The world is full of mysteries, some of which we understand and others that we’re still figuring out. From all the incredible things that happen on our planet, some just seem way too far-fetched to be true. Almost like they can’t be backed up by scientific evidence.
That’s why we put together this list of weird phenomena and crazy happenings that seem extremely fake but are actually real. You better clear your schedule because some of these posts might lead you down an intense rabbit hole of research.
More info: Reddit
#1
Most of psychology and neurology sound like absolute b******t once you read into at first, and then there’s just this disgusting mountain of evidence in your face. Like just look at ADHD, for an ADHD person the reason they didn’t do something can QUITE LITERALLY be “my brain didn’t *let* me do it” and it’s not bs, like it’s a thing called executive dysfunction which is the brain not know what or how to do something or start or a lot of other things and then just doesn’t.
It the outside observer it looks like laziness, and that they’re just slacking off scrolling their phone or watching stuff, but inside is an entire monologue of said person screaming at themselves to just do the thing, but they can’t. It’s also not just for important or menial tasks, they’ll “procrastinate” on things they want to do, like playing a video game or reading a good book. It can often feel like “Locked In Syndrome” a condition where you’re locked inside your own body as an observer.
Image source: Themurlocking96, freepik
#2
The illusory truth effect.
People will believe something *just* because it is repeated, even when they know that what’s being said is not true.
Image source: ayatollahofdietcola_, Roman Kraft
#3
You absorb more nutrients from cooked eggs than you do from raw eggs. People don’t believe it because cooking eggs actually does reduce the amount of nutrients. BUT cooking them changes the protein structures and makes it easier for your body to actually absorb them. It’s called Protein Denaturation and it increases the bioavailability of the proteins. Bioavailability describes what is actually available for your body to digest and absorb.
More nutrients doesn’t necessarily mean more bioavailability and less nutrients doesn’t necessarily mean less bioavailability.
Image source: UnderstandingFun5200, DreamWorks Pictures
#4
The effect on your dopamine receptors from fantasizing/ imagining things. I forget the exact term. As it turns out, you can achieve a pretty high dopamine response from fantasizing/ imagining/ talking about goals, which can provide your brain with enough happy chemicals to actually HINDER your drive to go and achieve those things for real. This sounds like b******t, but it’s true.
Image source: Degen_Boy, olia danilevich
#5
Mycelium. You’re telling me the ‘roots’ of mushrooms act as a big message delivery system that not only allows information to be sent large distances across a single specimen but can also be used by connected TREES to communicate with each other and swap nutrients??? This is an oversimplification and mycelium absolutely does not think (isn’t sentient) like humans do– however, I am not exaggerating just how implausible it all sounds. There are some amazing mushroom documentaries out there and it still baffles me.
Image source: TheGayestSlayest, wirestock
#6
That talk about you changing personalities when switching languages apparently has truth to it.
Image source: GlorifiedDissident, Lara Jameson
#7
The bacteria in your intestine exist to digest the foods you usually eat. If you stop eating those foods, the bacteria will die, so they send a message to your brain, causing you to crave those foods. If you’re trying to give up french fries, for example, it will take about 4 weeks to kill all the bacteria accustomed to digesting that food, and you will continue to crave it while they live.
It also may be possible to lose weight by getting a fecal transplant from a thin person. The only problem is, it is also possible to get a mental illness (potentially) from that same person, so they should be screened carefully.
Image source: SexyFrancesca4365, Annushka Ahuja
#8
Red heads need more Anaesthesia than non-read heads. (Not sure if this fits the bill, but it’s always been fascinating to me!).
Image source: explorerdoraaaaaa, Old Youth
#9
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). essentially, you look at a moving light or object in the therapy room as you process painful memories (as in PTSD and related trauma disorders). it’s very effective for most people and typically works faster than traditional therapeutic models. sometimes the relief is apparent even after one session.
it’s broadly applied, too. PTSD, anxiety disorders, phobia, dissociative disorders….EMDR is indicated for a wide variety of life challenges.
privately, i call it the “little miracle”. there are times when it appears to be almost mystical, but then, the human mind is vast and endless, and we know very little about it.
Image source: taurussy, RDNE Stock project
#10
It’s not so much a pseudoscience as it is just good old fashioned, under funding for research but Gut microbiome health is way more than just the health of one’s gut.
Image source: theWildBore, freepic.diller
#11
Ever heard of epigenetics? It sounds like pseudoscience with its talk of genes being turned on and off by environmental factors, but it’s a legit field of study. It’s all about how lifestyle and environment can influence gene expression without altering the DNA sequence itself.
Image source: MeteorMystic, digitale.de
#12
Placebo effect – your mind can genuinely heal your body just by believing it works.
Image source: DblockDavid
#13
When an amputee is experiencing phantom limb pains, massaging their stump and then the space where the limb was actually does help reduce the pains, especially if the person is already on the maximum dosage of pain meds and can’t have anymore. Hearing the hands against the sheets where the limb would be tricks the brain into thinking that it’s still there, so it stops the nerves from overfiring as much.
Image source: SailorVenus23, ShotPot
#14
I’m no expert but this is based on my firsthand experience:
Taking vitamin D supplements makes me feel *significantly* less depressed. Like, I have the potential to be normal, if I’ve consistently taken it. And if I haven’t, I will definitely be depressed, even if everything else is going great.
Now, vitamins aren’t exactly pseudo-science. They are, in fact, *actual science*. But I had a hard time taking certain people seriously about them.
But damned if it doesn’t make a demonstrative difference in my life.
Image source: thugarth, freepik
#15
Having blue eyes can make you prone to sneezing when exposed to bright light.
Image source: T*tShark, Tamba Budiarsana
#16
It’s really hard to drown in quicksand, but rather easy in a grain silo.
Image source: Woodie626, Arches National Park
#17
The lead-crime hypothesis. There was a massive increase in violent crime in a lot of countries between the 60s and the 90s that then disappeared, correlating with the addition and removal of leaded gasoline. You can google some studies that show a range of results, and there’s a good magazine article here. https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/02/an-updated-lead-crime-roundup-for-2018/.
Image source: iacte, kat wilcox
#18
Crazy to think cooling your wrist, behind the knee or inside elbow can cool the whole body due to blood proximity to the surface.
Image source: Stachemaster86, freepik
#19
VISUALIZING AND MIRROR NEURONs!! Research has showed that visualizing is actually incredibly powerful. It activates both motor neurons and mirror neurons. Watching someone do a squat with good form and visualizing yourself executing that same motion with good form are almost the same to your brain as physically doing it.
So if you’re working out, learning a dance etc. watch videos of other people doing it. Close your eyes and visualize yourself doing it, moving through the motion and then when you go to do it, it will be easier!
Image source: SadQueerBruja, DC Studio
#20
That the water content of bamboo is affected by what phase the moon is in.
Image source: Hardy-fig-dreaming19, erika m
#21
Seeing with your tongue is possible by wearing a special helmet with a camera and an electric plate on your tongue that transmits low-voltage signals via the plate. The brain will interpret that information through the visual cortex.
The technique has also been used to help people with a malfunctioning cerebellum by helping them restore their balance.
Image source: ChronoLegion2, freepik
#22
Quantum mechanics. All of it, but especially antimatter and the way the little bits pop in and out of existence.
Image source: tralfamadoriest, DC Studio
#23
If you hold a pencil between your teeth, forcing your mouth into a grin-like shape, it will make you evaluate your mood more positively. Your brain responds to body movements and postures, and this way you can trick the brain into thinking you’ve been smiling all day.
Image source: rainbow_drab, krakenimages.com
#24
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for depression.
I told my doctor it sounded like pseudoscience once a long time ago, but I later found out that it really is a legit thing.
I haven’t actually done it myself though, and I’ve heard personal reviews on both ends of the spectrum.
Image source: Linkums, pvproductions
#25
Fascia. Biology and anatomy ignored it until pretty recently, and it’s probably the #1 cause of most general pain and aches.
Image source: Mrsbennefits, stefamerpik
#26
That cosmic rays (neutrinos) are responsible for a lot of random computer errors. The smaller components are and the less electricity the need makes them more susceptible to interference. They carry very little electrical charge but enough to flip zeros to ones. The wrong flip, and oops not working correctly…. temporarily. This is why turning things off and on again fixes so many issues.
Image source: Sonova_Vondruke, Alienware
#27
Time moves slower closer to center of masses. So if you were to fly around the world, you’re time traveling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafele%E2%80%93Keating_experiment.
Image source: not_a_moogle, Universal Pictures
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