It’s very human to get hooked on exciting and shocking things and share that information with others. However, not all that we hear or read is true, no matter how exciting it may seem.Misinformation can spread like wildfire, even long after being disproven. Luckily, the internet is full of curious people who, seeking to dispel those fake truths, band together in online threads likethisand share their knowledge for the world to see. Check out what they wrote down below, and if you feel like you want to keep going, check out this otherarticleof ours, too!More info:RedditThis post may includeaffiliate links.
It’s very human to get hooked on exciting and shocking things and share that information with others. However, not all that we hear or read is true, no matter how exciting it may seem.
Misinformation can spread like wildfire, even long after being disproven. Luckily, the internet is full of curious people who, seeking to dispel those fake truths, band together in online threads likethisand share their knowledge for the world to see. Check out what they wrote down below, and if you feel like you want to keep going, check out this otherarticleof ours, too!
More info:Reddit
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Money can’t buy happiness. Complete b******t! Money buys tons of happiness and anyone who says it doesn’t is a liar or doesn’t know how to have a good time!
The lady who sued McDonalds for coffee being too hot was exaggerating and an opportunist. McDonald’s smeared her name. The poor woman needed skin grafts (!!!!) due to that coffee burn.
Some false facts start as a joke, some are made to deceive, and some are first really thought to be correct, only to be proven otherwise later. But regardless of its origin, if not stopped, this fake or outdated information is, at best, annoying and, at worst, harmful.
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.
Helping this cause, the OP also added their own contribution to this actively disproven “facts” list. They said that this so-called “truth” would be the belief many people have that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s. In reality, both humans’ and dogs’ mouths are full of many different species of microbes (at least 600 each), and comparing them is akin to apples and oranges.
Trickle down economics.
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.
Surprisingly, gullibility is not to blame here. According to the article, falling prey to misinformation most often happens due to cognitive biases, also known as mental shortcuts and automatic processes meant to make our lives easier, which we all have.
The whole alpha wolf thing
Way too many Confederate States of America apologists still out there. The war was over slavery. Not taxes, tariffs, exports, states rights or any of the other tired excuses.
One of the main culprits here is confirmation bias. It causes people to seek, favor, and remember information in a way that would confirm their preexisting beliefs.However, the list of cognitive biases significantly affecting our information use doesn’t stop here. For instance, we tend to act without fully understanding the information in front of us, reacting to and forming opinions based on the attention-grabbing titles and not reading the article they’re connected to.
One of the main culprits here is confirmation bias. It causes people to seek, favor, and remember information in a way that would confirm their preexisting beliefs.
However, the list of cognitive biases significantly affecting our information use doesn’t stop here. For instance, we tend to act without fully understanding the information in front of us, reacting to and forming opinions based on the attention-grabbing titles and not reading the article they’re connected to.
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis
That people used to only live to age 30 in the past. I can’t believe how often people still mention this misconception. Average mortality rate ≠ individual life expectancy
Popularity is another strong factor that causes something known as the “bandwagon effect.” In other words, when people see that a lot of fellow users like and support something, they’re more likely to do it, too.When we see something shared and reacted to very many times, we might assume that someone else must’ve verified it before for it to get so popular, and thus, we focus way less on assessing this information.
Popularity is another strong factor that causes something known as the “bandwagon effect.” In other words, when people see that a lot of fellow users like and support something, they’re more likely to do it, too.
When we see something shared and reacted to very many times, we might assume that someone else must’ve verified it before for it to get so popular, and thus, we focus way less on assessing this information.
It’s illegal to talk about how much you’re paid
As many could guess, falling for fake news can just as well be accredited to political views and alignments. People are prone to more readily accept information that positively correlates with their political ideology and reject news opposing it.And lastly, misinformation is notoriously sticky, and it’s difficult to undo the effect that false news leaves. According to the article, our memory is not very good at differentiating between a truth and a lie. When it comes to remembering something, we sometimes tend to assume that information was correct, regardless of whether it was false and whether it was later corrected.
As many could guess, falling for fake news can just as well be accredited to political views and alignments. People are prone to more readily accept information that positively correlates with their political ideology and reject news opposing it.
And lastly, misinformation is notoriously sticky, and it’s difficult to undo the effect that false news leaves. According to the article, our memory is not very good at differentiating between a truth and a lie. When it comes to remembering something, we sometimes tend to assume that information was correct, regardless of whether it was false and whether it was later corrected.
Myers-Briggs personality testhas no indepently verified evidence behind it. It has no more scientific evidence behind it than a Cosmo quiz.
To summarize, in this day and age, information can spread faster than ever before, and disproven “truths” that keep circulating can be more dangerous than they ever were.Not all of the false information is dangerous - some is simply annoying. But knowing how to differentiate between what’s real and what’s not online is crucial. And updating your mental libraries with corrected facts like the ones we see inthis Reddit threadis definitely beneficial.
To summarize, in this day and age, information can spread faster than ever before, and disproven “truths” that keep circulating can be more dangerous than they ever were.
Not all of the false information is dangerous - some is simply annoying. But knowing how to differentiate between what’s real and what’s not online is crucial. And updating your mental libraries with corrected facts like the ones we see inthis Reddit threadis definitely beneficial.
That your ancestors ate anything resembling the Paleo diet.
24 hours for a missing persons report—can’t tell you how many people call 911 after their child/partner has been missing for that long.
Referring to a post from a few minutes ago. You must drink 3 litres of water every day to maintain your health.There is no scientific basis for this “fact” and overindulgence can be dangerous
That Napolean was short. He was actually average height. The power of propaganda is immense.
Homeopathy
That on average you swallow 8 spiders a year.
See Also on Bored Panda
After eating wait 30 minutes before swimming
That one anecdote that every paranoid snake-hater doles out about that pet python who stopped eating and would sleep in the bed with its owner. Supposedly “sizing her up” and “making room” to eat her.Snakes aren’t that smart. They’re opportunistic predators, they don’t really plan ahead. Could you imagine a python sliding up next to an antelope and calmly trying to compare measurements? Besides, the most common pet snakes are too small to eat a full grown human anyway. (They can definitely squeeze one to death on accident, so you should never handle a large snake alone, but they won’t try to eat you afterwards.)
That our blood is blue before it reaches oxygen
Scientists don’t know how bees fly.
If you shave facial hair it grows back thicker
That men have one less rib than women. I have no idea how people still spread this, but I heard it all throughout childhood
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Continue reading with Bored Panda PremiumUnlimited contentAd-free browsingDark modeSubscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited contentAd-free browsingDark mode
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Peeing on a Jellyfish sting alleviates the pain.
That there are “left brain” and “right brain” people, at least the way people mean it.
That dinosaurs all went extinct. Birds are dinosaurs.
Germans are completely hung up on the concept of only eating ONE hot meal a day.Other “facts”: You do NOT stop being able to learn in old age, you do NOT benefit from drinking red wine (zero alcohol is the healthiest), you do NOT automatically gain weight after 30
Modal closeAdd Your Answer!Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal close
Add Your Answer!Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Not your original work?Add source
Modal closeModal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Modal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Upload
UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.
TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermark
InstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermark
FacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
ChangeSourceTitle
Facts
