People will believe anything — and, to make matters worse, they'll usually go around and tell everyone what they just learned too, even if it's complete B.S.
Redditor u/Clear-Type5753 recently asked the people of Reddit, "What's a 'fact' that has been actively disproven, yet people still spread it?" If you've been spreading any of these around — please, stop:
1. "That you have to wait 24 hours to file a missing persons report. I can’t tell you how many people call 911 after their child or partner has been missing for that long."
—u/Calfee911
2. "Scientists don’t know how bees fly."
—u/GeorgeCabana
3. "As a dietitian, it drives me nuts when people say that iceberg lettuce is devoid of nutrition. A typical serving of 100 grams provides 17% of your daily Vitamin A and 20% of your Vitamin K requirements, all for just 14 calories. Plus, it's a good source of potassium, manganese, and fiber. So, it’s far from being 'just water.' There's definitely nutritional value there."
4. "Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis."
—u/bootygoon2
5. "Gum stays in your intestines for seven years if you swallow it."
—u/cierramkh
6. "Strangers will give me free drugs on street corners and in Halloween candy."
7. "The misconception that humans only use 10% of their brains, which has been debunked by neuroscience. In reality, various parts of the brain have specific functions, and most of the brain is active at different times."
—u/Solo-Yolo27
8. "That you can catch a cold from being outside in the cold. You become more susceptible, but the actual cold is a virus you can only catch from other people."
—u/Funkytownn
9. "Carrots improve your night vision. It was a 'fact' promoted by the Allies during WW2 to hide their invention of radar. All those British pilots are downing German bombers at night because they eat so many carrots! Totally not because we have a device that lets us see them day or night from dozens of miles away."
10. "If you shave facial hair it grows back thicker."
11. "The whole alpha wolf thing."
—u/aguadiablo
12. "That, on average, you swallow eight spiders a year."
—u/tastygrowth
13. "That MSG is bad for you in any way."
14. "That people only lived to age 30 in the past. I can't believe how often people still mention this misconception. Average mortality rate ≠ individual life expectancy."
—u/inky-skies
16. "People love to talk about how pandas are incapable of surviving, and so evolutionarily incompetent that they need to be goaded into even reproducing. In fact, pandas are very highly specialized and adapted to an ecological niche that was never under threat until human intervention. It's not their fault that animals act weird when transplanted from their homes."
17. "You must drink 3 liters of water every day to maintain your health. There is no scientific basis for this 'fact,' and overindulgence can be dangerous."
18. "That our blood is blue before it reaches oxygen."
—u/JannaWing
19. "That Napoleon was short. He was actually of average height. The power of propaganda is immense."
—u/Diablix
And finally...
20. "It’s illegal to talk about how much you’re paid."
Got your own? See you in the comments!
These entries were edited for length and clarity.