Though it’s literally impossible to know everything there is to know in the universe, there are some fundamental things about being a human being in the modern world that everyone should strive to know. Core skills like cooking and cleaning allow you to be self-sufficient. Meanwhile, knowing how antibiotics work, why cat bites can be dangerous, and what chemicals to never ever mix together can actually end up saving your life.
Reddit users had a very informative discussion on r/NoStupidQuestions in a thread that went viral. They shared the pieces of ‘basic’ knowledge that everyone should know, but that a scary number of people may be oblivious about. Check out what they feel is vital to know in the 21st century as you keep scrolling.
Bored Panda got in touch with Glenn Geher, Ph.D., who was kind enough to shed some light on the evolutionary reasons why people might get embarrassed about not knowing something that others do. He also shared his thoughts on how to fill those knowledge gaps and whether it’s easier to survive in the modern world than in the far past. Geher is a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz and a published author, and you’ll find our full interview with him as you read on.
#1
Vaccines do not cause autism
Image source: BananasInHand, Gustavo Fring
#2
It’s “should’ve” “could’ve” “would’ve”, not “should of”, “could of”, or “would of”
Image source: sarinotsorry11, SHVETS production
#3
Flushable wet wipes are absolutely not flushable
Image source: Final-Carpenter-1591
#4
No means no. It doesn’t matter who is saying it. If you ever ask or suggest something that requires the cooperation or permission of another person and they say no, you MUST respect that.
Image source: MrAndMrsAnomaly
#5
Your politicians do not represent you. They do not care about you or your issues. They care about themselves. They want power for themselves, not so they can help you.
Image source: toferino
#6
That climate change is a real phenomenon caused by human activity
Image source: Ruuubo93
#7
The vagina doesnt become loose after sex with multiple partners. Sex education is hurting and the amount of men who believe this is so weird.
I’m from the middle east, a place that is known for its misconceptions about women and even we understand that.
Image source: LuvValKilmer1231, Ron Lach
#8
If it has a tail, it’s a monkey.
If it doesn’t have a tail, it’s an ape.
Image source: ThrowdowninKtown
#9
Native Americans are still here, and we don’t live in a teepee.
Image source: McDWarner
#10
You can try to be as “green” as you want, companies are responsible for the highest amount of damage when it comes to the environment and you can do almost nothing against it.
Image source: Esdeath79
#11
Rags soaked with paint thinner, varnish, oil-based paint, polyurethane, and/or other volatile oils can actually spontaneously combust without any outside ignition source. The oils slowly release heat as they oxidize, and for example in a pile at the bottom of a garbage can, that heat can build enough to start smoldering and eventually ignite. I didn’t know about this until a year or two ago, so don’t feel dumb if you didn’t know either.
Image source: lunchboxdeluxe, Paul Volkmer
#12
DO NO try to put out a grease fire with water.
Image source: MaybeAWalrus, State Farm
#13
Schizophrenia has nothing to do with multiple personalities.
Image source: Hot-Ability7086
#14
Salt will clean blood out of any fabric, even the whitest clothes or bedsheets.
Just put a little heap of salt over the bloodied fabric. If the blood is dry, wet it with a few drops of cold water then put the pile of salt. Leave it for an hour or so, wipe the bloody salt off, then wash with soap.
Edited to add that the water should be cold – see comments below about hot water setting the stain
Edit 2 for people who menstruate:
An early or particularly heavy visitor can lead to embarrassing situations sometimes, especially if (like me) you have woken up on a Japanese flag while sleeping over at someone else’s house or at camp. Regular old table salt is something you can find basically anywhere you go, at any time of day or night, without arousing too many questions. You can pour a heap of salt on your stains (and put a few drops of cold water if the stain is already a bit dry), and it should be soaked up before too long. It will take the blood out of mattresses, sheets, and pajamas/underwear.
Image source: shellie_badger, Towfiqu barbhuiya
#15
Different antibiotics work on different bacteria. You can’t take random antibiotics you’ve stocked up on at home and assume they will work for an infection.
Doctors make an educated guess on what antibiotic to give for an infection. This is based on the probability of the infection being caused by a specific bacteria; this knowledge comes from research on what organisms most frequently cause certain infections in certain individuals.
Image source: Safe_Document_1140, Polina Tankilevitch
#16
That England and the UK are not the same thing. That’s like thinking that California and the US are the same thing.
Image source: BottyFlaps, Joanna Zduńczyk
#17
Being able to change your mind shows strength not weakness.
95% of comments on the political internet are meaningless declarations of ideological affiliation.
No one knows your experience better than you do.
If you can’t simply explain something, you don’t understand it. That’s OK! No one can understand everything.
Children owe their parents NOTHING
Image source: AlyAlyAlyAlyAly
#18
I was at lunch at work one day and said that I was amazed at the number of people in a recent poll who didn’t know how long it took the Earth to rotate around the Sun. I was met with a sea of complete bank looks. It’s a year, people, a year!
Image source: Anne314, Porapak Apichodilok
#19
yellow teeth do not have to be a sign of bad hygiene!
Genes as well as your diet, dark consumable items, excessive fluoride, and also the quality of consumable items in your environment + a lot more aspects can turn your teeth yellowish over time.
Image source: Shakira_120, Marek Studzinski
#20
The fact that two or more things can be true at the same time.
Image source: GreenDutchman
#21
Babies below 6 months shouldn’t drink water, it can be fatal.
Edit: To clarify, water isn’t just fatal. “But children under a year old don’t need water like adults do. It can actually be dangerous for them. Babies get all their hydration from breast milk or formula.” Adding additional water can lead to water intoxication as children under 6 months have underdeveloped kidneys. If they have a mouthful of water of will they die? Most likely no, however everything I’ve read said not to give them plain water on top of their diet.
Image source: -DBZ-, Sarah Chai
#22
How statistics work.
Tons of people out there saying that because their uncle lived to be 99 years of age despite eight decades of heavy smoking is proof that smoking isn’t dangerous.
Image source: Masseyrati80
#23
That shopping carts 🛒 should left in the cart return, not the middle of the parking lot.
Image source: Pure_Needleworker_27
#24
There is no minimum time. You don’t have to wait to file a missing persons report. You know your person better than the police, even if they tell you to wait, file one anyway.
Image source: immortalsauce, Ron Lach
#25
IF you have a nosebleed, tilt your head FORWARD not back. tilting it back makes the blood go down your throat and you can feel nausated or start to vomit because of it.
Image source: BoredConfusedPanda, MART PRODUCTION
#26
OCD rarely has anything to do with being clean, tidy or orderly.
Image source: bertsdad, Klaus Nielsen
#27
Clean the dryer vent. Change furnace filter regularly
Image source: knuckboy, woodleywonderworksFollow
#28
Towels will last longer and be more absorbant if yiu don’t use fabric softener on them
Image source: potatoking1991
#29
Chronic sleep deprivation is WAY worse than most people realize, and effects way more than just your mood/energy level. Especially when it comes to learning/retention.. all the adderall and redbull in the world cannot make up for lack of sleep.
Image source: SkepticalInfidel
#30
1 mile = 1.6 km,
1 kg = 2.2 pounds
Image source: bcb0y, Malachi Brooks
#31
Sinus headaches without green snot are migraines. Had to educate my GP doctor on this when he kept trying to push antibiotics for my weather headaches. Neurologist confirmed that they are indeed barometric pressure migraines.
Image source: Ardea_herodias_2022, George Milton
#32
That you are not your mind and you can choose to agree or not with any thoughts you have. Most people act like a robot and think they have to do everything their mind says.
Image source: sharky3175, Alexander Suhorucov
#33
You aren’t immune to propaganda. If you get all of your news from one source/ one bias/ find sources that just confirm your own ideas, you probably have been subject and believe in propaganda.
It’s easier to fool people, than to convince them they’ve been fooled.
Everyone sees the sensationalized moment, but not the quiet redaction or the outcome leading to a wrong idea of what happened.
Image source: CosmicWondererTV, alleksana
#34
Woman have 3 holes down there. I had to explain to my friend why she could wee with a tampon in…
Image source: ChubbyMummie
#35
If something is on fire in your oven, do not try to take it out. Just leave it there until it runs out of oxygen.
Image source: swcollings, Fabian García Acevedo
#36
If your house suddenly smells fishy & you’re not cooking fish, check your electrical outlets, particularly any multi-plug extension cables.
Burnt out sockets & plugs give off a fishy smell, so you might save yourself from an electrical fire.
Image source: Grouchy-Reflection97, Kelly Sikkema
#37
Don’t mix bleach and ammonia, it makes chlorine gas! I work in a cleaning/sanitization job and we have ammonia-based cleaners and bleach, the amount of times I’ve seen co-workers mixing them together thinking they’re making a stronger sanitizer is ridiculous.
Image source: HappyLittleDelusion_, Kelly Sikkema
#38
A lot of people don’t seem to know the dangers of carbon monoxide. Entire family’s have died in their sleep after moving coal burning BBQs etc inside when it’s extremely cold. I myself have seen many times people using petrol powered tools in an enclosed space and get told I worry too much when I’ve spoken up.
Image source: FerretWeekly9178, Luis Quintero
#39
I am always amazed when a grown adult first notices that you can see the moon during the day.
Image source: choochacabra92, akram aldahim
#40
How to chew with your mouth closed, how to apply deodorant
Image source: Helen666_Keller
#41
Hear me out on this one…. Childbirth is extremely dangerous!!!! My wife gave birth about two months ago to her first my third…. The amount of people we have met that had babies and didn’t know s**t about it other than how to conceive. I have heard so much about informed consent and so on….. It is not hard for people to read a little bit before they go into labor and have complications. It is f*****g stupid how many people do not know a damn thing about child birth.
We reproduce! This is basic f*****g knowledge people!
Image source: RagingFarmer
#42
The difference between science and pseudoscience
Image source: CANDLEBIPS
#43
A cat bite that pierces the skin is a serious event (because of the type of bacteria present) and needs prompt medical attention.
If you get water in your lungs for whatever reason, seek medical advice as it can dissolve the surfactant on your alveoli and cause what’s known as “second drowning” up to a day or so later.
Don’t hyperventilate before diving underwater (to increase your time underwater) because it can cause “shallow water blackout” when the partial pressure of oxygen drops below the threshold for consciousness before the CO2 concentration gets above the threshold that makes you feel the need to breathe.
Image source: briankanderson, Crina Doltu
#44
The single beep coming from your smoke/CO detector doesn’t mean you’re about to die. It means the detector is about to die.
Image source: eodcheese
#45
That people are different and what is obvious to one might not be obvious to another.
Image source: Siukslinis_acc
#46
How to use a roundabout while driving
Image source: Duck-Dependent
#47
Tax brackets
“If I get a raise I will earn less net because I will be in a higher tax bracket”
Image source: Translationerr0r
#48
Getting periodontitis (gum disease) can be a precursor to getting heart disease (I think still the biggest killer in the US)
Image source: Cmmander_WooHoo, cottonbro studio
#49
In the United States, going into a higher tax bracket never leaves you with less money (absent weird edge cases of being eligible for some deductions and then not or s**t like that. But not the tax brackets themselves). The first chunk of money you make is taxed at one tax bracket. The next chunk of money is taxed at the next. But it doesn’t make the first chunk of money be taxed higher.
So, if you make $182,100, you are in the 24% tax bracket. And if you make $182,101, you are in the 32% tax bracket.
But only one dollar of your money is in the 32% tax bracket
Image source: IanDOsmond
#50
The difference between “less” and “fewer.”
Image source: RetroactiveRecursion
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