There are an awful lot of bits of knowledge out there that most of us just sort of accept as the truth, but what if everything we think we know is actually wrong? BuzzFeed Blue’s latest video strongly suggests that that’s the case: Titled “12 Lies Everyone Accepts as Fact,” it blows the lid off of a lot of pieces of “common knowledge” that it turns out aren’t actually true at all. We probably all owe at least one person an apology now, because I’m willing to bet we’ve all spread around a few of these “facts” before without knowing the whole story.
I should probably take this moment to acknowledge that I get a huge kick out of weird trivia; as such, I’m more than happy to add these addenda to the store of other weird facts I keep locked up tight in my noggin (remember what Neil deGrasse Tyson told us yesterday? Curiosity is awesome!). If, however, you would rather remain in blissful ignorance, you may want to click away now. I mean it. You’ve been warned.
Still here? Okay. You clearly have a thirst for knowledge. Here are six of my favorites; scroll down to watch the video and see all 12:
Myth: Alcohol Warms You Up
Mythbusters actually tackled this one once. Here’s the deal: Alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate, which in turn moves warm blood closer to the surface of your skin; that’s why you feel a tiny bit warmer after knocking back a shot. But it also means you lose core body heat. A word of advice: Don’t drink anything offered to you by a Saint Bernard in the middle of snowstorm. You might get hypothermia.
Myth: Alcohol Kills Brain Cells
While we’re on the subject of booze, let’s take a look at this old classic, shall we? According to SciShow, your body can recover from most of the damage caused by alcohol; so no, having a drink every now and again won’t kill your brain. However, severe alcoholics can develop something called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which can result in a loss of neurons in some parts of the brain.
Myth: Twinkies Are So Full of Preservatives They’ll Probably Survive the Apocalypse
This is what an unopened Twinkie looks like after 10 to 15 years. Warning: Once seen, it cannot be unseen.
Myth: It’s Dangerous to Wake a Sleepwalker
Contrary to popular belief, you won’t cause a heart attack in a sleepwalker if you try to wake them up. They will, however, be incredibly disoriented, so you still might want to guide them back to bed without waking them if you can.
Myth: Vitamin C Will Stop You from Getting Sick
Damn. I woke up with the beginnings of a sore throat today. Looks like I’m getting sick no matter what I do, because there’s absolutely no evidence that vitamin C does anything to help.
Myth: Humans Have Five Senses
Some scientists actually think we’ve got 21 senses, including itch, hunger, “magnetoception” (that is, the ability to sense magnetic fields), and more. Aristotle is credited for coming up with the five-senses model (touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell).
Watch the whole video below. TIL, right?
Images: BuzzFeed Blue/YouTube (7)
