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35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe

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Ask people any of these questions: whether mice really love cheese, sugar makes kids hyperactive, or if Ancient Greek architecture was made of pure white marble, and there is a big chance they will nod their heads in agreement.

But many of these common beliefs that live years and years rooted in our conventional wisdom have little to do with facts. So today we looked at this illuminating Reddit thread where people named all the annoying myths many of us still cling to, and it may help us to recalibrate our truth and fiction radar if it’s out of sync.

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#1

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That carnivorous pets can live healthily on a vegan diet.

Stop it. It's animal abuse.

BedBoundBean , TaniaJoy Report

Final score:

625points

Blackheart 1 year ago

Thank you! Scientifically speaking, look at the teeth. Carnivorous pets are specially designed to eat meat.

163points

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#2

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Vaccines cause autism.

HollyCupcakez , CDC Report

Final score:

494points

Kaitlyn Najvar 1 year ago (edited)

Ok vaccines do NOT cause autism, yes it may have side affects mentally or physically but autism is something you are born with! And I know that some of our beloved bored panda community has autism and can back me up on this. (edit: im sorry to everyone that got ofended by this statement! im not a medical professional!)

148points

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#3

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That having hobbies as an adult is only worth it if it brings in money. No, I love my meaningless and expensive hobbies, even if they don't bring in any income.

Sneezy_baby , Craig Adderley Report

Final score:

482points

NamiKoa 1 year ago

The notion of getting money for anything I enjoy doing instantly sucks the fun out of it for me and makes me dread it. Sure, money is nice and I obviously need it, but the mental pressure I put on myself isn't helpful.

29points

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Bored Panda reached out to Lauren McMenemy, a professional writer, journalist, and marketer with a desire to tell stories, shine a light on society and advocate for better mental health and self-care, who was happy to share some insights into how folklore-based myths and beliefs form and why people believe them.

Lauren, who is a writing mentor and coach who runs workshops and training to help people get their words down right, said that first, it’s worth defining the terms “myths” and “beliefs”.

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“Many people, when you say ‘myth’ or ‘mythology’, will immediately think of the old gods or collections of tales based in folklore - such as the Greek tales of Medusa, or Nordic tales of Thor and Odin,” she said.

#4

That cats are cold or unfriendly. They’re not going to run up to every person like a puppy, but most are very affectionate with their humans.

Caelestilla Report

Final score:

395points

Potterhead934 1 year ago

Once when I got home from work my cat came walking down the hallway meowing happily. It was so cute

118points

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#5

Trickle down economics

radewagon Report

Final score:

378points

Cyber Returns 1 year ago

Best described as the top dog drinks champagne while the masses below have to drink their p*ss. Trickle-down economics only works if the rich do not control the tap

10points

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#6

That men are more logical and less emotional than women.

Kwickhatch Report

Final score:

377points

Kitty 🥀 1 year ago

Anger is an emotion, and it’s one that men can display without being labeled “emotional”. (Not exclusively, and not all men, but generally compared to women.)

32points

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Moreover, “There is another usage which is more akin to religion: belief in faeries in Celtic nations, for example, has led to many common practices that still happen to this day.”“

Then there is the folklore-based myths and beliefs,” Lauren continued, “which are often based in practices designed to keep humans safe and healthy. Conventional wisdom can come from the latter, I think - don't walk under a ladder, for example, lest something falls on you from above!”

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#7

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That you need to wait 24 hours to file a missing person’s report

ArtObjective614 , monkeybusiness Report

Final score:

331points

Stormifyed 1 year ago

What would the point of this if it was true? In a missing persons case the first 24 hours are the most crucial for investigators and the missing person

89points

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#8

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Billionaires are smart and we should be “grateful” for the jobs they provide.

silentbobdrummer , Rawpixel Report

Final score:

329points

Jake stenhouse 1 year ago

Elon Musk has proven this isn’t true

154points

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#9

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe The 'just world fallacy'[people get what they deserve].

It's responsible for a lot victim-blaming, which re-traumatizes people who have already been traumatized. It's the worst.

Sometimes bad things happen to people who don't deserve it. It shouldn't be that difficult to grasp.

ILikeNeurons , leungchopan Report

Final score:

320points

Jill Rhodry 1 year ago

Conversely, really good things happen to people who really don't deserve it!

97points

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When asked why some myths disappear while others remain something people believe throughout generations, Lauren said that it depends on the origin of the myth. “If it's a story based in keeping people safe from harm, that will get more embedded over generations.”

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Moreover, “The fairy tales about the dangers of the woods remain because it was dangerous to go into the forest - there lurked robbers, wild animals, entities that would do you harm. Those that disappear are more likely to be ones that have lost their relevance to modern society,” Lauren explained.

#10

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe The alpha theory for wolves, people still believe it even though the person who made the theory took it back. The ‘alpha’ of wolves is actually just the pack’s parents, and the pack is usually made up of their offspring.

heliumskies , ADDICTIVE_STOCK Report

Final score:

292points

Meowmeow 1 year ago

Yesss! I support a wolf sanctuary in Washington who recently taught me this! Apparently males of the same litter can get along whereas females begin showing aggression toward related females around maturity

95points

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#11

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That we only use 10 percent of our brain

niceguy-365 Report

Final score:

277points

Stormifyed 1 year ago

Only the people who believe this do

190points

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#12

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That polygraphs are accurate and irrefutable in detecting lies.

SuperSauceTaco22 , mstandret Report

Final score:

270points

zak 1 year ago

While we're at it, that eye-witnesses testimony is reliable. The human memory is generally HORRIBLE at accuracy.

24points

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We also wondered if some people are more prone to believing popular myths and things like old wives' tales than others. “Since the emergence of science and the Enlightenment, there has been a cohort of people who will claim logic above all else - if it's not provable beyond a shadow of a doubt, then it's ridiculous to believe in,” Lauren explained and added that these people are never going to believe in popular myths.

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#13

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That antibiotics are needed for colds.

Lululemonparty_ , Polina Tankilevitch Report

Final score:

261points

Ches Yamada 1 year ago (edited)

Too many antibiotics can lead to C-Diff and TRUST ME YOU DO NOT WANT THAT. It happened to me, I get a lot of staph infections that require antibiotics and I ended up with C-Diff. Would not wish on my worst enemy, lost 20 pounds and was having a very hard time keeping any nutrients in - my body was deficient in a lot by the time they figured out what was wrong. Also it's something you have forever that can flare up again - the flora and fauna in your gut are never the same, ugh

8points

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#14

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Zodiac signs and their effect on our everyday lives

Certain_Performance , RODNAE Productions Report

Final score:

255points

_scarlett_ 1 year ago

I personally don't really believe in zodiac signs, horoscopes, angel numbers etc. But if it's making you happy, and not making you anxious or creating negative feelings then what's the harm? Let people believe what they want, as long as it's not harmful or dangerous

109points

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#15

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe The Shirley exception.

When looking at an issue, they assume that anyone who REALLY needs it will “Surely get taken care of…”

I.E. “All abortion should legally be banned, but surely one’s where the mother and child die will be taken care of.”

“It doesn’t matter how we treat prisoners because surely the ones there on accident are going to be protected.”

“This job won’t fire you for missing too much work because you’re REALLY sick, surely they realize that?”

“We don’t need to make strict laws about disability access because surely the legitimate cases will be taken care of.”

There is no Shirley making sure everyone is legitimate and those who need it with get some kind of justice in a magical fairy bending the rules just for them.

Justalilbugboi , nateemee Report

Final score:

232points

Mike Fitzpatrick 1 year ago

DON'T call me Shirley.

158points

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Having said that, Lauren believes that those cultures which are more rooted in traditional beliefs and practices are more likely to maintain some belief in myth and folklore. “Asian cultures, for example, have a strong thread of old stories running through them. And we see it, too, in the rise of modern witchcraft; so much practice in that realm is from ‘the old ways.’"

#16

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That when you meet "the one" you just know. And that there is a "one" for every one of us.

breakeven_not , Tirachard Kumtanom Report

Final score:

206points

Suna Amun 1 year ago

This isn't really true, or untrue- it's a personal opinion, and I don't think it has any place here.

100points

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#17

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe There are a ton of ridiculous myths around pregnancy. The worst one I was told was not to ever raise my arms over my head so the baby didn't get tangled in the umbilical cord.

Nayru88 , Jonathan Borba Report

Final score:

191points

Dragons Exist 1 year ago

What

85points

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#18

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe "Lightning *never* strikes twice in the same place."

Back2Bach , Philippe Donn Report

Final score:

188points

Orillion 1 year ago

Kinda defeats the point of a lightning rod if it were true.

19points

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When it comes to conspiracy theories, especially modern-day ones, Lauren sees them as very different from common beliefs and widespread myths. “Can those modern-day conspiracy theories be harmful? Absolutely yes: look at what happened during the pandemic. Look at the rise of extreme right-wing views and of QAnon. These are very, very different to popular myths and old wives' tales, which developed for mainly instructive reasons,” she concluded.

#19

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Not so much a myth but a misconception… I still hear people laugh at the fact that solar powered flashlights exist, thinking they must be useless because flashlights are only needed in darkness, where solar panels won’t generate anything.

They charge their batteries with sunlight. The batteries supply power on demand. Was that such a difficult concept?

ayyycab , duallogic Report

Final score:

186points

Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago

Got one on my desk right now. It also has USB ports to charge my phone and other devices.

38points

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#20

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe You will catch a cold from being cold.

atomicrutabaga , Thom Holmes Report

Final score:

182points

Chris Hooley 1 year ago

Complicated. TL;DR version: Viruses last longer on cold surfaces than warm. Natural immune processes in our noses don't work as well as normal in low temperatures. . . Forgetting a coat won't give you a cold, but more people get sick more often in winter.

19points

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#21

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe An undercover cop has to tell you they're a cop if you ask them.

No_Instance_1851 , Kindel Media Report

Final score:

180points

Gerry Higgins 1 year ago

It's illegal to lie to the cops. but the cops can lie to you all they want.

156points

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#22

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Videogames cause violence. There is literally no correlation.

Big-Preparation-95 , Alex Haney Report

Final score:

172points

zak 1 year ago

Sorry everyone, this one is true. Vodeogames change people. I played Tomb Raider and three weeks later I was arrested in Cairo with ancient artifacts from Cleopatra's tomb 😕

237points

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#23

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That people in the Middle Ages thought the earth was flat?????
It has been widely accepted since Ancient Greece that the earth is round and I have no idea why people still call it the Dark Ages either

achilles-alexander , Orlando Ferguson Report

Final score:

149points

Tharizin 🇺🇦 1 year ago

It was called the dark ages because the sun hadn’t been invented yet /j

121points

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#24

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe “Your blood is actually blue but only becomes red when it comes out of you”

NH-INDY-99 , Bianca Petrisor Report

Final score:

149points

Brenda 1 year ago

I thought it just looked blue through your skin

7points

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#25

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That if you shave it grows back thicker

Future_pastor , Supply Report

Final score:

146points

zak 1 year ago

It does appear thicker at first though, because hair normally tapers off at the end. When you shave it, the tip of the hair is thicker until it grows out a bit.

53points

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#26

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Road widening improves traffic flow. It doesn't, if anything it just causes induced demand and within Months the road is congested again.

OhHiGCHQ , lucijak1 Report

Final score:

136points

Brenda 1 year ago

Freeways in Houston are constantly under construction. Traffic never gets better

35points

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#27

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That you cant swim after eating and must wait at least an hour.

MentionSuspicious787 , sportpoint74 Report

Final score:

132points

Sasha Kuleshov 1 year ago

I've been robbed of precious swimming time :O

62points

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#28

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That carrots give you good eyesight

anon , Suzy Hazelwood Report

Final score:

131points

Gerry Higgins 1 year ago

This started in WWII. They didn't want to give away that Allies had radar so they said the Pilots had good night vision from a diet of carrots. Everyone believed it. The Axis started eating carrots.

82points

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#29

That introversion = shyness or social incompetence. Like, it‘s not that hard.

Stunning_Guidance986 Report

Final score:

130points

Lonely Tentacle 1 year ago (edited)

Agreed! I'm super introverted, I'm basically asocial, but one thing I am definitely not is shy! If anything, I'm the queen of oversharing, LOL! And other than having some trouble detecting sarcasm, my social competence can range from adequate to actually really good, depending on the setting.

51points

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#30

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe That msg is bad for you

SnooPeppers4346 , Alex9500 Report

Final score:

128points

Kitty 🥀 1 year ago (edited)

I was under the impression that it’s basically just really salty so it should be ingested in moderation, just like other things that are full of sodium like table salt and soy sauce. But that it’s really no worse for you than those. Someone feel free to corset me if I’m wrong. Edit: ooh, kinky. I clearly meant correct me. LOL

106points

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#31

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture and architecture being pure white marble.

They are now. That's because art dealers long, *long* ago washed the paint off.

Needydadthrowaway , Skitterphoto Report

Final score:

122points

Mike Fitzpatrick 1 year ago

I would imagine that 2k years of elements would have a similar effect.

117points

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#32

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Watermelon seeds can grow watermelons in our stomachs

Dull-King1348 , Irina Iriser Report

Final score:

100points

DebB 1 year ago

I'd have vines growing out of every orifice if this was true

8points

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#33

35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe Eating cheese before bed gives you nightmares.

Turnerredman , bublikhaus Report

Final score:

96points

Mickysixxx 1 year ago (edited)

I eat cheese during the night (3am) I'm fine. Secret night cheese tastes better

118points

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#34

Shaking or flipping integral Polaroid photographs while they're developing. This dates back to the 'peel-apart" instant Polaroids that came before the all-in-one "integral" instant films. You used to have to coat the finished print with a polymer coating fluid, and shaking the print would help it dry faster. But it's unnecessary now.

ScottRiqui Report

Final score:

82points

Kitty 🥀 1 year ago

But… it’s a part of the experience!

100points

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#35

Almost all the weird things people believe about charging batteries is completely wrong, they are based on Old NiCad cells and most of that advice does not apply to lithium ion / LiPO batteries

Vanilla_Neko Report

Final score:

72points

Jake stenhouse 1 year ago

Except for the bit about them spontaneously Combusting

36points

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Note: this post originally had 37 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.

Justinas Keturka

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

What do you think ?

Sean Sean 1 year ago

That homeless people are all just drug addicts or mentally ill, when most homeless people aren't.

14points

Princezz Puffypants 11 months ago (edited)

*most* homeless people are one or both of those things. About 52% total suffer from one or both. 38% alcohol abuse, 26% drug abuse and about 30% serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia or bipolar (not including things like depression, which is probably hovering around 100%). You cannot fix a problem when you refuse to acknowledge that it exists: this problem exists and there are a variety of ways it could be overcome.

0points

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Daniel Atkins 1 year ago

Daylight saving time was invented by farmers. It was always presented as a way to save energy during World War 1. Changing the time on the clock changes little how farmers operate. In fact farmers don’t really like it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time#History

11points

Memere 1 year ago (edited)

Farmers work when the work needs to be done, day or night. Farming is a 24/7/365 life. I grew up on a farm & the livestock doesn't care about day or night hours, or the season of the year. I remember my father going out in the middle of the night during a snowstorm to save a newborn calf that the cow had given birth to in a snow drift. And he would get home from his airline job at midnight, have some coffee & sandwiches & then go out on the tractor to work the fields. DST is a crock of poo. And it screws up our circadian rhythm for at least a week afterwards! I hate it.

7points

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similarly 1 year ago (edited)

In the US, there's an assumption that if you're from the rural South, you're an idiot. I think people hear my southern accent and mentally subtract points. Part of this is because in popular media, people with southern accents are invariably portrayed as racist, misogynistic, fanatical christian, gun-loving, homophobic, ignorant bullies and idiots. And some of them are. But a lot aren't, and I wish the media would stop painting people that way.

6points

Fantastic Mr Fox 1 year ago

You are right. However, using the expression “the media” doesn’t help if you want to reach over the aisle.

1point

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Sean Sean 1 year ago

That homeless people are all just drug addicts or mentally ill, when most homeless people aren't.

14points

Princezz Puffypants 11 months ago (edited)

*most* homeless people are one or both of those things. About 52% total suffer from one or both. 38% alcohol abuse, 26% drug abuse and about 30% serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia or bipolar (not including things like depression, which is probably hovering around 100%). You cannot fix a problem when you refuse to acknowledge that it exists: this problem exists and there are a variety of ways it could be overcome.

0points

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Daniel Atkins 1 year ago

Daylight saving time was invented by farmers. It was always presented as a way to save energy during World War 1. Changing the time on the clock changes little how farmers operate. In fact farmers don’t really like it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time#History

11points

Memere 1 year ago (edited)

Farmers work when the work needs to be done, day or night. Farming is a 24/7/365 life. I grew up on a farm & the livestock doesn't care about day or night hours, or the season of the year. I remember my father going out in the middle of the night during a snowstorm to save a newborn calf that the cow had given birth to in a snow drift. And he would get home from his airline job at midnight, have some coffee & sandwiches & then go out on the tractor to work the fields. DST is a crock of poo. And it screws up our circadian rhythm for at least a week afterwards! I hate it.

7points

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similarly 1 year ago (edited)

In the US, there's an assumption that if you're from the rural South, you're an idiot. I think people hear my southern accent and mentally subtract points. Part of this is because in popular media, people with southern accents are invariably portrayed as racist, misogynistic, fanatical christian, gun-loving, homophobic, ignorant bullies and idiots. And some of them are. But a lot aren't, and I wish the media would stop painting people that way.

6points

Fantastic Mr Fox 1 year ago

You are right. However, using the expression “the media” doesn’t help if you want to reach over the aisle.

1point

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