Researchers have already debunked the top 20 myths that we all commonly believe to be true—such as, the most heat escapes through your head, we only use 10 percent of our brains, and goldfish only have three-second memory.
A new survey of 2,000 adults found nearly four in 10 aren’t even sure how they came to believe these fraudulent bits of trivia—but 49 percent have shared them with others, in the belief they were accurate.
Nearly half believe that most human heat escapes through your head, but experts claim only around 10 percent of body heat is lost this way, due to its relatively small surface.
Other misconceptions we often pass on include the color red sends bulls into a rage, yet the animals can’t even see the color. Similarly, you might have said that it takes seven years to digest swallowed chewing gum, which isn’t true because we can’t digest it at all.
More than one in five (22 percent) believe that if a penny were dropped from the top of New York’s Empire State Building it would generate enough force to kill anyone it landed on—however, it’s simply too lightweight to do such a thing.
TEN MORE MYTHS WE SHOULD GIVE UP
1. Chameleons change colors to blend in with their surroundings. (Though they make small color adjustments, the primary function of the color shift is to alert neighbors of danger.)
2. Sugar causes hyperactivity in children. (Over a dozen large studies have not shown that sugar causes hyperactivity.)
3. You should urinate on it if someone gets stung by a jellyfish. (This myth might even worsen the sting.)
4. Bats are blind. (Bats have small eyes with very sensitive vision, which helps them see in conditions we might consider pitch black.)
5. You’ll get cramps if you go swimming right after you eat. (The Mayo Clinic says there is really no scientific basis for this.)
6. Dogs only see in black and white. (They are not as bright, but they do see colors.)
7. If you touch a baby bird with your bare hands, its mother will reject it. (False. This prevalent belief is ‘for the birds’)
8. Shaving your hair makes it grow back thicker. (This will not change its thickness, color or rate of growth, though it gives it a blunt tip, which might feel coarse or “stubbly” for a time as it grows out—and it may appear darker or thicker, but it’s not.)
9. Cracking your knuckles too much will cause arthritis. (Cracking your knuckles does no harm at all to our joints and does not lead to arthritis.)
10. Going out in the cold will give you a cold. (False. The viruses that cause colds may spread more easily in lower temperatures, and exposure to cold and dry air may adversely impact the body’s immune system to fight off viruses.)
