There are so many commonly accepted facts that you just do not bother to challenge. You often read something somewhere, or someone tells you something, and you think, "Yeah, that sounds right," and you accept it into your life without bothering to verify.
[ADVERTISEMENT]
However, it turns out that a whole bunch of things we all assumed to be true are actually false! I am shocked.
Over on Reddit, a user asked people "What widely accepted fact do you know is wrong?" The results are, well, a little confronting.
Read on to discover some misinformation you may be inadvertently spreading, and let us know others in the comments.
Relieved to know this is fake
t65turbo:
"That you swallow eight spiders a year in your sleep."
HAHA
canonmp11dx:
"We are experiencing a temporary high volume of phone calls. Your call is important to us."
Don't wait!
taako-tuesday:
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing in the USA. There is no law about waiting; you don’t have to. Push to make the police cooperate and list the person as missing immediately when you suspect something isn’t right. Don’t lose precious time; it’s extremely important if the person truly is missing."
Good point!!
Hadrian_x_Antinous:
"That medieval/ancient people only lived to be around 32 years old, and at that age, they were considered ancient. That estimate is an average, which means it accounts for high infant/child mortality. Many ancient people lived to their 80s and older. If you made it to 30, chances are good you're making it another 30+ years."
Do your research first, folks!
Do you have any other wisdom? Drop it in the comments below.
Frankenstein!
BoredForever1:
"Frankenstein isn't the name of the monster. It's the name of the doctor who created the monster. But I saw this great comment on a YouTube video - 'Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein isn't the monster. Wisdom is knowing that Frankenstein is the monster.'"
Ah, politics
wlane13:
"That my political party is full of only good people trying to do good things for the people... and your political party is full of only bad people trying to do bad things to take advantage of the people."
Baby birds
anythingbuttstuff:
"If you touch a baby bird, the parents will abandon/kill it." Most birds don't do that. If you help a baby bird back into its nest, as long as you try not to touch the nest too much, then everything should be fine. If it's an adult bird you rescued, then not touching it for a day does help with getting your scent off, but it's not 100% necessary. I know this because my mom and I rescue wild animals when they are hurt or still babies and release them when we are able to."
Huh...
neighboractually:
"'Left and right-brained' people are either more artistic or more numbers-based. Just as inaccurate as the 'parts of your tongue that taste different things,' yet people still say it."
A much better interpretation
jephistopheles:
"The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is not about how the road less traveled is better. It's about how you cannot know how life would have turned out if you had made different choices, so you have to convince yourself that your choice made the difference. He looks down both paths, and while one looked slightly less worn, they were really equal with no tracks on either. But he knew he would never be back to make that same choice again, so he imagines that in the future he will say with a sigh that taking the one less traveled made all the difference. He's just making peace with a choice he cannot change."
I guess it just seems like it does?
flipdebeer_:
"Cutting your hair makes it grow faster."
Still a gross sound
quietmouthloudmind54:
"That cracking your knuckles too often will cause arthritis."
Jupiter
Dr. John Gottman:
"As a researcher in relationships, I often discuss the complexities of gravitational interactions in our solar system. While many believe that Jupiter acts as a shield for Earth against asteroids, the reality is more nuanced. Jupiter's massive gravity can indeed redirect objects, but this can lead to both protection and peril. For instance, Lexell's Comet, which passed alarmingly close to Earth in 1770, was flung our way by Jupiter's gravitational pull. This illustrates that while Jupiter can deflect some threats, it can also send others hurtling toward us."
This is SICK
Botany102:
"Gladiators did not kill each other; the sport was much more civil, and it even had a referee."
He was like 5'6! Not something to put in a Tinder bio, but not that bad
TheNameIsPippen:
"Napoleon wasn't small. He was just the victim of good propaganda by the eventual winners."
NO WAY
robson_bobson:
"If you have a cold, you should get lots of Vitamin C." This is completely based on one scientist called Linus Pauling, who had a theory that massive doses of Vitamin C would cure colds. Subsequent studies have shown he was wrong, and any benefits are minimal at best. Yet I still get everyone telling me to drink orange juice whenever I get a sniffle."
Pretty sure it was invented to sell cornflakes?
Little-bit_:
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Oh my God, aarrgghhhhhhh!"
