Long ago it was believed that the world was a huge egg that was balanced on a turtle’s neck. Now, you may say how ridiculous that is. But back then it was a ‘fact’ for the general public till Aristotle made a breakthrough in science by terming all of that as false. It was hard to believe for the people that the planet they lived on was actually a small part of a planet system that constituted a galaxy and that a number of galaxies formed a universe so vast that it is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
What are your beliefs? Yes, I am referring to the religious ones. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism or any other? Do you think yours is the best of them all? Don’t take it in a wrong sense. We are not here to discuss which belief is better and which is not. My point is simple: the majority of us tend to stick to the beliefs that the household we are born has been practicing, without thinking. Just like that there are some ‘worldly facts’ that are believed to be true. Have you ever pondered over the fact- yes this is a fact- that many of us end up believing things to be logical when they are a complete nonsense?
Lack of research can make you believe anything. What you think is right, based on the level of your IQ and general knowledge, becomes a plain ‘fact’ to you, when it may not be like that at all. It may just be an illogical myth that you have been believing blindly all these years because either it has been ingrained in your mind for the society you are a part of has been believing it for centuries now or you have not been thinking sensibly as there has to be a logical reasoning behind every fact.
Let us take you through a few ‘Common Myths That Aren’t True.
1) Coffee dehydrates you:
Have you been avoiding this rich and creamy caffeinated drink because you have been told it dehydrates your skin and blood vessels alike? Well, you don’t need to do that anymore because the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has proved this to be wrong. Actually, they have concluded otherwise- caffeinated drinks contribute towards hydration! The intake of coffee, tea, and other soft drinks may have a slight diuretic effect, but they definitely don’t dehydrate you.
2) Cell phones cause cancer:
All these years you have been consistently warned not to use cell phones for a long duration, not to sleep with the device next to you or keep it in your breast-pocket, near your heart because they cause cancer? Physicians now have claimed this to be false. Cell phones do emit electromagnetic radiation, but that does not harm enough to cause cancer.
3) The moon has a dark side:
Since the days of our childhood, we have been told by our science teachers that the moon has a side which brightens up with the help of sunlight whilst the other is always under darkness. Well, now is the time we need to get teachers who have their facts regarding science right. The moon shares sunlight equally all around its body, it’s just that we can spot only one side of the moon from earth as the moon also rotates on its axis at almost the same pace as earth does.
4) Vitamin C cures cold:
Caught a cold and trying your grandmother’s home remedy of using Vitamin C to cure it but to no avail? Your grandma has kept you in the dark all years. Experts say that Vitamin C cannot even help preventing it and curing it all together is out of the question. Better try the bitter medicine a doctor has to offer!
5) Sushi means ‘Raw fish’:
This scrumptious Japanese dish offered at the best hotels all over the world is so popular amongst everyone. But a lot of people take its meaning to be ‘raw fish’ which is a misconception. It basically means vinegared rice. It may be served with raw or cooked fish that is up to you. Raw fish is basically called ‘sashimi’ in Japanese.
6) Fortune cookies are a Chinese tradition:
The fortune cookies are mostly served in Chinese restaurants in America and, therefore, believed to be a Chinese tradition. They are sweet cookies with a small slip of paper inside that carries a ‘fortune’ like numbers that are considered lucky or a prophecy in the Chinese language. However, they did not originate from China. What’s more you can’t even find them in China at all.
7) Shaving hair makes it grow quicker and thicker:
The practice of shaving hair has been carried out for centuries now and it is quite common. Also common is the fact that the more you shave it, the thicker it grows back and quickly too, which is why people are very conscious of shaving them on time. Very few observe that the hair does not grow back quickly and it becomes thinner in volume with time too.
8) Frankenstein was the name of the monster is ‘Frankenstein’:
Anyone who is an avid reader and has once read the book “Frankenstein” in their childhood will know that, as it is commonly believed, it is not the name of the monster. A lot of movies have depicted Frankenstein as the monster which has led to this belief. It is but the name of the scientist who created the monster.
9) Not wearing a jacket when it is cold outside will make you sick:
Going out in the freezing weather with friends can usually start with those annoying advice by parents to put on a jacket so that you don’t catch a cold. However, that is untrue. Cold and flu are diseases that you can catch through viruses and staying warm is not going to prevent it. Increase the knowledge of your parents and surprise them!
10) Cold weather still makes you sick:
Another misconception is that cold weather can cause sickness when scientifically it has been proved that it has nothing to do with it. According to physicians, the cold weather just causes your nasal passages to dry because of which you can easily acquire viruses. Staying inside, close to other people can actually be the reason you get a viral disease rather than going out.
11) Wet hair definitely makes you more likely to be sick:
During cold weather, a lot of people avoid taking a bath or washing their hair because they may catch a cold and ultimately flu. Yet again this is a wrong concept that many have believed in. The weather and temperature have absolutely no effect on your health as far as your body temperature remains optimum. So there is no excuse to roam around dirty anymore. Enjoy your hot water baths as frequently as you like!
12) Most body heat is lost through head:
A lot of emphases has been put on covering heads rather than any other body part, during harsh weather so as to retain body heat. It is believed that the most of the body heat is expelled through the head when it is totally wrong. This only implies on newborn babies. Otherwise, for an adult, body heat is expelled from the body equally from all parts.
13) Undercover police in the United States has to identify them as such:
Undercover police are basically dressed as ordinary people so as to attract less interaction by those involved in some illegal activity. It is easier for them to spy, observe and catch criminals red-handed. But unlike shown in many movies, they are not supposed to prove their true identity on demand. They can produce it if they wish or while practicing their powers.
14) Sugar causes hyperactivity in children:
A lot of students and parents alike believe that the intake of sugar, especially chocolates, soft and energy drinks, cause a boost to their activity. For students and workaholics, it may be a plus point but for children aged 3-10, this may be problematic for the parents. However, scientific studies have shown that sugar is not responsible for hyperactivity.
15) Alcohol keeps you warm:
All of us cherish the days when we were small and allowed to have a few spoons of alcohol during winters in order to stay warm, without having to worry about it meddling with our mind. Adults who drink on the pretext of warming your insides, there is a bad news for you. Alcohol does not warm you. Instead it is actually harmful, causing the blood vessels near your skin to dilate that produce the illusion of warmth.
16) The iron maiden was a medieval torture device:
History is full of unproven facts. One of them is that the iron maiden, a casket of iron with spikes in the interior, was initially sculptured in the medieval ages to torture those involved in any wrongdoings. Contradicting history, the fact is that the iron maiden was invented to create an idea of sensationalism amongst human beings in the circuses.
17) Dogs sweat through salivating:
Dog- lovers out there are in for a surprising fact. If all this while you have been thinking that your dog’s saliva is basically its sweat too, you have been wronged in thinking so. They do keep their temperature optimum through the act of painting but actually they perspire through their paws. Looks like there is so much more that you have to learn about your favorite pet.
18) Each side of your brain does something:
If you have been taught in the school as a child or read it somewhere, that the brain has different parts to process different functions and emotions, trust me, you have been lied to. The brain has no specific part for certain actions. It definitely is responsible for everything you do or feel, but thinking that a certain part of it is playing its role in making you so, is a misconception.
19) Glass is a liquid:
Science has been lying to you all along. The glass is not a liquid formed naturally that has transformed into a solid over the years of pressure and what not. It is an amorphous solid produced by mixing a lot of common materials like silica, limestone, soda ash etcetera and melting them at high temperatures. After the mixture cools down, you have what you call glass. Using different materials can produce different forms of glass. And yes, they can be recycled too!
20) MSG causes a headache:
MSG is an abbreviation for Monosodium glutamate that is basically artificial flavor added to canned or preserved food. It has often been termed detrimental for health, causing migraines. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified it as a safe, edible product for the time being. More researches are being carried out to reach a proper conclusion over this. Till that time, it remains a myth.
