ADVERTISEMENT

The tricky thing with beliefs is that we all think ours are correct. When actually, almost everything we believe, at some point in our lives, will eventually be at least partially wrong.

Not only are we often unaware of it, but we also have no idea of how to determine which of our pieces of common knowledge are incorrect. So when someone asked “What is a popular belief that is scientifically proven wrong?” on Ask Reddit, the responses started rolling in one by one.

From thinking that you can catch a cold by being in cold temperatures to the belief that gum gets stuck in your stomach for eternity, here are the most popular beliefs that are very far from true.

We reached out to Audrey Tang, an award-winning book author, psychologist and spokesperson who shared some very interesting insights into how popular beliefs and common knowledge emerge, how they are passed through generations, and how it all comes down to the fact that humans are social creatures. Scroll down for the interview below!

#1

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Homosexuality has been proven to be natural. It's not a disease or whatever. It has been observed in hundreds of species.

lovin_da_dix , Brian Kyed Report

“Stories have a way of taking on a life of their own, especially in the landscape of social media,” Audrey said. She explained: “Citations are not always given, elements may be changed as the story moves along, and a little bit like gossip, or the 'broken telephone' – eventually a narrative makes its way into popular belief and often is so removed from the original as to be unrecognizable (and example of this is the oft-cited in leadership posts (especially on LinkedIn).”

More importantly, stories are compelling because they give us a sense of completeness. “Research into false memories has shown that when elements of memory are missing we ‘fill in the gaps’ – and this may not be an accurate account.”

#2

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Torture doesn’t work.

It has never worked. It was proven that torture doesn’t work before America was colonized.

Torture DOES produce confessions, but it doesn’t reveal the truth.

MBergdorf , Wikipedia Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#3

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses As a cat lover, it always drives me insane that so many people will automatically give a stray they found milk. Most cats are lactose intolerant.

_Jacket_Slxt_ , Mónika Erdei Report

Add photo comments
POST
Loverboy
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you give a dog water, why would you give a cat any different? Now that I've slept, I'm realizing that this logic wouldn't work for other things.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#4

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses You don't have to wait 24 hours to call the police to file a missing person's report. Never wait 24 hours. Every hour that passes means you are less likely to find said person. Dead or alive.

MinnieCreations Report

Add photo comments
POST
Take me to dinner first
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that always confused me. If they consider the first 72 hours the most important, then why would you have to wait for the first 24??

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Furthermore, Audrey explained, “We tend to make sense of those gaps based on our world experience at the time – an example of this is, sadly, where a child of divorce may think that a parent left ‘because of them’ – if it has not been explained to them in accessible and understandable language.”

“This is not always the parent’s fault as they too are going through a great deal of emotional upheaval, but dismissing a child’s questions can sometimes lead to the child reconstructing an approximation of what is really going on.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Related to that, Audrey continues, “When a story resonates with an experience we have been through (or believe we have been through!), we are also more likely to connect with it because of the familiarity.”

#5

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Back in the olden days, people just turned 30 or so and died.

The infant mortality rate was just much higher, but if you made it to adulthood, living to be a senior was not that rare.

maisymowse Report

Add photo comments
POST
alwaysMispelled
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly. "Life expectancy" simply factoring in infant and childhood mortality. People still got old.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#6

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Most dietary information that is widely accepted by the public was from studies that have been proven wrong since the 70s

sgt_taco891 , Wikipedia Report

Add photo comments
POST
Solidhog
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Along with the myth that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#7

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Goldfish have a three second memory.

They don’t and, supposedly, you can even train them to do tricks.

twerkette , pouria oskuie Report

Add photo comments
POST
Solidhog
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Look up on Youtube. There is one that retrieves a ring. You can even buy Goldfish assault courses!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Audrey argues that research suggests that our brains seem better wired to process and recall facts set out as a story rather than facts alone.

“For example, the colors of the rainbow may be remembered using the mnemonic 'Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain,' and similarly, groups of numbers which can be 'chunked' into memorable dates, e.g,. 1066 instead of 1,0,6,6, are better recalled as well.”

And when it comes to popular myths, Audrey suggests that they may occur through people connecting with them and repeating them. “Perhaps if details are changed to suit the storyteller, again, that story takes on even more strength as more people may relate to it and repeat it,” she told Bored Panda.

#8

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses There is an alpha wolf in a pack.

Like the person who made the first claim debunked his own claim, but nobody cared.

Kinjal_Ghosh , Thomas Bonometti Report

Add photo comments
POST
Loverboy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I see so many of these self proclaimed alphas nowadays and it annoys the hell out of me. If you say you're an alpha, I automatically consider you scum. "Alphas" are usually misogynistic a******s who influence kids or other equally dumb adults. You are not an alpha, you are a douche. Stop it.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Used to be a popular belief that if you sit to close to the tv your eyes will go bad. But Ive recently come to realize that children who sit “too close” to the tv might already have poor vision, but cannot communicate it, so when they go get their eyes checked it appears that the causation is them sitting to close to the tv, when it was probably genetics or other factors. Thus causing people to think that the cause was them sitting too close to tv.

justafang , Vidal Balielo Jr. Report

Add photo comments
POST
ADJ
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is a myth now, but old tv sets from before 1960s emitted some radiation which may have bad effect on eyes.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#10

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses You can catch colds from being outside without a hat. Colds are caused by viruses, not cold temperatures

crabbyabbyyy , Kristin Vogt Report

Add photo comments
POST
Aroace tiger (she/they/he)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But colder temperatures make ur immune system weaker and therefore it's easier to catch a cold

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

There’s also an explanation for why particular common beliefs disappear while others remain something people believe throughout generations. “Many beliefs that are passed through generations have a strong link with culture and tradition, and even though there may be no reason for engaging with them because they are part of your personal story, you feel connected with it,” Audrey explained.

According to her, Christmas traditions are a lovely example of this: “my own mother-in-law always makes a Christmas Gift Cracker as this was something that she had enjoyed when she was young. Not having children personally, it is not something I will be passing down, but my husband’s cousins might, and thus whenever this tradition plays out, we are reminded of the happy times at Christmas.”

#11

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Most things that tout "detoxifying" properties.

Thefreshestproduce , Alexander Mils Report

Add photo comments
POST
Stardust she/her
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You have livers and kidneys to do the job (I think I might be missing a few organs here)

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#12

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses The belief that sugar causes hyperactivity in children. This belief has been around for decades, but numerous scientific studies have shown that there is no evidence to support it.

Logpoze3 , Rod Long Report

Add photo comments
POST
Aroace tiger (she/they/he)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ig kids just get excited when eating tasty food. Also kids r hyper without the sugar it's incomparable

ApplePie123eat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity in children, the excitement before consuming it does ;)

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

You'll never convince some people of this and I've stopped trying.

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

Though red dyes DO affect them. Just give your kid "fruit punch"

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

The study that made that link used a sample size of 117, that isn't even outside a margin of error. Anecdotes don't prove anything either.

Load More Replies...
Sue
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If your blood sugar is low, it might hype you up for a few minutes, but then it will drop again. So I'm guessing people who rarely give sugar to their kids might notice a behavior change. It's also because those kids never have sweets, so they may just be excited.

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

So let's give one of your kids a chocolate bar and the other one a stick of celery and see what happens.

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

I've responded here so many times.. but there IS a difference with ADHD kids. And also- the sugary foods are almost always mixed in with dyes, additives and colours etc which do have noticeable impacts on brains - in particular neuro diverse ones.

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

Like clockwork people show up to explain how science does not matter. Blind studies show they are wrong but they insist science is wrong because they saw with their own biased eyes that it happened. Anyhow, the orphanage gave the kids sugar water in their bottles to keep them calm and tired. Did it really work that way? IDK. But I thought I'd throw it out here. I also think most of us have experienced food coma when we have consumed too much carbs.

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

Thank you! I know people who believe this and it drives me nuts.

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

I dunno… I’m not usually high-energy, but eating a donut or sugar can make me start opera singing and jumping around the parking lot-

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

It's the expectation you've learned from being told it will do that your entire life. It's psychosomatic.

Load More Replies...
David
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It DOES for SOME kids. Or possibly it is the chemical dyes. I don't know. But one of my grandkids acted out so much after sugar / candy that I / mom could always tell even if we didn't see them get the candy. To over simplify - If we gave them sugar it was when they could go run around the yard, not before expecting them to sit quietly in the car or behave in a store. But this was mainly one grandkid out of seven. Maybe a bit with some of the others but nothing that obvious. I'm saying "some truth to it" may be why it has persisted for so long. YMMV

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

Studies say that it doesn't, the dye study is over 20 years old and used 117 subjects so is pretty much worthless. Your grandkid got excited. There is no truth to it.

Load More Replies...
iBlank
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A sugar rush is real, at any age. It's your brain rewarding you with dopamine for converting a carb. It is short lived though and most of the hyperactivity is from children having a lot more energy in general.

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

Try letting YOUR 3 year old eat 2-3 chocolate donuts and see how quiet they are. Evil grin

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

Gotta look at who benefits from information like this.

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

Sugar should be considered a class 1 drug. Bet sugar companies conducted these studies. The amount consumed daily is unprecedented in known human history,

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

WRONG!!! Roman soldiers in Egypt ate sugar for the fist time and because uncontrollable so it was banned from them eating it. IT DOES cause a change, a big one.

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

There's an episode of Super Nanny where she does an ad hoc experiment to prove that this is rubbish. Kids all together, having fun, get excited, not hyperactive, sugar or not

Got Myself 4 Pandas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As the mother of two adhd children can confirm sugar plays no role. And incidentally caffeine actually calms them down, a red bull helps my oldest sleep but he hates the taste of anything fizzy

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

In fact those studies show that sugar does make children hyperactive, and sugar substitutes are even worse.

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

The studies do not show this at all, they show the opposite. Sugar does not make children hyperactive.

Load More Replies...
vogonpoet
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sugar does cause two of my kids (18 and 10) to be grump a**h*les though. Me too. But never hyper.

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

Okay, I was today years old when I learned that. I always just assumed I was immune to it because I never got hyperactive eating sugar.

C.O. Shea
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sugar sure as *bleep* does something. I'm 58 and turn into a ranting lunatic if I consume the stuff.

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

actually to much sugar causes irritability because of the sugar spike and consequent abrupt fall bellow initial level.

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

I beg to differ on this one. I'm a public school teacher and have seen my share of parties, it's true.

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

I think the key word there though is parties. Kids are naturally more excited at a party. Put a kid by themselves and give them cake and the reaction is different to five kids getting cake.

Load More Replies...
Jenna Logan
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sugar rush it's a real thing but it doesn't cause or lead to hyperactivity

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

There is also my mother's belief that a spoon full of peanut butter would calm the hyperactivity. I had a lot of peanut butter shoved in my face. Oddly I still love peanut butter

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

I have three grandsons ages 2.5, 1.5 and 1.5. After Easter, I beg to differ.

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

Tell that to my friend. When she was younger she would eat a lot of candy and go haywire.😰

Fenchurch
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Isn't it the e numbers in the bright colours and not the sugar? In the UK foods that have certain chemicals in them have to have a large warning on them that the product may have an adverse affect on attention and behaviour. So most manufacturers found alternatives to the bright colourings.

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

The study that made that link had a sample size smaller than a margin of error.

Load More Replies...
Noel Bovae
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a hard time believing this one. Pretty much anyone that's had kids have noticed a stark difference in their behavior soon after eating candy. Even my grown teenage kids still act like fools after eating/drinking something with high amounts of sugar. Science has been proven wrong time and time again, for thousands of years, and I highly suspect this is one of those things that we'll discover later on, is actually true. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut. (Like in early January 2020, when WHO was saying that COVID-19 wasn't spread by human to human transmission, and there was no need to worry or wear a mask. Common sense told me that other covid viruses are spread human to human, so this one won't be any different.)

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

Yes, and science first said it does cause hyperactivity. Then it said it didn't after experiments. Scientists only know what they know when they find out about it. The problem is that instead of saying, "This is what we know so far," they assert that THIS is definitely the answer. I was listening to an interview with a lady scientist who was talking about something else, but she said this is one of the reasons people just stopped believing in science. I mean, the science has gone from "you'll kill your baby if you put it on it's back," to "you'll kill your baby if you put it on it's front." From "swaddling is good" to swaddilng is bad, and then back again. I'm 60. My mom was told to start adding rice to formula around 4 weeks & then slowly start adding different fruits to it. Now they won't feed them any food for 6 months. I raised my daughter same as my mom. My daughter did the same with my grandson, & switched with my granddaughter 15 years later. The picky eater is my granddaughter.

Load More Replies...
Caryle
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There’s actually a ton of supporting documentation /Studies that prove sugar is bad for peoples brains and causes inflammation. This post Has the potential To harm a lot of people

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

Sugar is harmful, esp in modern amounts! But ppl will believe what they want.

Load More Replies...
View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#13

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses We only use 10% of our brain

Key-Wallaby-9276 , Bret Kavanaugh Report

Add photo comments
POST
Surenu
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Given some people I interact with on a daily basis I can see how one might arrive at this conclusion though, to be fair.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

On the other hand, sometimes certain beliefs are extremely questionable as society changes, Audrey added. “It is hoped that many rules also change accordingly, or, where that is not possible, that enough people become aware of the original rule, find no basis for it to be true, and create their own, which then grow because of their acceptability in the modern world.”

“A less contentious example, but still a problematic one that is changing, is the view that in some cultures, mental ill health is simply not discussed. As we learn more about mental health diagnoses, cultures become more accepting as to why certain behaviors may be happening and what can be done about it, they blame less and grow more,” Audrey explained.

ADVERTISEMENT
#14

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Cracking knuckles = arthritis

bigfart99 , Eren Li Report

Add photo comments
POST
Christopher Gerlach
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There was a dude that cracked only one hand for like 30 years to prove his mom wrong.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#15

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses “Fish don’t feel pain” , and simultaneously “Fish do feel pain” are both arguments which ignore centuries of research.

They lack a Neocortex which deems them unable to “process” pain, however they have several nociceptors located around the mouth which allows them to “feel it”. What does this mean? Well nobody actually knows yet, and it is largely open to interpretation. It’s unfathomably hard for us to understand, as we can both feel and process pain. Some scientists describe “acting on instinct” as symptoms of pain when these nociceptors become compromised. Some scientists describe it as just that though, acting on instinct based on what parts of their body are compromised and hence weaker or vulnerable.

For example : You hook and release a bass. That Bass now moves slower, eats a little less, and socializes less. Are these actions the result of the fish acknowledging the compromised nociceptors and acting accordingly while giving itself a chance to heal? Or is the fish genuinely hurting and sad? Research points to both being correct, but neither have enough evidence to prove anything yet.


All we know with certainty is that we don’t have a definite answer supporting either argument, so anyone that leans hard one way or another doesn’t know what they are talking about.

goldieglocks16 , FOX Report

Add photo comments
POST
Kea_Tortilla
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you for acknowledging that we still have so much to learn about our fellow creatures! Pain or not, fish are still animals and deserve respect.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#16

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses That if you shave it’ll grow back longer and thicker

confusedgoofball , Supply Report

The Minister of Digital Affairs of Taiwan also argues that often, “a little bit like social media hashtags, the enduring narratives are those which resonate closely with the zeitgeist at the time, such as #metoo.”

Moreover, endorsements from celebrities can make a difference as well. “Not only does research show that celebrity endorsements are more likely to make you believe a certain thing, but to also not check it for credibility.”

Audrey explained that inviting a psychologist to comment on an article and adding the phrase “backed by science” can do the same thing. “As I always say – 'backed by science,' says NOTHING about the reliability, validity or even relevance of the research as a whole, nor the population it was based on.”

#17

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Hiding under a highway overpass is actually not a good way to survive a tornado.

It has been scientifically proven that the wind gets concentrated and the speeds increase underneath the overpass.

If you aren’t shielded by a bridge girder or something similar you’ll just get swept away and mulched.

Your best bet for survival if you cannot escape the tornado is to find the nearest deep ditch or hole.

jitsbay , Ralph W. lambrecht Report

Add photo comments
POST
Janos Schumacher
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Find a ditch and get flat. A tornado can pick up a car and throw it just fine. Better to be flat and in a ditch face down with your hands over your head.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#18

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Despite popular belief, urine is not sterile.

koalamiracle , CDC Report

Add photo comments
POST
Monday
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait....who believes urine is sterile? It's the waste our bodies get rid of how could it possibly be sterile?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#19

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses That we taste different things in different areas on the tongue.

redDKtie , Wei Ding Report

Add photo comments
POST
Monday
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My high school biology teacher had a lesson on this. Makes me wonder what other fake c**p was included in the syllabus.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#20

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses You can swim after you eat it's no problem

Thecooleo , Pixabay Report

Add photo comments
POST
Take me to dinner first
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, not in my case. If I eat and make any kind of physical activity (even walking back home or something) I feel terribly nauseous. My blood pressure is quite low, so taking hot showers after eating is also not well received by my body lol

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#21

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Lightning never strikes in one place twice.

JarJarLifts , Philippe Donn Report

Add photo comments
POST
Serial pacifist
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just ask Roy. https://virginradio.co.uk/lifestyle/92446/meet-the-man-who-survived-being-struck-by-lightning-seven-times

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#22

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses That bubblegum get stuck in your stomach for 99999999999900000 years

Baller69max , João Lucas Lagos Report

#23

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses That rice will make the birds who eat it explode. Birds eat rice all the time! It's actually good for them, especially brown rice.

I believe this myth was made up so people would stop throwing rice at weddings, but harming the birds wasn't an actual risk. It was getting rice grains stuck in your ear that was.

Mister_Moho , Polina Tankilevitch Report

Add photo comments
POST
Icecream Sarang
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was under the belief it was bad for them to eat their weight in rice at weddings, which is why we switched to bird seed…then the same thing happened, so now we do bubbles. But if you’re me, you just eloped and are coconut cake in your hotel room.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#24

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Don't know if it's been said yet still scrolling, but that male lions don't hunt or do anything. Yes, lionesses do most of the hunting but males do help if the prey is too big and strong, such as with cape buffalo or giraffe. Males do a lot, staying back and protecting the territory which is very important if there are cubs, not to mention that the mane not only blows their cover more when hunting, but it tires them out quickly as it's a bunch of hair weighing on their head. Males also have to leave their birth pride at a certain age which of course until they can find a pride, they at that point have to hunt.

Also on the topic of African animals (wildlife nerd) hyenas hunt more than lions and are more successful predators, and hyenas aren't dogs. Elephants don't think you or any human is cute.

Edit: I was told wrong a lion's mane doesn't weigh as much as I thought, but it does have more of a negative effect on their hunting compared to a lioness.

wildnstuff , Iurii Ivashchenko Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#25

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses That eggs are bad for you.
That eggs are good for you.

Its been proven that it completely depends on your own genetic makeup on if they are good or bad for you. For some people they're healthy, for others they're not and they're bad cholesterol level skyrockets.

BKDDY Report

Add photo comments
POST
Mirabelle Skyrim
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For MOST people eggs are healthy. One of the functions of your liver is to regulate your cholesterol to a level that's optimal for your own body. If you eat a lot of cholesterol rich food, the liver will lower its production of cholesterol. If you eat sparingly of cholesterol rich food, the liver will increase its cholesterol production.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#26

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Carrots do not improve your eyesight.

RiotousRagnarok , Markus Spiske Report

Add photo comments
POST
Tobias Reaper
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this was propaganda by the british government in world war 2 to hide the fact they had radar

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses A frog thrown in a pot of boiling water will jump out immediately. If a frog is put in a pot of cool water and that water is slowly warmed, the frog won’t notice and boil to death.

This is indeed false

Backwards_Pessimist , Frank Zhang Report

Add photo comments
POST
XenoMurph
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the worst frog recipe I've ever read. I still don't know how to cook my frog.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

That you can “alkalize” your body to prevent or cure disease.

Talented_oven5 Report

Add photo comments
POST
Monday
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well.....if you alkalize your body enough you won't have to worry about any disease since you'll be dead.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#29

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses Women's periods don't sync up when they live together. Any syncing that occurs is a result of a coincidental overlap of their individual cycles.

zumera , Annika Gordon Report

#30

Someone Asks “What Is A Popular Belief That Has Been Scientifically Proven Wrong?” And People Deliver 30 Illuminating Responses I just read it recently that people believe that consuming alcohol moderately has some health benefits but it was proven by a recent study that it does not have any health benefits at all.

iam_joyc3 , Wil Stewart Report

Add photo comments
POST
XenoMurph
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's also not true. Different drinks have different effects. "A recent study..." will be contradicted by tomorrows recent study. The reality is that there are positive and negative effects at the same time. So a study that tries to find one thing will find it, but it will exclude the other things, because that wasn't part of the research.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu