Freaky Friday Files: Popular Misconceptions & Myths
- ashey9111
- Mar 28
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Quick Update: 8th April 2025 - I made a YT video to go with this post. Check it out here!!
Hi friends! Happy Friday! For this week's edition of Freaky Friday Files, we are going to be discussing some popular misconceptions and myths - i.e., what people think about something that isn't exactly what it seems (I hope that makes sense). Some are general and some are about mysteries.
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Popular Misconceptions & Myths
You know that famous Valentine's Day photo of the sailor kissing his wife in Times Square after coming home from sea isn't actually his wife. The two people in the photo didn't know each other at all. Take note, men, don't kiss random strangers who aren't your wife.
There is a popular belief that when children go trick-or-treating on Halloween, the candy they bring back home is going to be laced with something. Obviously, this is such an extreme myth because dr*gs are expensive, and people aren't going to be giving them to kids. However, the rumour does stem from a specific case of the murder of 8-year-old Timothy O'Bryan. Timothy died after consuming a Pixy Stix that was laced with Potassium Cyanide. Following an investigation into Timothy's death, authorities found that his dad had just taken out a $31,000 life insurance policy on his children, and he was the one who laced the candy. The dad also tried to murder his two other children the same way. He was arrested and executed 10 years later.
Crop circles are most likely the work of severe weather conditions, NOT aliens (or human hoaxes).
Gut feelings are most likely your brain working overtime to analyse a situation, and you should probably listen to them (or not, I'm not your boss). In the most recent book I read the Mind-Gut Connection, there's scientific evidence to suggest that the brain and gut are connected more than we think they are - Buzzfeed says "Sometimes it might feel like your body is trying to tell you something in a gut feeling when in reality, your brain has already processed the situation and has sent a cue to your stomach before you've even realized it." I think we should think about gut feelings more.
The Bermuda Triangle has many legends about aircraft and ships going missing in the area. However, there's not actually any evidence of this. There's a cool travel blog "here" that makes the area look pretty inviting haha. If you want more of a deep dive into this, check out this "blog".
The Loch Ness Monster was a hoax - the photographer admitted to faking the photo. STOP LOOKING FOR NESSIE, SHE'S NOT REAL OK. It's very scary to think what things people fall for.
Spontaneous Human Combustion isn't real - and yep, I have to admit this one got me in high school. I have since learned to fact-check things.
Twinkies - An American candy believed to have a shelf life of a really long time ONLY actually have a shelf life of 7 - 10 days. Damn.
It's not clear whether Lizzie Borden actually killed her parents or not (maybe Sam and Colby will know).
Violent video games don't cause people to become violent. It's a myth. Video games can be good. It's more like if someone is more prone to being violent, they're going to be violent either way and maybe, just maybe, the violent video games might give them a safe space to live out their fantasies without hurting anyone in the real world. There's a lot of research into how video games can be good for development and coordination skills.
Bulls aren't enraged by the colour red, they are enraged by the bullfighters themselves.
Napoleon wasn't that short, he was about 5ft6-7 (which is very similar to my height).
THE WORLD ISN'T FLAT. I DON'T NEED A REFERENCE FOR THIS ONE IT SHOULD BE COMMON KNOWLEDGE. But I do wonder if a lot of flat earthers are looking for community and a sense of belonging?
Women in the Salem Witch Trials (and others) weren't witches, they were more likely to be accused of being a witch if they deviated from social norms and standards. It was hysteria/moral panic - kinda like the moral panic of daycare sex abuse. Come on guys, do better. Should I write blog posts and make YT videos about moral panics?
Black holes aren't always black and they don't suck everything in.
There's not actually a waiting period to report a person missing. If you think they are missing, report them missing as soon as possible. DON'T WAIT 24 HOURS.
MSG is not bad for you. Many people are racist.
There is a myth that lightning never strikes in the same place twice or the same person more than once. This one is obviously a myth. I've read plenty of accounts of people who have been struck by lightning more than once.
One side of the brain can't be more dominant, so none of us are left-brained or right-brained.
Lie Detector Tests aren't used to determine whether someone is lying - they measure their physiological responses to questions (and that's what people use to determine - but it's not always correct).
There's a misconception that if you remember your dreams after sleep you had a good sleep. But because you dream in REM, you're more likely to have had a poorer sleep if you remember your dreams.
Goldfish don't have a memory of 3 seconds; some studies suggest that they can remember things for up to 5 months.
It doesn't take 7 years to digest gum, your body can't digest it at all. It just moves through your body.
Cracking your knuckles doesn't cause arthritis, but please don't do it around me; it's an ick of mine, eeeeugh.
I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Freaky Friday Files!
Thanks for reading,
Ash
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