25 Everyday Myths That Aren’t So Mythical After All

Has anyone ever told you that your daily cup of coffee could be the difference between a comfortable retirement and one that’s, well… not? 

Never listen to that kind of advice ever again. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life!

No, we’re just kidding. The fact of the matter is that nobody has to be that spartan with their money choices to succeed financially. Bringing a bit of light to your day with a good cup of joe will impact your financial future less than buying a sports car or a mansion on the French Riviera.

It’s true that you should think twice before spending your money blindly, but don’t you think going through life without a good cup of coffee every now and then seems a bit wasteful? So, prepare a monthly budget, stick with it, and make smarter choices when it comes to your major expenses and savings, and you’ll be just fine.

When you buy a car, it is easy to believe that the dealership will try its best to find you the best available rates. I mean, that’s their job, right?

Unfortunately, that isn’t always what happens. 

Almost nobody ever tells you that the dealer is getting paid by the lender (usually a bank) to bring them business – and that business is often structured around a higher interest rate and in the best interest of everybody – but the guy who wants to buy a new car.

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before. Since frogs and toads usually have a variety of bumps on their skin that look like warts, people all around the world, at some point, concluded that those bumps were contagious. 

However, warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). They can’t give you warts even if they tried. But we must tell you that the bumps behind a toad’s ears can be dangerous as they contain a nasty poison to deter predators. So, while they won’t give you warts, they can cause other problems. It might be better to just steer clear of them, bumps and all!

It’s the staple of every Hollywood disaster movie – there’s shaking, lights flickering, and the next moment, the earth tears open, and people, pets, cars, and even buildings get swallowed whole.

In reality, that’s not how it works. If a fault could open up, there would be no friction, and no friction means no earthquake.

However, earthquakes can, in fact, cause ground deformation and settling, and that could actually open up fissures into which our Hollywood staples can fall.

We can not stress this enough: children can and do have mental health issues. In fact, even toddlers can show early warning signs of mental health concerns.

Mental health issues in children are clinically diagnosable and could be the result of a combination of psychological, social, and biological variables. Half of all mental health illnesses manifest before the age of 14, and three-quarters make themselves known before the age of 24. Unfortunately, only 50% of children and adolescents with identifiable mental health disorders receive the necessary love and care. 

Early intervention is critical; otherwise, those issues interfere with other developmental needs as the child grows up.

Please do touch someone who’s been hit by lightning. They might require CPR or other life-saving interventions.

Our bodies can not store electricity, so you will be perfectly safe if you touch a lightning victim to provide First Aid. I actually think this might be one of the scariest myths out there. Imagine someone died because you were too scared to give them life-saving CPR?

What you should be aware of is the continued threat of lightning if you find yourself in a storm. Try to move yourself and the victim to a safer location as soon as possible.

That’s a myth, people. Coffee generally won’t – but alcohol can. 

Caffeine is a stimulant, so you might imagine it raises your blood pressure; however, research has shown that this is not the case. In most cases, caffeine does not increase blood pressure, but it can be an issue for people who consume large amounts of it through drinks such as soda, coffee, or energy drinks. Alcohol, on the other hand, definitely has an effect, and tests have proven that excessive alcohol intake will raise your blood pressure.

This myth is one of my favorites. Have you ever found yourself promoted to management level?

Most new managers think that employees have to do everything they ask of them. It’s the ultimate power trip. 

However, the name says it all. A manager has to manage – whether it be staff, finances, or operations. Any manager worth their salt will know that you can’t inspire people by treating them like slaves. Real managers inspire people by giving them a reason to do what they need to do. What kind of reason? Well, contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to be a “save the world” type initiative. It only has to make sense and connect the work to the actual end goal. Nobody wants to be a cog in the machine; we all want to be an essential cog that the engine relies on.

There are many myths about how milk can increase your weight, but evidence suggests that frequent consumption won’t mess around with your cause if you’re trying to shed a few pounds or maintain your ideal weight. This is primarily due to milk’s pleasant carb, protein, and fat balance.

Remember, your body needs a healthy balance of everything that milk offers on a daily basis. Protein will help you build muscles and ensure that your organs function as they should – calcium strengthens your teeth and bones.

Because most Americans do not get enough of these nutrients, most dairy products, including milk and certain yogurts, have added vitamin D, which helps your body absorb and use calcium. If you’re worried about calories, just buy fat-free or low-fat milk as it has fewer calories than their full cream counterparts.

Marketing Agencies would love it if we believed that today’s popular electrolyte-enhanced sports drinks are the best way to rehydrate after a strenuous exercise session. However, these overpriced drinks usually contain terrible ingredients that can harm our health.

From high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and enormous quantities of sugar, which can give you horrific spikes in your sugar levels, to hydrogenated oils that can harm your thyroid, it’s better to limit your intake of these drinks and instead stick to water or even better, a glass of cold milk.

We can confirm that this is a 100% myth.

Solar technology works in any condition, even rain or snow, as some sunlight still reaches the earth. Remember, they collect light, not heat.

Solar panels function the best in cold, sunny climates because heat interferes with sunlight’s conversion into electricity. A battery backup can also be linked to your solar panels to supply electricity at night. In contrast to typical backup generators, this is your clean-energy backup – if the electrical supply goes down in your neighborhood, your lights will stay on.

Are you enjoying the myths we’ve covered so far? Hang around; we’ve left the best for last, and you’ll want to hear the last three items on today’s list.

Is organic better? Most people will tell you that organic is the way to go. After all, good old-fashioned home-grown goods seem much more inviting and nutritious than mass-manufactured, processed products, which are repeatedly revealed to be covered in wax or ghastly pesticides. 

However, an important thing to remember is that those same mass-manufactured products are regulated and packaged according to an intensive set of laws meant to prevent health risks and ensure that you can safely consume the product. Most independent organic food manufacturers do not prioritize these regulations as much as they prioritize keeping their products free of industrial chemicals; as such, these products often come not just with a promise of organic origins but also a list of harmful bacteria that kept our ancestors on their toes – but do not have to affect us as well. 

Either way, it is more important to properly wash and cook your food before consuming it – unless you fancy yourself a case of food poisoning.

While it may seem counter-intuitive, most suicidal people don’t wish for death in its entirety; they simply want an escape from the situation they’ve found themselves in and feel like death is the only way out.

Though it may seem like a meaningless distinction and an easy myth to believe, it is a crucial truth that we must understand. That is why discussing alternative options with a suicidal person at the right time is so important.

We’ve all heard the myth, but we’re sorry to tell you that it’s simply not true. During a recent study by the Mayo Clinic, scientists discovered that vaping was, in fact, incredibly toxic. From the oils used to the vaping liquid itself, the contaminants vapers are ingesting have literally led to a public health crisis in the making.

The fact of the matter is that the industry is stuck in the Wild West stage. It remains unregulated; as such, vapers have no idea what they’re putting in their bodies. There are so many unidentified ingredients in vaping products that it is nearly impossible to tell which are safe and which are potentially harmful.

I know we’d all love to think that our organs are the most valuable thing out there, but it is time to rethink this silly myth.

Medical professionals will always try to save your life; they are bound by their oaths to give you the best care possible. Your organs only become viable for harvesting once your brain activity stops – and medical teams won’t stop fighting for you until there’s no hope left.

The “Let Them Eat Cake” allegation has been thrown around so much that Marie Antoinette gets blamed for it when the point is made that she never said it. The truth around this myth is that there is no evidence the headless queen ever spoke those words. However, similar words have been linked to different people throughout history, so we believe a little bit of folklore is attached to it.

You have to realize that by the time the monarchy fell, Marie Antoinette was being criticized in almost every way possible. If her words fueled people’s rage, they would have been mentioned in contemporary sources like newspapers or revolutionary pamphlets. 

The fact of the matter is that the quote was only associated with her name in print decades after the revolution, and even then, it came in the form of a rebuttal.

Who doesn’t love getting a fortune cookie with their Chinese takeout? Heck, sometimes it is the only reason I even get Chinese in the first place.

But did you know that fortune cookies are actually an American invention that originated in California? Over the years, there’s been a lot of speculation around its origins, so much so that the world ended up having a mock trial in San Francisco’s pseudo-legal Court of Historical Review in 1983 to settle the debate.

The sun is not yellow. The sun is white – absolutely, 100%  white. 

Our atmosphere scatters shorter wavelength light (blue, indigo, and violet) while reflecting longer wavelength light (red, orange, and yellow). That causes the sun to appear yellow. The sun turns redder as it sets because the environment is better at scattering shorter wavelengths. Smoke and other pollutants in the air also deflect blue, indigo, and violet light, making the sun look even redder.

However, you may have noticed that it looks a bit blue when the sun is straight overhead. That’s because the atmosphere cannot disperse blue light. Lastly, do not believe everything you see. NASA generally colors the sun yellow to accentuate its features.

We’ve all wondered about it – I mean, a laptop gets warm on your lap, but can it cause infertility? The answer is (mostly) – no.

According to most specialists, laptops do not affect female fertility and are unlikely to significantly impact male fertility. However, at least one expert, Michael Eisenberg, a urologist and Stanford professor, believes the external heat produced by a laptop offers a slight risk to men. 

Although there’s no scientific proof to prove or disprove a direct link between laptop use and male infertility, it won’t hurt you to limit the time your laptop rests on your lap or thighs to protect your fertility.

That’s only halfway true. We need to immediately differentiate between saturated and non-saturated fats.

Fatty cuts of beef, lamb, pork, and generous helpings of sour cream, cheese, butter, and decadent ice creams won’t just be rough on your weight; they can also cause inflammation and heart disease.

Stick to the unsaturated fats. They are not only nutritious, but they can actually help your body fight inflammation, raise your good cholesterol, and enhance your vitamin absorption. It even helps to reduce your appetite, so stack up on avocados, good oils, nuts, seeds, and fish.

If you’ve been comforting yourselves with the idea that snakes can’t hear, we’re really sorry to break it to you. Snakes can hear. 

Because they lack an outer ear, a lot of people think they’re deaf, but they can hear a whole lot more than you think. They can even differentiate between different soundwaves – so they’ll know if you scream like a little girl at the sight of them!

A lot of people wrongly assume that they do not need a will simply because they do not have an estate. That is just wrong.

A will is not for you but for those you care about and leave behind. If you own anything, somebody will have to deal with your estate after you die.

Even for something like a little checking account or a car, someone will have to distribute the funds and transfer ownership of the vehicle. To make things worse, in the absence of a will, somebody will have to appear in probate court to prove a relationship with you before they can be appointed executor by a judge. That is a lot of admin to saddle your loved ones within the event you pass away. Take care of your loved ones and get a will.

Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? It’s high up on my bucket list.

Many native tribes in North America believed the Northern Lights were a bad omen. In fact, some thought they were great fires lit by the northern tribes to cook their enemies. 

The Fox Indians of Wisconsin believed the Northern Lights were the wandering spirits of their murdered enemies trying to rise once more to have their vengeance and that they were an indicator of pestilence and wars to come. In Alaska, Inuit communities dreaded the lights and carried blades to protect themselves against the aurora’s evil spirits. Although we’ve come a long way since then, a lot of people still believe the Northern Lights carry a certain amount of evil hidden within them.

You’ve probably heard that dinosaurs and birds have a lot in common, including their feathers. 

Yep, while birds were once thought to be the only species with feathers, it now appears that dinosaurs had them first. In fact, archeologists have even discovered dinosaurs with feathers that were in no way related to today’s birds.

In 1996, scientists discovered the Sinosauropteryx, a theropod with feathers and used the discovery to confirm theories about how dinosaurs looked and behaved millions of years ago. It has become crystal clear that dinosaurs were feathered creatures rather than the scaly ones seen on TV.

While the jury is still out on whether all dinosaurs had feathers, scientists are confident that a lot of the predators did.

A couple of years ago, people believed that head lice, or Pediculus humanus capitis, flourish primarily in oily and dirty hair. It didn’t take long for people to change their views, and we all had to hear that the parasitic insect actually prefers nice and clean hair because it gives them better mobility.

The sad truth is that both myths are wrong.

Head lice aren’t picky at all, and they will like your hair regardless of when you last showered. So, if there’s anything you can take from that, it is this: Don’t share hats!

Enjoyed this list? Check out 25 Popular Myths Debunked.