That’s not true!

15 myths about the human body you should stop believing

Image: The New York Public Library

Think you know your body? Think again. Many "facts" we hear about the human body are actually just popular myths that have been long debunked by science. From the color of your blood to the capacity of your brain, join us as we separate truth from fiction.

Image: David Matos

Myth: We only use 10% of our brains.

Truth: Brain scans show that most areas of the brain are active even during simple tasks. Modern advanced imaging reveals that nearly all parts of the brain have specific roles. This is why damage to any area can lead to severe impairments. Come on, this one was fairly obvious, evolution wouldn’t keep an organ with 90% redundancy.

Image: Tekara

Myth: Swallowed gum stays in your stomach for seven years.

Truth: Gum passes through your digestive system just like any other non-digestible materials. This means that, while it’s true that it cannot be broken down, it will simply exit your body within a few days, along with waste. There’s really no evidence of gum lingering in your stomach for years after swallowing.

Image: Eddie Jones

Myth: Cracking knuckles causes arthritis.

Truth: Studies show no link between knuckle cracking and arthritis. The sound it makes might make you cringe a bit, but it actually comes from minuscule gas bubbles collapsing in joint fluid, not bone damage. In fact, knuckle cracking indicates normal joint function. Arthritis is caused by other factors like age, genetics, and injuries.

Image: Supply

Myth: Shaving makes hair grow back thicker.

Truth: Who hasn’t heard this one? A very popular myth, it has long been debunked. The truth is that shaving can make hair appear thicker because unshaven hair ends in fine points, while shaving cuts it at the surface, leaving a blunt edge that feels coarser. However, hair regrowth is determined solely by genetics and hormones, not by how it’s trimmed.

Image: Hush Naidoo Jade Photography

Myth: Blood is blue in your veins and red when exposed to air.

Truth: Blood is always red, though it can appear blue under the skin due to an optical effect caused by light diffraction. However, the oxygen level in blood can actually affect its hue, that goes from a bright red (oxygen-rich) to a darker red (oxygen-poor).

Image: Myriam Zilles

Myth: Sugar makes kids hyperactive.

Truth: Research consistently shows no direct link between sugar consumption and hyperactivity. If you are a parent, you might be convinced otherwise, but data suggests that this is often a case of self-fulfilling prophecy. Parents' expectations (as well as children’s awareness of the myth) can influence perceived—or very real—behavior changes, but sugar itself is not the culprit here.

Image: Cole Patrick

Myth: You lose most body heat through your head.

Truth: Mothers may cringe at this, but no, the head is not the heat sink many believe it to be. Heat loss simply depends on the exposed area. If your head is uncovered while the rest of your body is insulated, it might feel like most heat escapes from your head—but it’s not necessarily the primary heat-loss site.

Image: Eeshan Garg

Myth: Drinking alcohol kills brain cells.

Truth: Alcohol is far from being good for you, but it doesn’t literally kill brain cells as many believe. Instead, it can impair the communication between them. Among other things, long-term excessive drinking can damage dendrites, leading to cognitive and behavioral changes, but the cells themselves remain intact. Moreover, with a healthy lifestyle and given enough time, the brain can actually repair itself to some extent.

Image: Sean Benesh

Myth: Different parts of your tongue taste specific flavors.

Truth: Ever seen a taste map showing specific areas of the tongue associated with certain flavors? Well, forget it. It turns out that taste receptors for sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are actually distributed evenly across the tongue. The "tongue map" was a misinterpretation of early research.

Image: Klim Sergeev

Myth: Reading in dim light damages your eyes.

Truth: Another parental favorite. While dim lighting can temporarily strain your eyes, it doesn’t cause any permanent damage. Your eyes adapt to low light but may need time to adjust back.

Image: Clay Banks

Myth: Sweating removes toxins.

Truth: Sweat is mostly water and salts, not toxins. The liver and kidneys handle detoxification, while sweat’s primary role is regulating body temperature.

Image: rashid khreiss

Myth: Hair and nails keep growing after death.

Truth: After death, the skin dehydrates and retracts, giving the appearance of growth. Hair and nail cells require living tissue to grow, which ceases after death.

Image: Harry Quan

Myth: Humans only have five senses.

Truth: In addition to sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing, we have other important senses like balance (vestibular), temperature (thermoception), and body position (proprioception). Some scientists count up to 33 senses in total! Bet this one caught you off guard.

Image: Trust Tru Katsande

Myth: Sweating leads to fat loss.

Truth: Just like the "sweat = toxins" myth, this is simply not true. Sweat loss reflects water weight, not fat loss. While you might weigh slightly less after intense exercise, you’ll regain that weight after rehydrating. Fat is burned through metabolic processes, not perspiration.

Image: Tamara Bellis

Myth: The phases of the moon influence hair growth.

Truth: There is no scientific evidence linking moon phases to hair growth. This myth likely originated from agricultural practices that encourage planting seeds according to the moon's phases (also not scientifically proven). Studies show that hair growth is primarily determined by genetics, nutrition, and overall health, not lunar cycles. As long as you are healthy, hair grows at a consistent rate, regardless of the moon's phase.

Which of these is your favorite?

The rise of the The’s: did you know these 12 bands starting with "The"?

Image: Markus Spiske

It may have started as a way of adding elegance or formality to the whole affair. Instead of just being called "Bugs", the members of the band decided to call themselves "The Bugs". After all, it’s not the same saying "We are Bugs" as saying "We are The Bugs". Or maybe not, and there were as many reasons as bands with the "The" article slapped at the front of their names. In any case, there were a lot of those. Which of these 12 bands do you like the best?

Image: 2H Media

Probably the most famous "The" band in the entire world, The Beatles created their name as a mixture of the words "beetles" and "beat", which was their music style.

Image: Jon Tyson

The Rolling Stones got their name from a Muddy Waters LP aptly named "Rollin’ Stone". The name came up when Brian Jones was on a telephone call with the Jazz News magazine and the reporter asked for their name.

Image: Greyson Joralemon

Legendary punk band The Clash came up with their name in a time of social turmoil, strikes, and violence, when the word "clash" was all over the place. The band thought that this concept was very representative of them.

Image: Michael Effendy

When it comes to bands with "The" on their name, no one went as far as Matt Johnson’s The The. This name was suggested by the keyboard player to Johnson right before their live debut, probably as an ironic joke. But it stuck.

Image: Efe Yağız Soysal

Jokes are a recurring theme when it comes to naming bands and The Who was no exception. When brainstorming for a name, the members of the band wanted something that would deliberately sound like a joke when it was presented live.

Image: Joseph Pearson

This English band’s name wasn’t always as we know it. It started out as Easy Cure but Robert Smith, the founder, thought it sounded a bit "hippish" and changed it to The Easy Cure which, in turn, was shortened to The Cure.

Image: Matt Botsford

Bands’ names starting with the word "The" are nothing new. The American vocal pop group The Ink Spots gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s with their melodic tunes and their velvety voices. The name was suggested by member Deek Watson, inspired by the ink that came from a fountain pen.

Image: Desi Mendoza

This Canadian band’s name originated in a skit from the 1981 comedy Elephant Parts, in which a character exclaims, "Send some money to the foundation for the tragically hip."

Image: Honey Fangs

A band that was, at least partially, responsible for the return of the "The" bands in the early 2000s, The Strokes got their name after a brainstorming session when terrible names were thrown around, like the de Niros, the Rubber Bands, the Motels, Flattop Freddie and the Purple Canoes, until singer Julian Casablancas came up with The Strokes an everyone just agreed on it.

Image: Documerica

It’s no secret that Jim Morrison, The Doors’ singer was very much into poetry, and the rest of the band went along with it. Their original name, The Doors of Perception was inspired by a line from William Blake's poem, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. But it was eventually shortened to just The Doors.

Image: Matheus Ferrero

As it happens, the backing musicians to a solo performer are usually referred to as "the band". The Band, a Canadian-American rock group formed in 1967, originally started as the backing band for singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. That makes sense, right?

Image: Tim Toomey

The 1980s melodic punk rock band, The Replacements was originally called The Impediments. But, after several disastrous early performances, the band decided to distance themselves from their past and name themselves, The Replacements.