Did you grow up hearing things that you later discovered as adults were myths? Who hasn’t? From driving with the dome light on being illegal to chewing gum taking seven years to digest, I grew up hearing many. Here are several that people continue to believe today. Do you?
1. Myth: Shaving Makes Your Hair Grow Back Thicker
Have you heard the myth about shaving? It suggests that your hair will grow thicker, darker, and quicker on areas of the body you shave. Men shaving their balding heads beg to differ! While this is still circulating today. There is no truth in it.
2. Myth: Reading in Dim Light Is Bad for Your Eyesight
How about the myth that suggests you will worsen or ruin your eyesight if you read in dim light? I grew up hearing that one. But it turns out, like so many other things, it’s not true.
3. Myth: Washing Cast Iron Pans Will Ruin Them
Have you been told you can’t use soap and hot water on your cast iron skillets and pans? It’s a myth! You can use a mild dish soap. But ensure you fully dry the pan, or it will rust, and you’ll need a heavy-duty scrubber.
4. Myth: Black Cats Are Bad Luck
The superstition that black cats are bad luck is sad and has real-life consequences. Did you know that black cats have the lowest rate of adoption (10.0%) and the highest rate of euthanasia (74.6%) of any color or breed? That’s terrible.
5. Myth: Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
That is precisely the purpose of a book cover, so the expression: “Don’t judge a book by its cover” may have a nice sentiment but isn’t accurate.
6. Myth: Castor Oil Induces Labor
Pregnant women STOP drinking castor oil to induce labor. That myth can cause a higher chance of babies passing their first poop – meconium – before birth, which poses an increased risk to the baby’s health. The incident can lead to pneumonia, lung problems, and respiratory distress.
7. Myth: Drink Alcohol to Get Warm
How many of us have been influenced to believe alcohol will warm you up if stuck out in the winter cold, thanks to Hollywood? It’s not true. So leave the flask alone. Drinking alcohol will give you a false sense of warmth, but you’re losing body heat to the outdoors quickly.
Did you know that it increases your chances of developing hypothermia? And you may not notice you’re growing colder because of the false warmth of the alcohol in your system.
8. Myth: Ostriches Bury Their Heads Underground When They Are Scared
Ostriches are the fastest-running birds in the world, so it makes no sense that they would bury their heads when frightened. They can run upward of 43 MPH! Still, they are flightless birds. So they don’t build nests in trees. Instead, they lay eggs in holes in the ground. To ensure the eggs are adequately heated, they stick their heads in the sand to rotate them. This is how that myth likely got started.
9. Myth: Pulling Out Grey Hairs Causes More Grey Hair to Grow
NO! Plucking out grey hairs will not cause other grey hairs to grow. What you do to one hair follicle will not affect the others. Still, many people believe this myth today.
10. Myth: Too Much Sugar Will Give You a Rush
I’m sure you’ve heard or even said something about a sugar high or rush. Parents don’t allow their children to eat sugar before bed because of the dreaded “Sugar rush.” However, science suggests that it is a myth. The truth is that after around an hour, you will feel more tired and worse off than before eating sugar.
11. Myth: Never Wake a Sleeping Baby
Have you heard that you should never wake a sleeping baby? That’s not true. For example, suppose your baby can sleep the entire afternoon away but disrupts their sleep at night. In that case, you should wake them earlier for a better sleep schedule.
12. Myth: Pit Bulls Have Locking Jaws
Have you heard that Pit Bulls have locking jaws? It’s a myth that is still being spread today. However, they don’t have any unique means of locking their jaws. They share the same general bone structure when comparing their skulls to other dogs.
13. Myth: Put a Spoon in the Mouth of Someone Having a Seizure
You may have heard that if you encounter someone having a seizure, you should find a spoon, wallet, or object in their mouth so they don’t swallow their own tongue. But you should never put anything in a person’s mouth when seizing. A person cannot swallow their tongue during a seizure.
14. Myth: Marilyn Monroe Was a Voluptious Plus-Size Queen
Marilyn Monroe was between a size 12-16 back in her heyday. But clothing sizes have drastically changed. A size 12, by today’s standards, is a size four or six. As lovely as the sentiment, she was not a plus-sized icon.
15. Myth: Sitting Too Close to the TV Will Hurt Your Eyesight
You may have grown up being told to back away from the TV because sitting too close to the screen was bad for your eyesight, but it’s not true. For individuals with farsightedness, it may be more uncomfortable. Still, it won’t permanently damage someone’s eyesight.
16. Myth: Ben Franklin Was Struck by Lightening
Were you taught that Ben Franklin was struck by lightning during his great experiment? It turns out that’s another widely-circulated myth. Franklin’s kite was not hit by lightning. The Franklin Institute reports: “Experts say he probably would have been electrocuted if it had been. Instead, the kite picked up the ambient electrical charge from the storm.”
17. Myth: Concrete Kills a Car Battery
Contrary to popular belief, putting car batteries down on dirt or concrete will not drain the battery. This was valid back when batteries were produced with hard rubber case material. But today’s casings are made of plastic, eliminating moisture intake. Just don’t let it sit unused too long.
18. Myth: You Eat 8 Spiders a Year in Your Sleep
Praise the Lord that this one is a myth. Have you been taken in by the popular myth that people eat eight spiders annually while sleeping? The reality is prey isn’t going to walk right into a predator’s mouth. And in this case, you’re the predator.
19. Myth: Espresso Has More Caffeine Than a Cup of Coffee
Which has more caffeine, drip coffee or espresso? Do you immediately envision an espresso? It’s a common misconception. Consumer Reports states: “Espresso typically has 63 mg of caffeine in one ounce (the amount in one shot), according to Department of Agriculture nutrition data.
Regular coffee, by contrast, has 12 to 16 mg of caffeine in every ounce, on average. So, If you drink eight ounces of your home brew, you’re getting 96 to 128 mg of caffeine” — drinking brewed coffee.
20. Myth: White Wedding Dresses Represent Virginity and Purity
What? Did you know that wearing a white wedding dress is not about a bride’s purity, virginity, and innocence but rather a status of wealth? It became popular among Victorian-era elites after Queen Victoria wore a white lace dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840.
Only wealthy brides could afford white silk dresses because their elegant environments proved clean enough to keep them from becoming dirty — a wealth status.
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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.