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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.

#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.

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    #2

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

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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.

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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.

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    #5

    Trickle down economics

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    #6

    That men are more logical and less emotional than women.

    Kwickhatch Report

    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.”“

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    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!”

    #7

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

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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

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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

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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.”

    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

    #11

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

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    #12

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

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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.

    #13

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

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    #14

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

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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

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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

    #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

    #18

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

    Back2Bach , Philippe Donn Report

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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

    #20

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

    atomicrutabaga , Thom Holmes Report

    #21

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

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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

    #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

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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”

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    #25

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

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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.

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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.

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    #28

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

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    Gerry Higgins
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    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.

    Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Special Operations Executive (SOE) had a lot of crazy ideas but the thing that unites them is that they were all cheap to implement. Like the time they took a body, dressed it in uniform, handcuffed a briefcase full of "secret documents", and dumped it off the shore of Spain. The NAZIs bought it hook line and sinker.

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    Angus Beston
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This was actually started in Great Britain to explain why the RAF had better night vision. In actual fact the Brits had developed radar but they used the "we feed our pilots carrots" story

    Pheonixvatoreii
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Small bit of truth. Carrots contain Vitamin A which actually does aid eyesight. But it doesn't make you see in the dark.

    Brenda
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Rumor started to deceive Germany so they wouldn't discover we had radar

    jdtimid123
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Everytime I see this I flash back to that episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the town started singing and one of the characters had a number about how bunnies are probably behind it. There's a line about them eating carrots where she says something like "what do they need such good eyesight for anyway?" Which was the first time I heard the myth.

    Scifi1203
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I really enjoy that episode, I remember thinking before it aired thinking 'how are they going to pull this off'? But the songs are catchy and it was fun!

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    G'ma B
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Vitamin A is valuable but it won't make you an eagle-eye!

    backatya
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that was a story given to the Germans so they wouldn't find out the alias were using radar at night

    elcee
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    the vit a in carrots is good for your eyes, but not particularly carrots, any vit a. but carrots. are good for you so might as well eat them : )

    Coral Warden
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Too many carrots are bad for you, our middle daughter loved carrots in her pre school years, whole carrots, carrot sticks anythig carrot! Untli she started getting massive headaches, alot of pain in behind her eyes..tests showed her optic nerves were INFLAMED causing pressure/pain affecting left it would affect her eyesight…the only thing we changed was we cut back on the CARROTS..she’s never had pain it happen since.

    Coral Warden
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Too many carrots are actually bad for you….our middle daughter loved carrots up until starting school…she got massive unexplained headaches…tests showed her optic nerve was inflamed causing headaches, we cut out the carrot overload and the headaches vanished….might be coincidence but I swear that was all we changed.

    Shelby Jackson
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One of my exes legitimately thinks that she cured her bad eyesight by eating carrots. She also thought Barqs root beer was Bargs but that's neither here nor there.

    Kimberly Ferrieri
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hah! My mom used to tell me this. When I asked how she knew... her response was to ask if I've ever seen a rabbit wear glasses :)

    Kitty
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Dosent it? Omg this ruins my childhood I ate so many carrots to get good vision still im a blind as a bat

    Odd Ragnar Deng Lerstøl
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Vitamin A is the chemical that the eyes uses to register light. And carrots contain a lot of vitamin A.

    Sara Seanor
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Anyone else remember the magic school bus episode when Arnold turn orange from eating so many carrots but he still needed his glasses lol!

    Debby Keir
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But they help if you had poor eyesight due to lack of vitamins (particularly A)

    Lavender Oak
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This isn't untrue though. Vitamin A and beta carotene are great for eyesight. But not only carrots have both. But still, carrots are good for your eyesight and will improve it. Just maybe not significantly.

    TK 421
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They turn one orange in mass quantities, and happy because carrot cake is my method of choice for consumption, but otherwise this is busted

    goodguybrad
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I remember in secondary school when i thought i might awaken a superpower if i eat enough

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    #29

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

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    #30

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

    SnooPeppers4346 , Alex9500 Report

    #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

    #32

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

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    #33

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

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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

    #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

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    #36

    35 Annoying Myths That Some People Still Believe “50% of marriages end in divorce” is misused so frequently that I would qualify it as a popular and annoying myth, and it comes down to the general population knowing f**k-all about statistics.

    If a couple goes to get married for the first time, there is NOT a 50% chance they are going to get divorced; the entire basis of the 50% number comes from factoring second, third, and even fourth and beyond divorces.

    Try this: if every couple in the world did have an even split 50% divorce rate, and then just one couple gets divorced twice, then that number instantly becomes <50% chance due to the skew. Now factor in the countless amounts of multiple-divorce couples on the planet.

    The myth is just awkward and breeds a surprising amount of pessimism towards marriage.

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    #37

    That the middle ages were "dark" and people swam on sh*t and bathed only two times a year

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