“Menstrual Pain Is A Myth”: 41 Surprising Things People Still Believe Are True

We go through life and learn each day, but sometimes we can be factually wrong in what we believe. Research shows that we tend to embrace information that supports our beliefs, even when it’s wrong, and scientists call this “confirmation bias.” Sifting through what’s true and not can be especially hard online; luckily, there are communities that help debunk common misconceptions and myths.

The “Learned Wrong” is a subreddit dedicated exactly to that, with a mission of “Clearing up misconceptions and outdated information you might have been taught across history, science, [intimacy], health, and more.”

From serious science stuff like myths about the ozone layer, to more light-hearted ones like our teachers telling us we won’t always have a calculator in our pockets or how periods really work, here are the most interesting things people have unlearned thanks to this online community.

More info: Reddit

#1 Most Women Probably Won’t Care Either

“Menstrual Pain Is A Myth”: 41 Surprising Things People Still Believe Are True

“Menstrual Pain Is A Myth”: 41 Surprising Things People Still Believe Are True

#1 Most Women Probably Won’t Care Either

#2 I Learned Wrong That “News” Stands For “Notable Events, Weather, And Sports”

#3 I Learned Wrong That Botox Makes You Look Younger

#4 Some Of Y’all Learned Wrong That Society Totally Forgot About The Hole In The Ozone Layer

#5 Nobel Prize Winning Economist Paul Krugman

#6 This Guy Learned Wrong That Menstrual Pain Is A Myth

#7 “You Won’t Always Have A Calculator In Your Pocket”

#8 Being Cold Won’t Directly Give You A Cold. Colds Are Caused By Viruses, Not By Temperature

#9 People Didn’t Only Live Until They Were 30 In The Past

#10 I Learned Wrong That Puerto Rico Isn’t Technically Part Of The US

#11 Turkey May Not Have Actually Been Eaten At “The First Thanksgiving” In 1621

#12 Vikings Didn’t Actually Wear Horned Helmets. That Image Was Based Off 19th Century Art Rather Than Actual Archaeological Findings

#13 Dinosaurs Weren’t All Scaly Reptiles. Some Actually Had Feathers Or Feather-Like Coverings

#14 I Learned Wrong That Bats Are Blind. Bats Do Use Echolocation To Locate Prey, But It’s Supplementary To Their Vision (Which Works Quite Well) Rather Than A Replacement

#15 I Learned Wrong That Everyone’s Forgotten After 3 Generations

#16 Just One Space Is Fine

#17 How To Never Work A Day In Your Life

#18 You’ve Been Buying IKEA Furniture Wrong

#19 I Learned Wrong Back In Elementary School That Christopher Columbus Was A Hero Who Did Nothing Wrong

#20 Shaving Doesn’t Make Hair Grow Back Thicker. This Was Disproven Almost A Hundred Years Ago. This Myth Might Exist Because Newly Grown Hair Can Look Thicker

#21 People Do Not Swallow 8 Spiders A Year While Sleeping

#22 Sugar Doesn’t Directly Make Kids Hyper. Eating Sugary Foods Is Associated With Activities Where Kids Are Typically Hyper, Such As Birthday Parties

#23 Breakfast Isn’t The Most Important Meal Of The Day For Everyone. It Only Might Be For People Who Need Extra Energy In The Mornings. Research Shows That Overall Nutrition Is More Important Than When You Eat

#24 Til The Great Wall Of China Is Not Actually Visible From Space, It’s Just A Myth

#25 This Isn’t How You Should Be Washing Your Face???

#26 Today I Learned White Claws Aren’t Energy Drinks

#27 I Learned Wrong From Nintendo That Mario And Peach Are Just Friends

#28 I Learned Wrong That Forgetting Your Password Is Weakness

#29 Wydm People Irl Don’t Go From Dorky To Hot Just From Taking Off Their Glasses??

#30 Still Eating Your Halloween Candy? The Chances Of It Being Poisoned Are Way Lower Than What You’ve Probably Been Taught, But Not Zero

#31 I Learned Wrong That The Moon Has No Gravity

#32 Jesus Might Not Have Actually Been Born On December 25. No Official Record Of His Birth Has Been Found. There Are Multiple Theories As To Why December 25 Was Chosen

#33 The Pilgrims May Not Have Initially Landed At Plymouth Rock In 1620. The Actual Landing Place Hasn’t Been Found Yet

#34 The Indigenous Mexica People Did Not Believe That Spanish Explorer Hernán Cortés Was A God

#35 Eating Carrots Won’t Help Improve Your Vision. Carrots Help Maintain Overall Eye Health, But Won’t Make You See Better In The Dark

#36 The English Spelling Rule “I Before E Except After C” Doesn’t Hold Up As Much As You Were Taught It Does. There’s A Ton Of Exceptions: Science, Height, Their, Protein, Caffeine, Vein, Beige, Neighbor, Weird, Seize, And Many Others Break This

#37 I Learned Wrong That Marie Antoinette Said “Let Them Eat Cake” About The French Working Class. The Actual Line Was “Let Them Eat Brioche” And Written By Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau In His Autobiography Who Attributed It To An Unnamed Princess

#38 I Learned Wrong That Hip Dips Are Caused By Weight Or Are A Deformity. Turns Out They’re Pretty Normal, Common, And Can’t Be “Fixed” By Workouts

#39 I Learned Wrong That Bulls Charge At Matadors Because The Flag They Wave Is Red. The Color Doesn’t Matter, Only The Motion

#40 The Pilgrims Didn’t Actually Wear Black Clothing With Buckles On The Regular. They Usually Wore Colorful Clothing. The Black Clothing Mainly Came From How They Were Depicted By The Victorians

#41 The First Thanksgiving In 1621 Wasn’t Just A Celebration Of Gratitude And Friendship Between The Indigenous Folks (Wampanoag) And The Pilgrims. The Wampanoag Were Mainly Motivated By Securing An Alliance For Self-Defense