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    14 Specific Things People Commonly Accept As Fact (But Are Actually False)

    Let's talk about pineapples...

    Fabiana Buontempo
    by Fabiana Buontempo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Do you ever stop and think about things we were taught to believe to be true that might not actually be? Well, redditor u/helloimcomingin has clearly given this some thought, because they asked the Reddit community, "What do people commonly accept as fact but is actually false?" I'm surprised by a lot of these responses. Here are some of them.

    A man looking so confused
    Pop TV

    1. "That gum stays in your stomach for seven years if you swallow it."

    A person putting a piece of gum in their mouth
    Marianvejcik / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    —u/YourLocalDumbPersonn

    It does not. It actually moves through your digestive system and comes out in your stool.

    2. "You’ll catch a cold if you go outside and it’s cold."

    —u/Actual-Willingness27

    It's not true. Viruses transmitted through bodily fluids — sneezes, coughs — cause colds or the flu.

    "Or with wet hair. Heard that one a lot."

    —u/7grendel

    3. "That polygraph tests can actually detect lying."

    A person's hands in a polygraph test
    Undefined Undefined / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    —u/Organic_Peanut

    There's no evidence that these tests actually detect lying.

    4. "Carrots make your vision better. They may have vitamins that promote eye health, but they're no different from most foods with those vitamins."

    Little kid eating carrots
    Miodrag Ignjatovic / Getty Images

    —u/wilkinsk

    5. "You will get warts if you touch a frog. No, you won't, because warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV)."

    —u/GingerlyMarlin1

    6. "That the heart is placed on your left side. It's actually only slightly left of center."

    —u/throwaway_311456

    7. "Scratching poison ivy spreads the infection. It doesn't."

    A person scratching their arm with the caption, "The rash only appears when the plant oil has touched the skin"
    Asiavision / Getty Images

    —u/ChappaQuitIt

    8. "People only use 10% of their brain."

    —u/BeefBurritoed

    This isn't true — several types of brain imaging studies show that there isn't a part of the brain that is completely inactive.

    9. "Buying a car is the best way to build credit."

    A man and a car salesperson in a car showroom
    Fg Trade / Getty Images

    —u/Upset-Chemist-4063

    (It only really helps to increase your credit score if you make your monthly payments on time.)

    10. "Shaving your beard makes it grow back thicker. This isn't true."

    A man shaving his beard
    Andrii Lysenko / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    —u/Electrical_You2889

    11. "Antibiotics work for viruses."

    —u/Dry-Locksmith-1214

    This isn't true, because antibiotics don't treat viruses.

    12. "Sell-by dates on salt."

    A person putting salt into a pot with the caption, "Salt products that contain iodine or seasonings that contain other ingredients can deteriorate over time"
    Aleksandr Zubkov / Getty Images

    —u/theProfileGuy

    Only certain types of salt should be used by a specific date.

    13. "Pineapples grow on trees. They don't."

    A pineapple growing in a plant with the caption, "Grows on plants at ground level"
    Eko Yunanto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    —u/AlexanderGaddis

    14. "Fingernails keep growing after death. This isn't true."

    Fingernails on a hand with the caption, "The skin around them retracts, making nails appear longer"
    Basak Gurbuz Derma / Getty Images

    —u/Linedmann

    Are there any other untrue common myths that aren't on this list? Let us know in the comments.

    Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

    UPDATE