50 Lies and Misconceptions You Might Still Believe

Nowadays, it’s way easier for fake stuff to spread like wildfire.

Even though we have all the info in the world right at our fingertips, we still hold onto old beliefs, urban legends, and just plain wrong info.

Some of these misconceptions might seem harmless, but they can totally mess up our understanding of the world and the decisions we make.

So get ready to be blown away as we bust 50 common myths that you probably still think are true!

5 Misconceptions That Are Simply Wrong

Here’s a breakdown of some big lies and misconceptions that many people still believe, along with explanations of why they’re untrue:

1. We Only Use 10% of Our Brains

• The Lie: Only a small fraction of our brain is active at any given time. The idea is that we could unlock amazing potential if we found a way to tap into the rest.
• The Truth: This is entirely false. While different parts of the brain are more active at different times depending on the task, functional imaging (fMRI, etc.) shows widespread brain activity even during basic activities.

2. Napoleon Bonaparte Was Short

• The Lie: Napoleon Bonaparte was extremely short for his time, leading to the term “Napoleon complex” as an explanation for aggressive behavior by short men.
• The Truth: While not a giant, Napoleon was likely around 5 feet 7 inches tall –– average for a Frenchman during his lifetime. The misconception likely arose from a difference in French vs. English measurement units at the time, as well as British propaganda to make him seem less intimidating.

3. Carrots Improve Your Eyesight

• The Lie: Eating carrots drastically improves your eyesight, especially night vision.
• The Truth: Carrots are a good source of Vitamin A, which is essential for eye health. However, for people without a Vitamin A deficiency, eating tons of carrots won’t give them superhuman vision. This myth originated from World War II British propaganda designed to hide the fact that they were using radar to intercept nighttime bombing raids.

4. You Can See the Great Wall of China From Space

• The Lie: The Great Wall of China is the only human-made structure visible from space.
• The Truth: The wall is similar in color and material to its surroundings. From low-Earth orbit, it’s very difficult to see, and certainly not from the moon. While impressive, it’s too narrow for true visibility from space.

5. Christopher Columbus Discovered America

• The Lie: Columbus was the first European to reach the Americas, hence “discovering” them.
• The Truth: This disregards the presence of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas for thousands of years prior. Additionally, there’s compelling evidence that the Vikings reached North America centuries before Columbus. Columbus’ voyages were a pivotal moment, but they didn’t happen in a vacuum.

More Myths or Misconceptions

We continue our exploration further. Stay with us and keep reading!

Here’s a mix of common lies and misconceptions across different areas.

History

1. Einstein failed math: This is a feel-good myth, but Einstein excelled in math from a young age. He did struggle somewhat with non-mathematical subjects.
2. Vikings wore horned helmets: Archaeological finds don’t support this image. Horned helmets were ceremonial for earlier cultures, not a practical Viking battle choice.
3. Marie Antoinette said “Let them eat cake”: This callous phrase predates her, likely used as propaganda against the monarchy. There’s no evidence she ever said it.
4. Medieval people thought the Earth was flat: Educated people of the time knew the Earth was round. The ancient Greeks had even calculated a fairly accurate circumference.
5. Gladiators fought to the death: Gladiators were expensive investments. While deaths happened, many fights had non-lethal rules or ended in draws.

Science

6. Sugar makes kids hyperactive: Multiple studies find no significant link between sugar and hyperactivity in children.
7. Touching a baby bird will make the mother reject it: Most birds have a poor sense of smell. They won’t usually abandon a chick that smells slightly of human.
8. Lightning never strikes the same place twice: This is utterly false! Tall structures, particularly, are prone to repeated strikes.
9. “Detox” products remove toxins from your body: Your liver and kidneys do this job naturally. “Detox” products are mainly marketing.
10. We have five senses: We have far more! These include things like balance, temperature sense, pain perception, and even a sense of time passing.

Health and Body

11. You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day: Necessary hydration varies per person and activity level. Drinking when thirsty is usually sufficient.
12. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis: The cracking sound is just gas bubbles, not harmful to joints. Chronic knuckle crackers might have slightly weakened grip, but not arthritis.
13. Antibiotics work on viruses: Antibiotics only fight bacteria. Taking them for viral illnesses is useless and contributes to antibiotic resistance.
14. Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death: This is an illusion. After death, skin dehydrates and pulls back, making hair and nails appear longer.
15. Shaving makes hair grow back thicker or coarser: The base of a shaved hair is thicker, but it tapers off and is not fundamentally changed by shaving.

Miscellaneous

16. Bulls are enraged by the color red: Bulls are partially colorblind and react to the movement of the cape used in bullfighting.
17. Dropping a penny from a skyscraper could kill someone: Pennies are too light and have too much air resistance to reach lethal speeds. It would sting, but not kill.
18. Goldfish have a three-second memory: Goldfish actually have quite decent memories and can learn and be trained.
19. Humans evolved from chimpanzees: Wrong! Humans and chimps share a common ancestor, but we did not evolve directly from them.
20. “Opposites attract” in relationships: Successful long-term relationships generally share a foundation of core values and similarities.

Technology

21. You shouldn’t charge your phone overnight: Modern phones and chargers have safeguards to prevent overcharging damage. It’s fine to leave them plugged in.
22. Using incognito mode makes you completely anonymous online: Incognito mode mainly prevents browsing history from being stored on your device. Your internet service provider, websites, etc., can still track activity.
23. Higher megapixels always mean a better camera: Megapixels are just one factor in image quality. Sensor size, lens quality, and software processing play huge roles.
24. Macs can’t get viruses: While Macs are generally less targeted than Windows machines, they are not immune. Malware aimed at Macs does exist.
25. You need to close apps on your phone to save battery: Modern operating systems handle background apps well. Constantly force-closing them can actually use slightly more battery.

The World Around Us

26. Seasons are caused by Earth being closer or further from the sun: It’s actually due to the Earth’s tilt that alternately exposes the Northern/Southern Hemisphere to more direct sunlight.
27. The tongue has specific “taste zones” (sweet, sour, etc.): All taste receptors can sense all basic tastes, although some areas of the tongue might be slightly more sensitive to certain ones.
28. Chameleons change color to blend into their surroundings: They primarily change color to communicate mood, for temperature regulation, and for camouflage against fairly static backgrounds.
29. Dropping food on the floor is okay if under the “five-second rule”: Bacteria contamination is near instant. The “five-second rule” is totally bogus.
30. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was designed to tilt: Its tilt was unintentional. Unstable soil during construction began the lean, which worsened over time.

Psychology

31. We’re either right-brained (creative) or left-brained (logical): Both brain hemispheres are involved in almost all tasks, though some specialization exists.
32. Using only one learning style is best (visual, auditory, etc.): People have preferences, but most learn better through a mixture of techniques.
33. Polygraph tests (lie detectors) are highly accurate: Polygraphs measure physiological responses, which can be caused by stress, not just lying. They’re highly fallible.
34. Subliminal messages can powerfully manipulate behavior: Brief or masked messages generally have little to no measurable effect on complex decision-making.
35. People with schizophrenia have multiple personalities: Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities) is a different, and quite rare, condition than schizophrenia.

…And More!

36. Diamonds are formed from coal: While both are carbon, diamonds form under much different geological conditions deep within the Earth.
37. Blood is blue inside the body: Deoxygenated blood is dark red, never blue. Veins look blueish due to how light scatters through the skin.
38. The Coriolis effect determines toilet water swirl direction: The effect is too small-scale; bowl shape and water entry are the main factors.
39. Gum takes seven years to digest: Gum is largely indigestible, but passes through your system like other things you can’t digest.
40. Microwaving food destroys its nutrients: Microwaves can be a healthy cooking method! Nutrient loss mostly depends on cooking time, as with any method.

10 More Pervasive Lies and Misconceptions

41. Humans swallowed several spiders per year in their sleep: This is an urban legend with no basis in fact. Spiders actively avoid sleeping humans, who make very threatening bedmates!
42. Twinkies last forever: Twinkies do have a decent shelf life (about 45 days), but popular imagination greatly exaggerates their longevity. They go moldy in time.
43. Fortune cookies are a Chinese tradition: They actually originated in California, likely by Japanese immigrants.
44. Alcohol warms you up: Alcohol dilates blood vessels near the skin, giving a feeling of warmth, but actually lowers core body temperature.
45. Handling a toad will give you warts: Warts are caused by a virus, not by toads. Their bumpy skin can be a bit off-putting, but it’s harmless.
46. Daddy longlegs (harvestmen) are the most venomous spiders: They’re not even spiders! They’re arachnids but possess no venom and are fully harmless to humans.
47. It’s dangerous to wake a sleepwalker: It’s best to gently guide them back to bed. Abruptly waking them can be disorienting, but not dangerous.
48. Adding salt to boiling water makes it boil faster: The tiny amount of salt usually added has a negligible effect on the boiling point.
49. We lose most of our body heat through our heads: You lose heat fairly evenly from all exposed skin. Hats are important in winter, but not disproportionately so.
50. If you cut an earthworm in half, you’ll get two worms: This depends on the type of worm, and where you cut it. Some can regenerate, but many will simply die.

At The End

The lies and misconceptions discussed in this article show that even people with good intentions can easily be misinformed. In today’s world, it’s important to stay informed by being curious and a little skeptical.

Don’t be afraid to question things that you’ve always believed.

The next time you come across an interesting “fact,” take the time to research and confirm it before accepting it as true. Remember, knowledge is power, especially when it comes to knowing what’s false.