If you sit too close to the television, you’ll go blind was a myth I often heard as a child. Accompanied by turning the dome light on in the vehicle is illegal. Have you heard any of these myths being passed around as true today? Here are other myths a popular online forum divulged were the stupidest ones still out there.
1. Flat Earthers
Can you believe how many people honestly believe the earth is flat? It’s true. There are entire communities and societies dedicated to spreading this false information. “The only thing to fear is sphere itself.”
2. Halloween Candy Hoax
Have you been told stories of Halloween candy laced with drugs and hidden razor blades? I first heard this as a trick-or-treating child. We always had to wait for our candy to be inspected before diving into the pile.
Later, as a concerned parent, I Googled and enlightened myself to the reality that this story was a hoax. But, unfortunately, it resurfaces every year with different details. One year it was allegedly “marijuana edibles.” Last year it was “rainbow fentanyl.”
3. It Takes 7 Years to Digest Swallowed Gum
I heard this one growing up too. However, it isn’t true. Several gum swallowers admitted that they discovered the seven-year gum legend was a myth when they uncovered it visibly unchanged in their poo. One noted, “I stopped swallowing my gum after that bright blue revelation.”
4. Eating Spiders In Your Sleep
Welp. I feel foolish and relieved. I’ve heard and believed this urban legend of eating spiders in your sleep at night while you’re asleep. However, after a quick Google search, it’s not true. Praise the Lord because I’ve honestly held the covers over my mouth before falling asleep over this one. OOF!
However, when you think about it, it makes sense. Spiders can sense heat and heartbeat and are not likely to voluntarily walk inside a predator’s mouth.
5. Black Belts Have to Register Their Fists as Weapon
Whaaaaat? Have you ever heard that Black Belts in martial arts need to register their hands as lethal weapons? This myth led one user to ask, “If you walk around with your hands in your pockets, do they become concealed weapons?”
6. Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice
“Yes, it does. That’s the entire reason for lightning rods on buildings.” Lightening can and will strike twice. One user elaborated lightning also pulsates so it can hit the same place multiple times per second.
7. Determining Gender
Have you heard all the old wives’ tales about how different positions in the bedroom will determine whether your child is a boy or a girl? Unfortunately, some people honestly still believe these. Additionally, some think eating certain foods will influence the baby’s gender.
8. Headlights off at Night Is a Gang-Banger Initiation Rite
Do you remember in the 90s when the news warned drivers not to flash their headlights at vehicles with their headlights off at night? “They ran stories about not flashing oncoming cars, or you may be shot,” recalled one.”
9. Shaving Makes Your Hair Grow Back Thicker
I remember hearing this myth after I shaved my arm (don’t ask me why), and I was worried it would grow back like my dad’s! Another woman confessed her mother scared her so badly with the myth, “She made me think that once you shave, you can’t go back to not shaving or you’ll turn into Sasquatch.”
Popular Reading: 15 Freaking Annoying Myths People Still Cling to as Truth
10. Urinating on a Jellyfish Sting
“That you should pee on a jellyfish sting for relief.” One user warned people not to do that. Urine is not sterile. It contains low levels of bacteria, and urinating on the sting might worsen it. OK. I am very disappointed in Friends. “And if I had to. I’d pee on anyone of you!” – Joey Tribbiani.
This thread inspired this post.
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- 15 Big Things Men Will Never Understand About Women
- 10 Significant Things I Learned About Life in Active Heroin Addiction
- 10 Stupid Annoying Things People Need to Stop Saying to Depressed People
Featured Image Credit: Okcaha Kykypy3a From Canva.com.
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 spirituality.