nearly 5K upvotes, and 4.3K different comments and counting.
From strange theories to "full-fledged" scientists with licensed degrees and their own colleges, and from talismans and amulets to an obvious disregard for the achievements of modern science in favor of "mystical" considerations - now meet this selection of netizens' opinions, collected for you by Bored Panda!
#4
Scientology.........................
F**k them so bad there a******s reach all the way to their front flappas.
#5
That a wolf pack has an alpha male.
Doctor Strange 4 months ago
I've said it before, but I'll say it again. The 'study' that came up with the idea of alphas was based on studying random wolves in captivity. Basically wolf prison behavior. In a real pack, its a family unit. Mom and Dad who are in charge, and their kids. If the kids want to be in charge, they leave and start their own family. So the guy you see at the theme park, with a waist pack full of snacks, making sure his kids are happy, well fed, and hydrated? That is the truest alpha male you will ever meet.
#6
Vaccines cause autism.
Ellinor she/they/elle 4 months ago
It's because unvaccinated kids d!e, so they never get a chance to get diagnosed.
A special place in this selection is occupied by the so-called "flat Earth theory," which, despite the fact that its peak of popularity passed about a thousand years ago, continues to be believed by millions. At least, according to a survey conducted back in 2021 by the University of New Hampshire, about 10% of respondents admitted that they believed in various conspiracy theories - and in flat Earth, too.
To be honest, I still don't understand why the authorities of hundreds of countries around the world, from democracies to totalitarian regimes, regularly hide from people the "fact" that the planet supposedly has the shape of a flat disk (and how does that even work?), but people believe, and it can be very, very difficult to convince rabid adherents of the opposite.
#7
Homeopathy. That really needs to go away.
Mook The Mediocre 4 months ago
Homeopathy is not only completely wrong, it's dangerous: people eschew effective medical care in place of this debunked antique bullshít.
#9
The idea that the brain stops developing after a certain age, or that we only use 10% of it.
However, public consciousness doesn't stand still, and those theories that were previously considered frankly vulgar and "pseudoscientific" may well become the cornerstone of modern science in the future. For example, Einstein faced a lot of ridicule for his theory of relativity, and in the middle of the 20th century, genetics was considered a completely false and incorrect theory in many countries.
Does this mean that in a couple of decades, for example, astrology will become an absolute scientific standard throughout the world? More likely no than yes. In the end, science does have a certain flexibility, and the absence of dogmatism is what has always driven scientific progress. To what extent can progress be driven by faith in, for example, ancient astronauts? Honestly, I don't know.
#10
Trickle-down economics.
General Anaesthesia 4 months ago
Come on, it will start working any day now, or not. As long as the 1% get richer they don't care.
#11
Crystals. Girl told me she put one under her bed to attract love and ended up hooking up with her ex who gave her chlamydia. The universe *did* send someone, just not with good intentions.
Lady Eowyn 4 months ago
Crystals can be great. As decorations. Placed in sunlight, they create rainbows.
#12
Personality tests. Specifically Myers Briggs. The amount of smart people i encounter who think its real never ceases to amaze me.
Cue folks chiming in here that's its actually scientific in 3...2....
UKGrandad 4 months ago (edited)
It's actually science...just kidding. Personality testing has been fully debunked yet many companies still use them as part of the recruitment process, meaning that they just employ people who can lie their way through a personality test. EDIT: Downvotes for this? No need to run a personality test to find the ássholes on BP; just make a comment and wait for the downvotes 🙄
What has always distinguished pseudosciences and false theories is an attempt to match incomprehensible facts to their own level of understanding. For example, people found dinosaur bones thousands of years ago - but of course, there was no scientific understanding of what they actually dug up. Hence the numerous legends and tales about dragons.
We do the same thing today, only on a different level, when we claim, for example, that the pyramids of Egypt or Mesoamerica were built by aliens. At the same time, the adherents of such theories, of course, cannot explain why those aliens actually needed this - so they launch into lengthy conspiracy theories... This, in fact, accompanies almost all of the "theories" described on this list.
#13
All those supplements bros on podcasts are selling you.
Drop Bear from Hell 4 months ago
like the pink salt thing current blasting everyway as a way to lose 50kg in a week or some other nonsense...
#15
Copper bracelets etc to help with pain.
Fellfromthemoon 4 months ago
If one uses copper bracelet (or magnetic stuff) besides the proper medication and treatment, then these knick-knacks can be really effective. Instead of treatment? Not a good idea.
It is interesting that the "Five Whys?" technique developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Japanese company Toyota, works great to debunk such "theories." This technique is usually used in production to identify cause-and-effect relationships between work processes, but it is in fact quite universal.
To use this technique, you just need to ask the question, "Why?" of each problem, and apply it to the answer to the previous question. Usually, five repetitions are quite enough to identify the root cause of the problem - or to make sure whether we are dealing with absolute nonsense. Just try it - perhaps this technique will come in handy to you.
#16
Healing crystals and essential oils.
Ellinor she/they/elle 4 months ago
I put lavender oil on my stomach when I'm in pain and it works, I 100% knows it's placebo but hey, if it makes the pain go away then I'll take it !
#17
Amber bracelets and necklaces on toddlers to prevent teething pain.
Doctor Strange 4 months ago
Want to help teething pain? Do what my parents did. Whiskey on the gums.
#18
Anti-trans "Basic Biology" that denies all scientific understanding of transgender people or how biological sex works.
Nova Rook 4 months ago
Gender interacts with but is different from s*x, which refers to the different biological and physiological characteristics of females, males and intersex persons, such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs. Gender and s*x are related to but different from gender identity. Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated s*x at birth. - WHO
In the meantime, we also strongly recommend that you simply read this collection of opinions and stories to the very end. By the way, we don't guarantee that you will agree with all the points of view given here. Sometimes, you will laugh heartily, and sometimes you'll just become indignant and start arguing right in the comments. Well, don't hold back and let the discussion begin! Ultimately, truth is born from debate.
#21
Getting a cold after being outside in the cold.
Ellinor she/they/elle 4 months ago
Isn't it because the cold lower your body's defenses ? Real question by the way.
#23
BMI. The standards behind it are garbage, to put it mildly. It's Victorian era pseudo-science, akin to Phrenology.
Ellinor she/they/elle 4 months ago
According to the BMI I'm "borderline morbidly obese" when it's very obvious that I'm not. I'm fat, yes, but not that fat. Even my doctor said it was bullsh!t.
#24
My coworker just tried telling me yesterday that the s*x position you use will determine the gender of the baby. Boy s***m are heavier, apparently.
#26
I know a lot of people praise eastern medicine, but I think it's BS. I remember that story of that influencer who thought she could beat cancer with juices and coffee enemas. Well guess what, she died of cancer.
Edit- lots of comments about the validity of Eastern medicine. Let me fix my original comment by saying “alternative medicine”.
Moving Enigma 4 months ago
Anything that actually works gets investigated by pharma companies in the hope of developing and selling the next big medicine. Just think of how the old folk remedy of using willow bark for pain relief was developed into Aspirin. If something actually works it will be commercialised if it doesn't work then it's placebo only.
#27
The concept of race. Our modern concept of race is pseudoscience on the level of flat earther type s**t.
Anthony Elmore 4 months ago
I feel that's not fair to the scientists that put in ACTUAL effort and contributions towards studying it. Our concept of it would be fine if we just listened to the guys who get paid to research it.
#28
“Transvestigation” the batshit crazy idea that someone can be identified as transgender by wild assumptions about anatomy, angles and features of the body. Example: “feminine skulls” transposed onto male highly masculine people as “proof” of transition.
Ellinor she/they/elle 4 months ago
When I was a child people always took me for a boy with my "boyish" face, body and style of clothing. Weirdly that changed at puberty when I grew a C cup.
#29
Alkaline Diets.
The Other Guest 4 months ago
The lemon in that water should do a good job of counteracting the alkaline "benefit" of the peas & basil.
#30
As a teacher, I will chime in with **learning styles**. The idea that learners can be categorized as either those who learn by seeing, hearing or doing. No basis is peer reviewed research whatsoever.
Turns out that the student's interest in the subject is far more important - as well as the quality of the teacher.
Peter Parker 4 months ago
Frankly, I do learn better when I can read it than when I only listen to it..
#31
I've been told by alcoholics that drinking liquor stops you from getting diseases like COVID.
#33
Body language experts.
Also I don't know if that counts since actual psychology is of course a real science, but there's a lot of pop psychology going around that is based on approximately nothing.
detective miller's hat 4 months ago
This is a real thing tho.... I don't mean some rando on youtube claiming to be an expert, but you can definitely be an expert in the field of behaviour, and that includes body language.
What do you think ?
Lee Gilliland 4 months ago
Seems they missed the idea if a woman gets r*ped, her body won't allow her to get preggers.
Lee Gilliland 4 months ago
Seems they missed the idea if a woman gets r*ped, her body won't allow her to get preggers.
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