10 Bizarre Things We Used To Believe

You've probably seen the taste bud map at some point. It's that graphic that shows which portion of the tongue detects which flavour.

Not only is it amazing that we used to believe the tongue map was legitimate but a small amount of people still genuinely believe this how humans taste.

Note: you should not know how humans taste.

The tongue map dates back to research published in 1901 by German psychologist D.P Hanig. The paper showed very slight differences in reaction to various stimuli in different parts of the tongue.

It was based on the very subjective experiences of Hanig's volunteers, and the - again incredibly minor - differences became magnified in reporting and later perception of the study.

Hanig's conclusions were comprehensibly debunked in 1974, but the common belief in different tastebuds across the tongue has persisted for some reason.

The different tastes are actually just a result of proteins and prior experience. It's more your brain that dictates flavour. The tongue is just the system by which the information of taste is delivered. This is why one man's rubbish is another man's Marmite.