Myths Your Parents Probably Told You

The truth behind the myths you have been told since you were little.

Fact or Myth Sign Against a Black Brick Wall Clipart

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Fact or Myth Sign Against a Black Brick Wall Clipart

Macy Hutchinson, Staff Writer

When you are little adults like to tell you a bunch of myths and we do not know why. For me, it was less my parents are more my grandparents telling me these tall tales but it seems most of us were told the same fables, so I am going to be setting the truth free.

If you swallow gum it will stay in your stomach for 7 years. 

This is false. Most gum is not digestible, but it won’t stay in your stomach for 7 years it will pass threw in 2 to 4 days.

Sitting too close to the TV will make you go blind.

TVs have low radiation so it has a very low effect on your body in general. Though staring at the same thing for a long period will cause the muscles in your eyes to become tired, which can result in a headache, the tv itself is not doing anything to your eyes and there is no proof behind it.

Shaved hair will grow back darker and thicker.

When you shave your hair and it grows back, the hair is newer, so it may seem darker and thicker but it is not. It’s just because the hair has not had a chance to be bleached by the sun.

Sugar makes young kids hyper.

Many studies have been done and the answers have all come back the same, sugar does not make kids hyper. The study said that parents who believe their children have had candy believe they are more hyper, even when they have not had candy. So the candy that leads to hyperness is more of a placebo than anything.

Cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. 

A 30-year-long study was done and proved this statement to be untrue. Cracking your knuckles does not lead to arthritis, but it can cause a decrease in your grip strength. This happens due to the overstretching in your tendons.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

For our body to remain healthy we need good, strong, healthy, nutrition throughout the day. Which makes breakfast only one of the three important meals we need in a day, at least.

Reading in the dark will ruin your eyesight. 

An eye doctor at Harvard busted this myth. They said that reading in dim light will only tire your eyes and cause some strain, which could lead to a headache but no permanent eye damage. They don’t recommend reading in the dark, but if you do it isn’t going to cause too much damage.

If you cross your eyes, they will get stuck that way. 

There are 6 muscles in your eyes. These muscles are what allow you to move your eyes in different directions. So the muscles in your eyes don’t allow your eyes to get stuck in this position.

If you sneeze with your eyes open, they will pop right out. 

There is very little evidence that supports this theory, the pressure that is created when you sneeze is very unlikely to cause your eyes to pop out. Whether your eye is open or not. The pressure builds up from strains in the blood vessel.

Drinking coffee stunts your growth. 

There is no scientific research to back up the myth your parent probably told you. By the time people start drinking coffee they have reached their max height, and coffee isn’t going to undo bone growth. This “fact” comes from the misconception that coffee can cause osteoporosis, but coffee doesn’t cause osteoporosis and osteoporosis does not just make you shrink. as well as parents probably do not want overly caffeinated children.

It’s illegal to have the inside car light on at night when driving.

It is not illegal to drive with the inside light on, in most states, Massachusettes being one. Though it is not the safest way to drive. Mostly at night it makes it harder to see the road and can be very distracting, but it is not against the law.

If you swallow the seeds of a watermelon, a watermelon will grow in your stomach. 

Just like all the others, this is a myth too. If you swallow the seeds of a watermelon just like anything else, it will simply pass through your digestion system. No giant fruit will be in your stomach, so do not worry.

You will never get a real job with tattoos.

According to a study having tattoos does not affect your employment chances, it does not matter the size or placement. A correlation was found between men with tattoos and employment chances. The men with tattoos were 7% more likely to be hired than the men who did not.

So were you ever told any of these myths? What are some other myths you were told? I was told very often that not eating the crust of the bread would turn your teeth yellow, but that’s not true at all. I hope you were as shocked as I was to find out that some of the theses were false.