One of my favorite things to read about on the internet is myths still circulating in society. For example, if you swallow gum, it takes seven years to digest, or driving with the dome light on is illegal. After someone polled an online community for examples of these myths, here is what they volunteered. Have you heard them?
1. Detox Teas
Numerous people agree with one who states, “The myth that certain teas detox your body. Or that your body even needs to be detoxed.” Another adds that is what your liver and kidneys are for before a third confesses, “Detox teas don’t detox. They just make you poop because they’re laxatives.”
2. Put a Spoon in a Person’s Mouth and Restrain Them When They Have a Seizure
One of the more dangerous myths still circulating today is that you should put a spoon in a person’s mouth and restrain them when they are having a seizure. Doing so can injure their teeth or jaw. Furthermore, a person having a seizure cannot swallow their tongue.
3. If You’re a Cop, You Have To Tell Me
I think we all have heard the wildly circulated myth that if you’re a police officer and I ask you, you must divulge the truth. However, as one wisely notes, that would defeat the purpose of undercover work.
4. Cracking Your Knuckles Will Cause Arthritis
This is another myth I grew up hearing because my sister is the knuckle and wrist-cracking queen. However, while it may annoy the people around you (absolutely does), it won’t cause you to get arthritis.
5. That Europeans Used a Lot of Spices To Cover up the Taste of Rotting Meat
Have you heard that Europeans used a lot of spices to cover up the taste of rotting meat? I hadn’t. But apparently, it’s a common myth still being circulated today. The truth is that spices were costly, and using them meant you were rich enough to afford such luxuries. So you wouldn’t waste $400 worth of black pepper on a rotting steak.
6. Waiting To File a Missing Person’s Report
Have you had the media drill the falsehood of waiting 24-48 hours before reporting a loved one missing into your head? It’s not true. One person jokes, “Ma’am, your toddler has only been missing for five hours. Calm down and call us tomorrow if he still hasn’t shown up.”
7. Daddy Long Legs
Another myth I grew up hearing and repeating into adulthood was that daddy long-leg spiders are the most poisonous spiders in the world but can’t bite through human skin with their little fangs. However, it’s not true.
8. That Schizophrenia Means Multiple or Split Personalities
Many people inaccurately believe that people with Schizophrenia have split or multiple personalities. However, these people are thinking of Dissociative Identity Disorder. One user clarifies that Schizophrenia means delusions. “Some people hear voices with it; others don’t. The voices are NOT personalities.”
9. Lower Net Income Promotion
How did this one get started? Have you heard you can be promoted to a lower net income because of tax brackets? It’s not true. Far too many people still believe this and don’t take pay raises, fearing they will lose money rather than gain income.
10. That You Can’t Get Pregnant When You Are Breastfeeding
Have you heard the falsehood that you can’t get pregnant when breastfeeding? Countless individuals share they know someone who knows someone who got pregnant while breastfeeding. One confesses, “Currently living this, my wife was breastfeeding our toddler when I knocked her up. This was especially surprising considering our toddler was an IVF baby.”
11. Wearing Red Makes a Bull Angry
What? Admittedly, I do not know much about bulls or fighting. However, until today, I always believed that red made a bull angry. I thought that is why the matador gets a bull’s attention by waving his red muleta. But bulls are colorblind to red. It’s more the movement of the muleta getting its attention that gets a bull moving.
12. Being Cold Gives You a Cold
Do you know how often I have told my husband that this is not true regarding wet hair? Ooof. The only way you get sick is when you come into contact with a virus.
One user explains, “A slight decrease in your immune system makes a marginal difference in your probability of catching a cold, but it’s next to nothing. The colder temperatures correlate with more colds because this is when humans come indoors and congregate together, which spreads disease.”
13. Shaving Double-Coated Dogs Makes Them Cooler
Shaving double-coated dogs, such as golden retrievers and huskies, does not make them cooler. A dog groomer explains, “It actually destroys the way their coats work since they shed to grow in a summer coat that keeps them insulated and cool and a winter coat that keeps them insulated and warm.
When you shave it and remove all of their insulation, the fur has about a 70% chance of never growing back or not growing back correctly ever again, making them more at risk for sunburns.”
14. That Stupid Facebook Permission Status
Do you have friends and family who annually share a Facebook status stating, “I do not give Facebook permission to use my photos, etc.,” or anything of that nature? This myth is heavily circulated every year. One user admits, “I love this trend because I got to identify my most gullible acquaintances.”
15. Kids Lifting Weights Stunts Growth
Did you know that kids lifting weights doesn’t stunt their growth? And while we are on the subject of stunted growth myths, coffee also does not stunt your growth. Genes and good nutrition largely determine growth.
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Source: Reddit.
Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.