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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
That carnivorous pets can live healthily on a vegan diet.
Stop it. It's animal abuse.
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#3
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.
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”.
“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.
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!”
#8
Billionaires are smart and we should be “grateful” for the jobs they provide.
#9
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.
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
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.
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.
#15
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.
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
That when you meet "the one" you just know. And that there is a "one" for every one of us.
#17
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.
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
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?
#23
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
#24
“Your blood is actually blue but only becomes red when it comes out of you”
#26
Road widening improves traffic flow. It doesn't, if anything it just causes induced demand and within Months the road is congested again.
#29
That introversion = shyness or social incompetence. Like, it‘s not that hard.
#31
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.
#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.
#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
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.
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
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.
Bunzilla 1 year ago
My I add: *That silica gel packets are poisonous* They're not. Check on any poison control website to see for yourself. They're labelled "Do Not Eat" because the packet itself is a choking hazard or could cause an intestinal blockage, and eating a bunch of silica gel is slightly worse than swallowing the equivalent amount of gravel (since they'll absorb moisture). HOWEVER: if your silica gel is coated in either cobalt chloride (which looks pink / blue), or methyl violet (which looks orange / green), then you've got a problem. Though I think the second two types are rare, and are known as indicator gel since their colour changes depending on how much moisture they've absorbed. I think those packs are generally marked as such and have some way of seeing the colour inside.
Unnamed Hooman 1 year ago (edited)
The beginning includes: “ sugar makes kids hyperactive “ as a myth. As a kid who can have a bag of skittles and be bouncing off the walls, I can assure you it is no myth. One time I ate 37 Pixie Stix (sugar tubes) in one go. I ran SO FAST. Edit: I know this was downvoted, but the downvote isn’t a dislike button. It’s like a report button. Too many dislikes and you’re banned. Please don’t downvote me because I was wrong.
Sean Sean 1 year ago
That homeless people are all just drug addicts or mentally ill, when most homeless people aren't.
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
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.
Bunzilla 1 year ago
My I add: *That silica gel packets are poisonous* They're not. Check on any poison control website to see for yourself. They're labelled "Do Not Eat" because the packet itself is a choking hazard or could cause an intestinal blockage, and eating a bunch of silica gel is slightly worse than swallowing the equivalent amount of gravel (since they'll absorb moisture). HOWEVER: if your silica gel is coated in either cobalt chloride (which looks pink / blue), or methyl violet (which looks orange / green), then you've got a problem. Though I think the second two types are rare, and are known as indicator gel since their colour changes depending on how much moisture they've absorbed. I think those packs are generally marked as such and have some way of seeing the colour inside.
Unnamed Hooman 1 year ago (edited)
The beginning includes: “ sugar makes kids hyperactive “ as a myth. As a kid who can have a bag of skittles and be bouncing off the walls, I can assure you it is no myth. One time I ate 37 Pixie Stix (sugar tubes) in one go. I ran SO FAST. Edit: I know this was downvoted, but the downvote isn’t a dislike button. It’s like a report button. Too many dislikes and you’re banned. Please don’t downvote me because I was wrong.
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