Myths and legends are a part of our world. Many of the things that drove ancient societies to do what they did were based partly in mythology. It's likely that we wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for such myths. However, some of those things haven't translated well and we now have more modern myths that just boggle the mind and leave us all asking ourselves why. If you are one of those people who believe in things like needing to wait 24 hoursbefore calling in a missing persons report, maybe it's high time you educate yourself a bit. If you want to know more, keep reading and see what things you might need to stop believing in.
Bulls Hate Red
Bulls actually have deuteranopia, which means they are red-green colorblind. They can't distinguish the color red, let alone get mad at it. So what goes on at a bullfight?
The bulls actually get irritated by the movements of the muleta, the cape a matador uses during the fight. The reason it's red is in order to hide any blood that might be spilled as a result.
Goldfish Can Live In Small Bowls
Just because they aren't capable of communicating the same way we do or using body language the way we are used to seeing in other animals like dogs doesn't mean that they enjoy being in a small tank.
The reason goldfish die so quickly is likely due to mismanaging their habitat. Goldfish can live a decade or more in the right habitat and can even grow up to 15 inches. But they only grow as large as their environment allows for. And they need more water to dilute their natural toxins, so consider getting a larger aquarium first.
Undercover Cops Need To Tell You They're Police If You Ask
This would just ruin the point of going undercover. It's like telling Swiper "no swiping" to stop him from getting you. There are no laws requiring police to identify themselves during specific operations for obvious reasons.
If the police were required to blow their own cover, there would be no shortage of crime taking place all over the world. So think twice before you ask someone that. Or just don't do anything illegal.
Dairy Cows Magically Make Milk
As children, we might not think about the processes that go into making milk or what milk is actually for. Sure, you might see a baby drinking it, but that doesn't mean you associate the two.
Cows, like most mammals, only create milk when they need to nurse their young. So when you see a cow being milked, it probably recently gave birth to a calf.
Lifting Your Arms Too High Will Strangle Your Unborn Child
There's probably nothing you can do to hurt your unborn child outside of physical trauma to the abdomen and uterus. Going about your day will not cause any harm to the child.
Your body was meant to allow you to sustain yourself as well as the child. Anyone who says that raising your arms too high can strangle the fetus was probably trying to get out of doing something they didn't want to do.
Customers Are Always Right
While it's obviously good to maintain store policies and be polite to the customers, that doesn't mean that they are always right. Unfortunately, this idea allows customers to be stubborn and get what they want even if they don't deserve it.
When you can't handle a customer who isn't understanding the store policy or what you're trying to, it might be best to get the manager. After all, even if the customer is right, the manager has the final say.
Napoleon Was Short
You may have been told you have a "Napoleon Complex" as a result of aggressive behavior and being… Well, short. But Napoleon was actually a man of average stature, so how did we get to developing this phrase?
It was mostly due to his colleagues and bodyguards being taller than him. It became a bit of a joke to call him little since he was, comparatively. He was about 5 foot 6, however, which is not bad on average.
People Who Are Overly Sanitary Have OCD
Just because you like to keep your house extra tidy doesn't mean you have a debilitating disorder that prevents you from functioning properly in your day-to-day life.
People who actually have OCD would be offended to hear you say you have it because you're organized. OCD can be terribly frustrating to those afflicted and unfortunately also for the people around them, so stop making light of it.
You Must Wait 24 Hours To Report Someone Missing
If you ever have to report someone missing DO SO IMMEDIATELY. It's statistically more likely that someone will be found if reported missing in the first 48 hours.
The reason this myth might have come about is that sometimes people go off on their own only to return within the day without telling anyone. However, if something is wrong and you know that person should be there, it could be critical that you report them missing the second you think they are in danger.
Evolution Is A Myth
We're not saying to throw away everything you know and care about your religion, but there's no way you can deny things like natural selection. We've seen countless species adapt to the things thrown at them, and we do the same.
We may not change our outward appearance, but that's not all there is to evolution. Also, some species have evolved at a more rapid pace, within decades rather than centuries, in a process known as rapid evolution.
Shark Fins And Product Are Good For Your Health
There might be some ideas about this due to the popularity of shark fin soup as a luxury item in some parts of Asia. The thing is that shark fins don't actually provide any health benefit.
Shark fins are made up completely of cartilage, just like the human ear and parts of the nose. There is no nutritional benefit to eating this and the same goes for the products made from sharks.
Early Armor Is Weak
You see it in a lot of movies: someone shoots an arrow or swings a sword at a knight in a full suit of armor and it goes through like a hot knife on butter. The thing is, the armor was historically very useful. Why else would they wear an extra 50 pounds?
You can think of full suits of armor and a shield-like an early version of the tank. You needed pretty specialized weapons to beat a knight like that, especially one on horseback.
Cracking Your Knuckles Causes Arthritis
While the sound of knuckle cracking can be disconcerting or annoying to some, know that that noise is really due to bubbles forming in the joint. Or bursting. That's still a debate.
There are many studies done on this, and in an attempt to put this myth to rest once and for all a researcher named Donald Unger cracked one side of his knuckles for 60 years and found no difference between his hands.
Animal Parts Have Magical Properties
Traditional items can be cute, sure, but if you're still relying on a genuine lucky rabbit's foot or a rhino's horn to cure impotence then you're part of a larger problem.
Myths like these enable people to continue harmful habits such as poaching endangered animals for a profit. One day these animals won't be around anymore, and not due to natural selection, but rather human intervention.
Horoscopes
You can't honestly believe that the month and star sign you were born under actually dictates what kind of person you are or will be. The best horoscopes are tailor-made to be relatable to everyone and that's why it works when your friends read yours.
Do you want to know another secret? It's called a self-fulfilled prophecy. If your horoscope tells you something will happen, odds are you'll either make it happen or look for things to prove it right.
Margarine Is A Molecule Away From Being Plastic
What does this even mean? Even if that were true, that would make them different substances anyway. It's likely something someone came up with to put a bad reputation on this highly processed butter alternative so they don't lose money.
To put it really simply, water is H20 and essential for life. But H202, or hydrogen peroxide, is an oxygen atom away from being water, yet is highly toxic when consumed and yet we don't talk about water like it's poison.
Schizophrenia And DID Are The Same
Many people think that Schizophrenia is the same thing as Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). They're not the same, but TV and Movies like to make them seem that way.
While DID deals with the fragmented identities of the inflicted, schizophrenia causes the person to have hallucinations and delusions about reality. But their personality isn't split.
Swallowing a Spider In Your Sleep
Have you ever heard the myth that you eat eight spiders yearly while you sleep? Well, worry not, because it's honestly a load of bollocks.
In truth, this "fact" probably originated in a 1993 magazine article that explains how likely people are to believe the stuff they read on the internet. Who knows, maybe all of this is a lie, too.
Superstitions Were Readily Believed By Everyone In The Past
You might think that people of olde were very superstitious, but that's not exactly true. Many people used the public's willingness to accept these facts as a way to gain power.
For example, accusing someone of being a witch during the Salem witch trials and subsequently burning them to death would gain that person more fame for getting rid of the evil that plagues them. It's kind of how you can write something on the internet and people will believe you. Not as extreme, of course.
Vikings Wore Horns On Their Helmets
While there is some evidence that certain Vikings may have worn horns on their helmets, they definitely didn't all wear them. In fact, the only preserved Viking helmet doesn't have horns.
It's possible that certain types of warriors wore these helmets, but only a tapestry from the Oseburg burial from Norway depicted these helmets. Despite this, horned helmets became pretty synonymous with Vikings.
Black Cats Are Bad Luck
Seriously? Believe in what you want about luck and karma, but leave the poor kitties alone! There's no real evidence for anything such as luck or karma, but even if there was it's unlikely your neighbor's cat would pose an issue.
Myths like these generally came from the middle ages where anything bad could be attributed to some higher power religious thing and with cats, it's the association of the color black and death.
MSG Is Bad
It's become common for people to think that MSG is bad for you. This is probably due to the number of foods that ARE bad that also include MSG. But MSG is just another type of salt.
It was invented by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese chemist obsessed with the flavor we now know as "umami", one of five tastes that our tongue picks up. He traced it back to glutamate and combined it with sodium so that anyone could flavor their food with this savory taste.
Lightning Never Strikes The Same Place Twice
Lightning can strike at seemingly random locations, and it's likely that many of these spots won't be struck again. This doesn't mean it won't, however.
There are many things that can conduct electricity and especially if they're higher up in the sky are more likely to attract a bolt of lightning. After all, this is the basis for how lightning rods work. So if you're caught out in a storm and lightning strikes nearby, don't think you're safe just yet.
You Can Spot-Reduce Fat
This one is a bit sad because we all wish that we could just do some targeted exercises and get rid of things like a double chin. Unfortunately, it's generally recognized as a myth.
If you want to lose weight in a specific part of your body, you are just going to have to hope that your exercises get to it eventually. Just be patient and keep trying to lose weight as you have been.
Cutting Hair Makes It Thicker
We don't know why anyone would believe something like this. It just sounds like an excuse to not shave for the first time. It's possible that someone thought this happens because of the way hair is textured after a trim.
When you shave, for example, it leaves a sharp end on the hair which tends to feel sharper and "thicker". But after natural wear on the hair itself, it becomes more blunted and feels soft, so untrimmed hair will always feel thinner.
NASA Spent Millions On Pens For Space Instead Of Using Pencils
The legend goes that NASA spent millions of taxpayer dollars to invent a pen that can write in space while the soviet cosmonauts used pencils. This is just plain false.
NASA also used pencils, but the debris and flammability were problematic. But when the Fisher company made a pen that could write in all sorts of conditions, including upside-down, NASA decided to switch to this better alternative.
Detoxes Rid You Of Toxins
Taking all sorts of medicines and laxatives to "cleanse" the toxins from your body is a sure way to make yourself feel good if it doesn't send you to the bathroom in regret.
Detoxes are basically just a ruse to get your money. That isn't to say they have absolutely no benefit, but scrubbing your body of toxins happens naturally in a healthy person.
Corsets Are Dangerous
While there is some basis to this, it's not because they literally are, but rather because of misuse. There's an old stereotype that women tend to faint when something terrible happens and that's based on the corset's restrictive nature that, when tied too tightly, can cause mild oxygen deprivation leading to temporary fainting.
That being said, corsets generally were only tightened so much in the higher class, and most people who wore corsets wore them pretty normally.
"We Care About Your Privacy"
Honestly, all companies really care about is the data you give to them. There are many rules and stipulations on what they can and can't give out and that's the reason we have those long privacy and terms of use articles.
Basically, companies won't sell what you want without your permission, but they'll do whatever they can to get that permission. What happens after that is of no concern to them so long as it doesn't get them into legal trouble.
Violence Is Just Getting Worse
The truth is that we're actually living in one of the most peaceful times in history. The reason you think otherwise is that news is so much more accessible and available worldwide.
News companies make their money when you listen to or read their reports, and the news that sells fastest is bad news. That explains why the world seems so bad despite actually being so much better than we think.
Ostriches Bury Their Heads In Sand When Scared
Ostriches are powerful birds. They can kill most predators with their strong legs and equally tough claws. So why do we assume they bury their heads when threatened?
Well, they do something similar, but it's actually related to their young. They lay their eggs in the sand and turn them every so often so that they don't overheat.
Birds Abandon Their Babies If You Touch Them
We don't know where this myth came from, but do you really think this would happen? Some people seem to believe that the smell you leave on the chicks will cause the mother to leave them.
In truth, birds don't have a very good sense of smell, and if they did they wouldn't care. That's still their baby! They're more likely to attack you for touching it than they would abandon their young.
Old Scholars Use To Think The Earth Was Flat
It's not true that flat Earth theories have been circling for millennia. Ancient Greeks as early as the 4th-century B.C.E. like Plato and Aristotle were writing about a spherical Earth.
An English writer by the name of Samuel Rowbotham is believed to have created its modern beliefs somewhere in the 1800s. We are the ones who perpetuate the myths through the internet. This is not an old theory.
We Only Use 10% Of Our Brains
If we didn't use 100% of our brain, we'd be dead. Or, more likely, those parts of our brains would eventually stop showing up in humans in their full capacity due to evolution removing the unnecessary weight.
This myth may have been brought about by the psychologist William James who wrote in 1909, "We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources." But this just means we could be smarter, not that parts of our brain don't get used.
Vaccines Are Dangerous
There is no evidence to suggest that the vaccines we've been using for decades cause any type of medical issue (other than allergic responses), especially not autism. Autism and similar disorders are hereditary and cannot be gained from an injection.
Furthermore, vaccines go through rigorous tests and clinical trials before being released to the public. Vaccines saved us from many terrible illnesses and the only thing more dangerous than not vaccinating is spreading misinformation about vaccines.
Flushable Wipes Are Flushable
What do you think flushable means? If you think it means they'll break apart and won't clog up your pipes too badly, you'd be right. But what you aren't thinking about is what happens afterward.
Just because they say flushable doesn't mean they aren't harmful to the environment, and until we find a way to filter our waste perfectly, these wipes will continue to litter our waters.
Organic Food Means No Pesticides
If you think that your organic food doesn't use anything to help produce the massive amounts of produce required to feed the millions who buy organic, then you're sorely mistaken.
Organic food simply complies with a certain standard and doesn't use synthetic and/or environmentally harmful chemicals. That being said, there are plenty of natural pesticides approved for use in organic farming. You don't want bugs to get to your food first, do you?
Bats Are Blind
Bats are not blind. This misconception probably comes from some bats' use of echolocation to help them navigate. Research has shown, however, that some bats prefer to use their eyesight to hunt, depending on the circumstances.
Also, some species of bats, especially fruit bats, don't use echolocation at all! They have very sharp vision and only use their natural sense to navigate their surroundings and some can even see ultraviolet light.
Women Can Hold Their Period
We've never heard anyone say this before, but maybe you have some experience with a jerk who thinks it works this way. It may come out of the same place, but it doesn't work in nearly the same way.
If you think that girls can hold themselves like that the way that everyone holds their pee, you're dead wrong. And if you ever try to tell someone that, you're getting a one-way ticket to slap town.
Poor People Are Poor Because They Can't Manage Their Funds
This is just an overgeneralization that people created to try to explain away a problem they don't want to help fix. Just as everyone is different and lives different lives, making money in their own ways, impoverished people are such for a multitude of reasons that you may never know.
And in some ways, ironically, it's more expensive to live poor than it is to live wealthy. It's important to do your research and understand these nuances before making such assumptions.
Einstein Was Bad At School Math
Obviously, the man who created the theory of special relativity and the equation E=MC^2 was not bad at school math. That is just the most oxymoronic myth on this list.
Einstein hated the "mechanical discipline" of his teachers and dropped out of school at 15. Before that, he was considered something of a prodigy and was at the top of his class.
McDonald's Hot Coffee Lawsuit
You might have heard that there was a lady who once tried to sue McDonald's for making their coffee too hot when she spilled it on herself. No, she wasn't doing that to be selfish and make a dumb case.
The woman who got burned suffered 3rd-degree burns all over her lap and legs and just wanted them to pay her medical expenses. McDonald's even stated the temperature of the coffee was at dangerously high levels.
Black Belts Need To Register Their Fists As Weapons
If you're one of the people who believe in the myth that black belts need to register their fists as weapons, we wouldn't blame you. This is one of the more realistic myths on the list.
The thing is that their fists are no different than yours or mine, though they might be a little stronger. It's what they do with them that makes them so dangerous, but this would be ridiculous. Also, if bodybuilders don't have to, then neither should black belts.
The Great Wall Is Visible From Space
Some people seem to think The Great Wall of China is the only visible man-made structure from outer space. The truth is that you can barely even see it from low-Earth orbit and that's with help from certain cameras or magnifiers.
There are, however, a few man-made structures that can be seen from regular Earth orbit. These include the cooling pond of Chernobyl's nuclear reactor, the greenhouses of Almeria, Spain, and the Bingham Canyon mine.
Fish Have 5 Second Memories
You probably think that fish aren't smart at all. But if they weren't smart, they wouldn't be able to survive as long as they have. Sure, they don't have as complex a brain as ours, but that doesn't mean that they can't remember things longer than 5 seconds.
The thing is, memory has a lot to do with how any animal learns. Studies have proven that fish are capable of time-place learning, meaning they can remember where to be at certain times, such as when and where their owners are going to feed them from.
Hymen And Virginity Myths
The state of a woman's hymen is not a reliable indicator of whether or not she's a virgin. Nevertheless, people still stigmatize girls and even do virginity tests sometimes.
Minor injuries to the hymen, which can even happen when using tampons, heal over time without leaving any visible signs, so stop judging every girl for their sex-related choices.
Women's Sex Anatomy
Some people seem to be of the opinion that the woman's body changes the more times they have intercourse or give birth, but that's not how it works.
Women's bodies stay the same and change as they get older, the same as men. There are too many stigmas around women having sex for people to believe in things like this.
The Five Second Rule
In general, you shouldn't be eating anything off of the ground. It's unsanitary and there's no way to guarantee that whatever fell will still be safe to eat. That being said, if you're looking to continue this habit, know that it's more complicated.
Something dryer is easier to just dust off and should be fine if you pick it up in under 5 seconds. Anything wet is likely to pick up whatever was on the ground, so steer clear of that.
Lemmings Commit Mass Suicide
People seem to think that lemmings will commit mass suicide by following each other off of cliffs to their deaths. The word has even become synonymous with a person who rushes headlong into something without thinking. The truth is that these things only happen by accident, and are not mass suicide attempts.
The animals are just being driven by instinct to migrate and some of them are capable of dying on the way, like if the group chooses to swim across a large body of water. The stereotype was also perpetuated when Disney staged them jumping off of a cliff in a 1958 documentary.
You Can Have Zero Percent Body Fat
There are a lot of things people make up to feel better about themselves. We all care about how we look and sometimes the things people say can make us feel bad about it. That being said, skinny does not equal no body fat.
If you're told you have a certain amount of body fat, that's completely normal. Don't feel bad that you have some amount. Our bodies use fat stores to break down into energy, and without that, we would die. Too much causes obesity and too little causes anorexia.