22 Common Misconceptions You've Always Believed (Until Now)

Not everything your parents told you is true.

Homer simpson brain
Fox

Bats are blind. You shouldn't wake a sleepwalker. Alcohol keeps you warm. These are some tidbits of information that are so common that we take them for granted. We assume they are true simply because of how pervasive they are throughout society. Some of these "facts" are passed down from generation to generation. You're parents tell you what their parents told them and so on and so forth.

Others are propagated by the media and the fiction we consume. Through these two processes misinformation is spread until it embeds itself as common knowledge. You'd think with the advent of the age of information that these misconceptions would die instantly, but while the internet has certainly made a difference, it spreads misinformation as fast it is debunks it. As a result, despite countless articles having been written debunking all kinds of commonly believed myths, many people continuing spreading them as fact.

The following are some of the myths many of us have been sold to as truths all our lives. Maybe you've heard of some of these; maybe you haven't, and there are plenty more out there if you care to know.

Whether you are just now learning the truth or have known all along, these are just some of the common misconceptions we'd been led to believe are facts.

22. Bananas Grow On Trees

Banana Sand
Pixabay

Banana plants may look like trees due to their immense size and thick stem, but they are actually one of the world€™'s largest herbs. This of course means that the banana is technically a berry. Who€™d have thought?

21. Shaving Thickens Your Hair

Britney Spears shaving her head
Having bad day? If Britney can survive 2007, you can survive today!

Contrary to what you may have been told, shaving has no effect on the thickness or growth rate of your hair. The outer part of the hair follicle is already dead; it only feels thicker because of the coarseness of the cut.

 
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Contributor

Film and video game obsessed philosophy major raised by Godzilla, Goku, and Doomguy.