“Fun Facts” People Love To Share That Aren’t True

It’s tough to make it through a dinner party or trivia night without someone sharing a “fun fact” or two. While they may sound impressive and valid, it turns out, a lot of them aren’t true at all, but that doesn’t seem to stop anyone from saying them. A Reddit thread is helping to break down some of these urban myths by asking, “What’s a super common ‘fun fact’ that everyone keeps repeating but is actually totally false?”

More than a thousand responses have come in and these are some of the best:

• "That bats are blind. They hunt by echolocation, but they can actually see quite well."
• "That we only use 10% or 30% of our brain capacity. This is nonsense. We use 100%."
• "That you swallow eight spiders a year in your sleep. And that it takes seven years for gum to be digested."
• "I was told my entire life that cracking your knuckles is bad for you and causes arthritis. This is not true."
• "Sorry, but you can't see the Great Wall of China from orbit."
• "That the tongue has different taste zones, they taught us in school, ffs."
• "People say your hair grows back thicker if you shave. Absolute twaddle."
• "The idea that local honey can treat or cure seasonal allergies. Not true, never been true."
• "That blood is blue inside your body until it touches air. Your blood is still red in your body, just darker."
• "Turning the inside car light will get you pulled over by the cops."
• "Dog year = seven human years. Not true! Sincerely, someone who works in veterinary."
• "You lose most of your body heat from the top of your head."
• "Sweating like a pig. Pigs do not have sweat glands, which is why they wallow in the mud to keep cool. Horses, on the other hand, sweat profusely."
• "That you can catch a cold from being outside in cold weather. A cold is a viral infection. You’re more likely to catch one inside from being in close proximity to people."
• "Everyone believes that the captain of a ship can perform weddings. It was even referenced in an episode of ‘The Office’ once, but it's not true."
• And lastly, "Sugar makes kids hyper."

Source: BuzzFeed⠀