-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. "Hair grows back darker and thicker if you shave it"
Whenever the topic of shaving comes up, someone in the room will almost certainly say: "Oh but you shouldn't shave cause it'll just come back thicker". This may be the most reasonable belief because technically, the hair does look a bit darker. However, the act of shaving does not cause hair to magically grow thicker every time. I always ask people, "then wouldn't hair eventually become like an inch thick?", to which they have no rebuttal.
In reality, the hair that grows back simply appears darker because it is new and healthy. The hair we have hanging around wears out and splits over time, similar to how our favorite dark wash jeans fade after battling the elements and being washed. Basically, it's all an illusion. Our hair stays exactly the same. Now stop worrying about shaving that leg hair, its fine.
------------------------------------------------------
4. "Knuckle cracking causes arthritis"
------------------------------------------------------
I usually can't get away with obnoxiously cracking my joints without someone nearby yelling: "Stop! Don't you know you're gonna get arthritis?" Well, maybe I will get arthritis one day, but it definitely won't be from cracking my joints. This is a ridiculous myth. Click the link to learn about knuckle cracking in detail. Basically, the popping noise is produced by applying pressure to the "joint capsule", which stores dissolved gasses. That's all it is: a noise. Studies have already shown that joint cracking has no connection to arthritis whatsoever.
-----------------------------------------------
3. "Don't drink that! I have a cold"
-----------------------------------------------
Everyone should be familiar with this one. Someone amongst the group has a cold, and you're eating and drinking. You want to take a sip of the sick person's drink, but he stops you and says: "Wait! I have a cold remember?" Obviously, the worry here is that the cold is going to spread through the saliva on his cup. Fortunately, the cold virus is not transmitted through saliva. It actually exists only in mucus from the respiratory system. People think the cold is so dangerously contagious, but you would literally have to cough into someone's throat to infect them. No more worries about sharing drinks, or even kissing (*nudge nudge*)
------------------------------------------------
2. "Drink 8 glasses of water a day"
------------------------------------------------
Some people carry around giant bottles of water with exactly eight cups of water due to this misconception. Unfortunately, the claim "You have to drink 8 cups of water a day" makes about as much sense as "You need to wear an extra large to fit your body perfectly". There is no universal number you can put on people because everybody requires a different number depending on every variable that exists (physical activity, weight, age, diet, etc). You get fluids from the food you eat, and if you drink coffee every morning, that counts too. To say that you need exactly 8 cups is absolutely ridiculous.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1. "Too much candy will give you a sugar rush"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This myth is normally intended for children, but adults continue to spew this stupid claim on a daily basis. This is the myth that influenced me to create this post. In truth, sugar does not cause highs because a sugar high does not exist at all. Some sugar highs may have been associated with the caffeine in chocolate. Countless studies have been performed to the point where it should now be painfully obvious that sugar is not some sort of stimulant. I feel that sometimes, people choose to believe things they already know aren't true. It's a strange phenomenon, but it's really the only explanation I can think of.
Great post.
ReplyDelete