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33 Things Everyone Accepts As Fact That Have Actually Been Proven Wrong
For the longest time, I believed that if I ate an orange before bed, I’d perish, all because of the popular proverb: “An orange in the morning is gold, in the afternoon is silver...” Well, you know how it goes. And yes, my grandma still believes it to this day.
And no matter how many times we tell her that it’s fine, there’s still a voice in the back of all the grandkids’ heads saying, “But is it, though?” Well, we know for sure it is, but it’s hard to accept that it’s a myth. So, when someone asked netizens about the biggest “fact” that turned out to be false, everyone shared their own stories, and we bet you’ll still believe in some of them.
More info: Reddit
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#1
Too many people believe the “we only use 10% of our brains”
If that were true we wouldn’t have such large brains. It would be an evolutionary disadvantage to lug around a huge brain that consumes a ton of energy if we only used 10% of it. It’s absolute b******t.
Michael Largey 19 hours ago
This represents a small confusion in wording. It's not that people only use 10% of their brains. It's that only 10% of people use their brains.
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#2
That cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. there’s no solid evidence for that.
#3
It's been scientifically proven that you don't have to wait 45 minutes after eating before you're allowed to go swimming. .
The netizen who asked the question sought answers to debunked myths, and quite a lot of these are a result of scientific development. Take the fingernail growth post-mortem fact. This myth actually originated in the 17th and 18th centuries, and even contributed to vampire panics in Eastern Europe. However, through scientific research, we now know that simple dehydration causes the skin to... well, shrink.
It goes to show that many of these myths stem from folkloric beliefs, much like my grandma and her oranges. Studies indicate that these previously believed facts are actually the work of people trying to explain the world's origins and natural phenomena. They can last decades and even centuries, and it honestly shows that word of mouth is still the best marketing technique.
#4
It’s not super recent but Neanderthals were not these hunched over, near decrepit idiots that they’re often portrayed as. The first Neanderthal skeleton to be examined had rickets, and the guy who did the examination totally botched it. They stood just like us, only a bit shorter. And they were pretty smart too. They used tools and fire and actually have a larger cranial capacity than us (which could mean they had larger brains, though a larger brain doesn’t necessarily mean being smarter).
Edited for clarity.
UKGrandad 15 hours ago (edited)
If memory serves it wasn't rickets, the skeleton was hunched because of a back injury. The guy who worked it out did so literally by accident. A paleoanthropologist who had studied the skeleton was on a field trip and sheltering from the sun beneath the wing of his light aircraft. One of the tyres burst in the heat and the wing dropped, hitting him hard and fracturing a couple of vertebrae. Because of this, he developed a stoop the same as the skeleton's, looked at it again in detail and spotted the damage. Edited because autocorrect decided 'rickets' was 'rockets'.
#5
That map of the tongue that shows which regions taste salty, bitter, sweet etc? B******t. It’s absolutely b******t. All parts of the tongue can taste all flavours, the tastebuds are the same.
Lee Gilliland 15 hours ago
This was based on an actual London female who had the genetic anomaly that can do this. And, of course, all females are alike, so...
#6
Your hair and fingernails do not continue to grow after you d*e. Those cells d*e along with the rest of you.
What happens is that your body tends to dehydrate, shrinking the skin and muscle tissue. This makes your hair and fingernails *look* longer. But they haven’t grown at all.
Surprisingly enough, though, you might expect people to easily accept that discovery happens, and that these facts may turn out not to be real anymore. However, people will often have a hard time when presented with lifelong beliefs they've always held, especially if these are taught by adults they trust, like teachers or even their parents.
And there is actually a psychological explanation to this — no, it isn't just being stubborn, though sometimes it may be. So, psychologists say that childhood conditioning is the concept that ideas from authority figures are often "sticky," and that even if we logically reject them as adults, there will always be a lingering question.
#7
That the human brain becomes fully mature at age 25. The study the misquoted figure comes from simply stopped monitoring its subjects at that age.
#8
Lots of theories by the founders of modern science have been debunked a long time ago. Freud for instance. He was extremely important for laying the groundwork of modern psychology, but that does not mean he was on the right track.
#9
Carrots improve eyesight.
Edit: I’ve learned more than I care to know about the uk war effort and production of carrots, thanks everyone. I’m still annoyed it’s simply an untrue statement lol.
There’s also a cold, hard fact to keep in mind: humans rely on cognitive ease. This means that studies generally show our brains prefer simple, memorable explanations over complex ones. It's far easier to accept easier ideas, even if they come from proverbs or old beliefs, than it is to grapple with scientific explanations.
As so many of these beliefs date back centuries, it's easier to understand how they might have traveled through time, if you will. Take yawning, for instance. For centuries, it was believed that it was due to being tired. Then, in the 20th century, came the theory that it was the oxygen supply. Now, science says it is likely tied to neurological thermoregulation, or cooling down of the grey mass.
#10
When I was little (I'm old) we couldn't have night lights because they had 'proven' that if a kid has a night light he's more likely to grow up needing glasses.
It turns out that this is actually true, but not because the night light is doing anything bad to you. If you need glasses, then things are out of focus without your glasses on, of course, but things are even more out of focus in the dark. So parents with glasses tended to get night lights in their kid's room so they could check on their kids at night without being blind.
Some of these kids inherited their parent's bad eyesight, and also ended up needing glasses. So there ended up being an association of night lights and needing glasses.
I think it was some German statistician who figured this out.
Rick Murray 13 hours ago
Mom used to tell me reading with a torch under my duvet would ruin my eyes. So I just waited a while, then turned the bedside lamp on. She admitted defeat (but was probably secretly glad that I enjoyed reading enough to mess up my circadian rhythm).
#11
Komodo dragons actually do have venom glands. It's not just dirty mouths.
#12
Not recent, but it is in fact entirely possible for two blue-eyed people to have a brown-eyed child. Genetics for iris colour is way more complicated than what is shown but Punnett squares.
Lee Gilliland 15 hours ago
I had a green-eyed sister. There were zip green-eyed ancestors on either bloodline. Yes, we both tested on 13 and Me and are fuul-blood sisters.
Back in the day, it was fairly easy for these myths to run rampant. People would talk and share their beliefs, and eventually those beliefs would be published in magazines and newspapers that everyone read. That's normal information transmission, right? But nowadays, we're seeing a whole different phenomenon coming from the little machines in our back pockets: social media.
The concept of “fake news” isn’t new, but misinformation is now more accessible than ever. Videos about myths or beliefs can go viral, reaching thousands, if not millions, of people. Research shows that social media platforms are among the largest sources of misinformation today. As a result, even myths we know are false continue to spread regardless.
#13
That dinosaurs had peanut sized brains and were stupid as f**k.
This was genuinely taught in schools in the 70s/80s in my part of the world.
Lee Gilliland 14 hours ago
What we consider "intelligence" and earlier scientific beliefs vary rather considerably, the version I got was a mixture of world-building, arrogance, self-discipline, intectuallity, and the inability of men until about two decades ago to believe they couldn't be wrong despite much evidence. No egg-bearers could possibly be intelligent. Don't give the the platypus, the average budgie is smarter.
#14
When women live together thier periods sync up
This was disproven a couple of years ago but it’s pointless to mention bc people are emotionally wedded to this ‘fun fact’.
Huddo's sister 11 hours ago
I never believed this. If it was true, surely the way to help people with unpredictable cycles would be just to have them live with someone with a regular cycle?
#15
Shaving causes the next growth to be thicker. There is no effect just stubble is short and so feels strong compared to longer hair.
UnclePanda 18 hours ago
I worked in a nursing home as a teen and would shave all the old ladies' faces on Sundays. The old girls loved it but the aides would freak out. "It will grow back thicker!" "She has a beard now, so what is your point?"
Now, it's up to you and everyone else to determine what you want to believe. But in this case, I believe it may be appropriate to remember that "against facts there are no arguments." So when your mom tells you not to shave because hair grows thicker, or that the crab being boiled alive for dinner doesn't feel pain, remember to show them what's actually real.
I've shared my oranges "fact," which is actually nothing but some old folks' delusional take (seriously, where did that come from?), but what other myths can you share with us that have actually long been debunked? Did any of these actually surprise you? Let us know below.
#16
That soy products mess with your hormones because there's plant estrogen in it. You are not a plant.
UnclePanda 18 hours ago
"You are not a plant" would make a great though inexplicable tattoo on a forearm.
#17
That we lose most of our body heat through our head.
Most people don't go around completely naked; if it’s cold we’ll wear extra layers, thicker socks, and even gloves, but lots of people won't wear a hat, of if they do, they won't have their face covered. So you are losing more heat through your head, but only because it's not insulated by clothing.
Lee Gilliland 14 hours ago
It has more to do with the need to see and hear requires exposure to the outside air.
#18
The Stanford Marshmallow experiment. This is the study where they left young children in the room with a marshmallow, and then told them if they could avoid eating it they’d get two. After the original study, they followed the kids for decades, and found those who could delay gratification longer were described by their parents as more competent, had higher standardized test scores, and had differences in brain development on brain imaging decades later. This led to the conclusion that there were intrinsic differences in the kids who could wait.
But over the last 15 years, the results have been called into question. Repeat studies have not shown the same long-term outcomes. Results have been found to be heavily influenced by how well children trust the experimenter to bring back a second marshmallow. Results were heavily diminished when controlling for early cognitive ability, family background, and home environment. A 2024 study showed that the marshmallow test does *not* predict adult outcomes.
In short, the original researchers assumed that kids who delayed gratification better had better coping mechanisms. But it’s much more likely they simply trusted their parents to put food on the table: in other words, they came from richer families.
#19
Goldfish have a 3-second memory; they can actually remember things for months.
Huddo's sister 10 hours ago
From what I read, it was something to do with the way they did the first test on goldfish memory that influenced the results. My memory is bad at the moment though, so I don't remember more details!
#20
The ridiculous amount of water we were told to consume. Drink when you’re thirsty. It is safe to leave your home without water unless you’re strolling through the Mojave or some such.
#21
Study after study can't seem to convince people that sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity. They can give kids drinks with artificial sweetener and parents still report that the kid gets hyper from it.
Lee Gilliland 14 hours ago (edited)
Anyone else cynical enough to notice these "studies" are, in the vast majority, the sugar industry? I'm sorry, they have been tainting these studies since research first began. On this hill I will d*e, with a caveat that some kids are more susceptible than others.
#22
I’m not sure how recent this is, but people still think unoxidized blood is blue.
Huddo's sister 11 hours ago
I have never heard of this in real life, only on these lists! First time I read it was when I joined BP a few years ago. Maybe it depends where you live, or your education level, though I know poorly educated people who wouldn't even think of that.
#24
Fish, insects, lobsters and many other animals do in fact feel pain but I guess we didn'thave "sufficient" data to not drop them in boiling water.
Huddo's sister 10 hours ago
I don't think this data makes a difference to those that want to cook them this way
#25
The ‘thumbnails’ of dogs and cats are not vestigial, but serve important functions. Same with people still thinking dogs only see black and white.
#26
That coffee and other caffeinated drinks dehydrate you. People think this because caffeine is a dieretic. But coffee is also like *98%* water and completely counters any minor dieretic effect the caffeine has. Even soda is like 90% water.
#27
That yawning means you're tired or bored. Or, the even older theory that yawning is for increasing blood oxygenation.
The current theory is that yawning is one of the body's mechanisms for neurological thermoregulation (coolin' your skull jelly).
A recent [UNSW study], though small-scale, noted that yawning also flushed cerebrospinal fluid from the brain, suggesting a waste-removal aspect of yawning as well.
#28
Aspartame (the artificial sweetener) does not cause cancer.
That conclusion was based on a study where it cause cancer in the liver of rats. Just a few issues with that:
1: Rat livers are different from human livers, what affects one might not affect the other nearly as much.
2: The asparatame was injected intravenously in the rats, rather consumed orally as we humans usually do.
3: It was injected in amounts that would equal drinking thousands of cans of diet soda per day.
Drinking one or two half liter bottles of soda sweetened with aspartame is perfectly fine.
JB 17 hours ago
Hmmm. While the cancer link has been debunked, there’s plenty of research suggesting artificial sweeteners can "fool" the body by triggering sweet taste receptors without providing the expected calories, leading to potential metabolic, appetite, and gut health issues. This "mismatch" can create a disconnect between the perception of sweetness and actual energy intake, potentially increasing cravings and interfering with the body's natural satiety signal. So, I’m not convinced that drinking up to 1ltr (per day? Op doesn’t say) of soda sweetened with aspartame is perfectly fine. Besides, it tastes absolutely foul.
#29
"blue light" related products are snake oil. some studies a long time ago showed that MASSIVE amounts of blue light did cause a tiny measurable impact on circadian rhythm and such, but not at levels you'd get from your monitor, tv, tablet, phone, etc. study after study shows no difference, but they marketed that c**p so hard and tons of people bought blue light glasses and get monitors with blue light filtering mode and all kinds of silliness.
#30
That oil comes from dinosaurs, it comes from ancient plankton and algae. The myth comes from a US oil companies advertising from before the war.
Rick Murray 13 hours ago
Yeah, but running your car on Deäd Dino Juice sounds so much more epic than running it on Ancient Sludge.
#31
Tongue rolling is actually a skill that can be learned.
We were taught (elementary and high school) that the tongue rolling is an genetic trait and unless you went on to study something biology related you'd never think that's incorrect.
#32
That a baby is made by the fastest s***m.
Apparently speed has nothing to do with it.
That's the egg that decides which s***m will enter, if one enters. .
#33
There's a lot of iron in spinach
Some dude misplaced a decmil like 100 years ago.
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What do you think ?
Ace 20 hours ago
I think there was only one that I felt was genuinely, generally, still held to be true, a couple of more obscure ones that I would never have thought about, and perhaps three or four that I do remember being accepted when I was a child, but the vast majority of them were disproved, and generally accepted to have been myths. a long long time ago.
Lee Gilliland 14 hours ago
You forgot the idea the continents were inviolable and never changed. And comets were messages from God. And so was an eclipse. And the bumps on the Great Pyramid predicted the future, and....
Ace 20 hours ago
I think there was only one that I felt was genuinely, generally, still held to be true, a couple of more obscure ones that I would never have thought about, and perhaps three or four that I do remember being accepted when I was a child, but the vast majority of them were disproved, and generally accepted to have been myths. a long long time ago.
Lee Gilliland 14 hours ago
You forgot the idea the continents were inviolable and never changed. And comets were messages from God. And so was an eclipse. And the bumps on the Great Pyramid predicted the future, and....
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