'We only use 10% of our brain': 20+ Old wives tales that folks still believe

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    18 g? r/AskReddit u/the_spring_goddess. 5d What is an old wives tale that people still believe?
  • 02
    FabianVG 5d Many Koreans still believe that if you sleep in a closed room with a fan on, that you will die. Does that count as an old wives tale? 46.3k Jermcutsiron • 5d Reply According to Korean myth, I'm immortal.
  • 03
    Severe_Airport1426. 5d That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing
  • 04
    chriseo22 5d That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you'd have bigger problems than weight gain.
  • 05
    Fatmouse84 • 5d Was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner, because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters.
  • 06
    0 Significant Sign. 5d This one is so sad. I know an old lady who still mourns her baby she thinks she killed by raising her arms too high. Even if it was true, which it's stupidly ridiculous instead, you should never tell a woman who just miscarried that it was her fault for using her arms.
  • 07
    LonelyMail5115.5d An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him
  • 08
    LuvCilantro . 5d Starve a fever; feed a cold. Edit: well it seems that both versions exist (starve a cold; feed a fever), but I've always heard the Starve a fever version, never the other one. The (wrong) explanation was that if you're hungry and cold, eating will warm you up. Since eating warms you up, you don't want to eat when you have a fever. Technically however, if you're sick, your body needs nutrients to get better, so you should not starve either.
  • 09
    lindsaybethhh . 5d My grandma was a nurse, and she always said that this was one that bugged her. The real answer is "feed both" - give your body the strength to fight it!
  • 10
    N Remember ToLogOff. 5d I eat ramen every day just in case I'm about to contract a cold
  • 11
    Initial_Savings8733 - 5d Birds disown their young if you touch them (To be clear I am saying this is a myth. Despite the post title people are agreeing with this myth. No. A bird did not abandon their baby bc you touched it. Birds have a poor sense of smell, and if you don't believe me go ahead and google it)
  • 12
    00 Hershie23 5d Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years
  • 13
    Choice-Grapefruit-44 Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis. • 5d
  • 14
    MacyTmcterry • 5d There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same
  • 15
    Canna_crumbs. 5d That great grandma was Cherokee
  • 16
    stillbatting1000 . 5d I live in Taiwan. My students swear that playing basketball will make you taller. When I asked their parents why they tell their kids that they looked at me like I was nuts. "Of course playing basketball will them taller!"
  • 17
    Aimless_Scrolls. 5d That we only use 10% of our brain
  • 18
    EBSD 5d My mil thinks that if I tickle my babies feet he will have a speech delay
  • 19
    luala. 5d When I was pregnant I heard some mad about what my cats would do to my baby. "Stealing its breath" was the most fairytale example. Both cats were horrified and disgusted by the baby and didn't even go near her.
  • 20
    dethlikesilence79. 5d Using a dome light in a car while driving is illegal
  • 21
    CrunchyKittyLitter . 5d You can suck venom out of a snakebite.
  • 22
    IgnorantGenius • 5d When you shave your hair it grows back thicker.
  • 23
    DontHail Hydra • 5d Ooh I can answer this! Hair naturally tapers to a softer point at the ends, so when you shave you are creating a blunt end that feels more coarse and therefore "thicker". Doesn't last long but that's where this wives tale comes from.
  • 24
    SmoreOfBabylon • 5d If you're a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you'll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck, or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though. I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I've had other women give me this "advice" unprompted more than once when I've worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started
  • 25
    Cedar13th 5d Carrots improve eyesight and night vision. It was propaganda spread by the British during WW2 to hide the use of radar systems from the Germans.
  • 26
    analog_memories. 5d That MSG is bad for you.

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