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40 Deceptive Little Myths and Misconceptions That Tried to Make Fools of Us All

These lies posing as truths almost got us!

40 Deceptive Little Myths and Misconceptions That Tried to Make Fools of Us All

December 16, 2024

They don’t call us the fact filters for nothin’!

Who calls us that? Everyone! Jim, Larry, our moms, little Ron down at the bakery. Everyone who’s read one of our many myth-busting lists and thanked us profusely for replacing the myths in their heads with cold, hard facts.

Trust us, you’ll be sending us an engraved “Fact Filter” sign for our office door after this list does a little myth-to-fact switcheroo in your brain.

40

Gossip

THE STEREOTYPE ... GOSSIP IS A WOMAN'S GAME. Mail BUT In REALITY ... MEN CAN'T RESIST IT AT ALL. When men and women hear a juicy secret, many men will — For details, read 5 Myths About Men And Women That Are Statistically B.S.

39

Kenya

Everyone pictures Kenya as a wild or impoverished land But in reality Kenya is a modern state with bustling cities and a capital home to over three million people. CRACKED.COM — 15 Countries We Picture Wrong Side By Side With Reality

38

Erin Brockovich

THE OSCAR WINNER In Erin Brockovich, everyone is delighted at the end of the trial. REALITY THE But the actual plaintiffs were far from satisfied. Rea

37

Argo

40 Deceptive Little Myths and Misconceptions That Tried to Make Fools of Us All — Source: CNN

36

Austin Powers

THE STEREOTYPE ... BRITISH TEETH ARE TERRIBLE. BUT in REALITY ... BRITS HAVE THE BEST TEETH IN THE WORLD. The British aren't that into bbraces, so you — For details, read The 5 Most Statistically Full of Sh!t National Stereotypes

35

Body Dysmorphia

THE STEREOTYPE ... BODY DISORDERS? THAT'S A WOMAN THING. BUT in REALITY ... THEY'RE JUST AS COMMON IN MEN. The difference is that in men, it usually m — For details, read 6 Things You Learn As A Guy With An Eating Disorder

34

Stereotypes

THE STEREOTYPE ... GAY MEN ARE GIRLY, GAY WOMEN AREN'T. BUT In REALITY ... SURE, THAT'S THE STEREOTYPE ... NOW. But in the past, bisexuality was seen — For details, read 5 Gender Stereotypes That Used To Be the Exact Opposite

33

Inverted Crosses

You might think an inverted cross iS satanic. But it's the symbol of the first Pope. When St. Peter was martyred by crucifixion, he was said to have r

32

Weddings

Ways you're destroying your relationships Having an expensive wedding. You might think going all out on the rarest flowers and most tattooed DJ shows how much you care, but the more you spend, the likelier you are to walk down the aisle of divorce court. CRACKED — Dmytro Sheremeta/Shutterstock
CNN

31

Coral

You might think that coral is a plant - but actually, corals are technically animals. They're a sessile animal, though, which means they attach themselves to one place and just, well, sit on it. CRACKED.COM — Source

30

Pentagrams

When you see a pentagram, you might think of evil. But it's a symbol of protection. Although the five-pointed star in a circle has long been associate

29

Dogs

When your dog pees on the floor, you might think he's excited to see you. He might just be telling you that you're the boss. If your dog cowers and pe

28

Dating

You might think that women are pickier than men. (But that's only because guys are traditionally the ones who make the first move.) In an experiment w

27

Cats

When a cat pees on your stuff, you might think he hates you. But the truth is, he's into you. An insecure cat wants to establish a bond with you, SO h

26

Comets

You might think you can tell which way a comet is headed, by its tail. You'd be wrong. A comet actually has two tails, and they both point away from t

25

Blue Giant

The Earth might be kind of small, but it's more massive than you might think. The mass of the Earth is greater than the combined masses of the Moon, Mars, Venus, Pluto, and Mercury. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Immigration

You might think immigrants are lucky to be here ONGA But living here might be ruining their minds. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University found that i

23

Suicide

Think suicide rates skyrocket at Christmastime? The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics reports that the suicide rate is, in fact, the lowest in December. The suicide rate actually peaks in spring, not winter. GRACKED.COM — The CDC

22

The Fourth of July

MYTH The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th. x FACT Congress approved the declaration on July 4th, but the document wasn't signed until August 2nd. CRACKED — John Trumbull/Wiki Commons
National Archives

21

Female Drivers

THE STEREOTYPE... WOMEN SUCK AT DRIVING. BUT In REALITY ... NOT AS MUCH AS MEN DO. Men die twice as often in car crashes. In fact, auto insurers histo — For details, read 6 Things Everyone Knows About Women (That Aren't True)

20

Incest

MYTH: INCEST LEADS TO messeD-UP BABIES. FACT: IT BAReLY Does. Having a cousin as your sexual partner does increase the risk of birth defects by 2 to 3 percent, but that's it. In fact, one Rutgers professor estimates 80 percent of every single married couple in human history were second cousins or more closely related. CRACKED.COM — Sex Myths You've Probably Believed Your Entire Life

19

George Washington

BELIEF: George Washington had wooden teeth. Washington had bad TRUTH: teeth and wore dentures made of human and animal teeth and alloys. His dentures may have been stained, making them appear wooden. CRACKED.COM — Source

18

Mickey Mouse

MYTH Walt Disney drew Mickey Mouse. x FACT Disney came up with the concept for Mickey Mouse and voiced the character. But Disney's partner, Ub Iwerks, was the artist behind the Mouse, as well as his first animator. CRACKED — Source

17

Fortune Cookies

FORTUNE COOKIES WERE INVENTED IN CALIFORNIA. it's not clear if they were created by a Chinese immigrant in Los Angeles or a Japanese immigrant in San

16

Addiction

Poor people are mostly drunks and/ or drug addicts. Not true. A 2012 study has revealed that while young adults in poor families were more likely to

15

Divorce

Don't try and avoid being served divorce papers. It's not true that the divorce can't proceed unless you accept the papers. If the court can't serve y

14

Attractiveness

Not classically handsome? You might think you're out of luck. But... There isn't one type women find attractive. While it's true that there's a narrow

13

Braveheart

40 Deceptive Little Myths and Misconceptions That Tried to Make Fools of Us All — Source: Politics

12

Aileen Wuornos

40 Deceptive Little Myths and Misconceptions That Tried to Make Fools of Us All — Source: ABC News

11

Ancient Egypt

CRACKED The Pyramids of Giza were built by slaves. It's not true that slaves built the Great Pyramids of Giza. Archaeological research has shown that the people who constructed them were paid workers, not slaves. — Source

10

Lawrence of Arabia

40 Deceptive Little Myths and Misconceptions That Tried to Make Fools of Us All — Source: TheWorld

9

Gated Communities

Gated communities try to wall crime away. Crime drops at first then jumps back up. The key is to realize how weak the security actually is. You can't — For details, read 5 Popular Safety Measures That Don't Make You Any Safer

8

Military Grade

Military grade means the opposite of what you think it means. CRACKED.COM In the actual military, military grade is defined as meeting the bare-minimum requirements of durability, while also costing the least. — Source

7

Metabolism

MYTH: THIN people HAVE A QUICK METABOLISM. FACT: THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A SLOWER one. The folks at the Mayo Clinic found out that, when you take weight into consideration, the metabolisms of over- and underweight people are the exact opposite of what we always heard: Thin people actually tend to have slower metabolisms than their heavier counterparts. It's because a heavier body actually needs a faster metabolism to get around. CRACKED.COM http://www.mayoolinic org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508 — Source: 12 Creepy Urban Legends (That Are True)

6

The Danish Girl

40 Deceptive Little Myths and Misconceptions That Tried to Make Fools of Us All — Source: Variety

5

Mental Health

If a character is mentally ill, they're usually violent. That's the opposite of how it really is. Movies like Se7en, Silence Of The Lambs, and Fight C

4

The Sides of the Brain

MYTH: A PeRSon IS eITHeR LeFT- OR RIGHT-BRAINED. FACT: YOUR BRAIN ISN'T DIVIDED UP THAT WAY. The myth that right-brained people are creative and artistic and left-brained people are logical and mathematical is so pervasive that teachers are instructed to balance the brained-ness of their teachings. The brain does indeed have some specialized structures, but the idea that they cluster on opposite sides of the brain like rival gangs is ridiculous. CRACKED.COM http://www.livescience.com/655-lefty-myths-mysteries-persist.html — Source

3

Skipping Breakfast

BAD HABITS that are good for you SKIPPING BREAKFAST increases calorie burn. You may have heard that skipping breakfast only makes you pig out later, but some studies have shown the opposite to be true. Eat if you're hungry, but don't feel forced to choke down that smoothie. CRACKED — SewCream/Shutterstock
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park's location in an arid Texas desert may suggest that it's not very flora-friendly. However, the opposite is true. Big Bend contains over 1200 different species of plants. CRACKED.COM — Source: National Park Service

1

Testosterone and the Flu

Manliness won't help you fight the flu. Quite the opposite. Testosterone suppresses the immune system, which is why it takes men longer to recover fro

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