4 Myths That Most People Believe

Although we are in the XXI century and in the middle of the information age, there are many ideas that survive shared by a good part of society, myths that most people believe.

The truth is that the human being is very credulous and tends to think that a majority – especially, if it is related or a group to which it belongs – supports a thesis, this is true.

The first of those myths that most people believe is that those who repeat them are not intelligent or enlightened enough. This is not true, since even great scientists, including Nobel Laureates, have come to believe these lies . Such “false truths” acquire such force that they sometimes make even the most skeptical fall.

Everything indicates that human beings are very given to letting ourselves be carried away by intuition  and the impact of the majorities. In addition, we love to comment on everything and we do it based on what we have heard out there, without stopping to analyze the validity or data that supports it.

For the sample, here are examples of those myths that most people believe, even though they have already been proven false.

1. One of the cerebral hemispheres dominates

One of the myths that most people believe is that one of the two cerebral hemispheres dominates over the other; a predominance in regulation that would determine a large part of our personality. In this way, depending on the hemisphere that dominates, we will be more rational or emotional  or more scientific or artistic.

The truth is that the brain does have specialized areas , but none of them is in competition with the others for dominance and, in addition, finally, all are interconnected and influence each other.

If we are better in one area than another, it is not because one of the hemispheres prevails over the other, but because of other factors, such as genetics, learning, experiences, etc.

2. Intelligence and one of the myths that most people believe

This is one of the myths that most people believe and within that majority there are many psychologists, pedagogues, teachers, etc. It is said that intelligence can be evaluated through psychometric tests, when the idea is, if we are rigorous, somewhat debatable.

The expert Julián de Zubiría points out that it was previously believed that the socio-affective  and practical dimensions , as well as the knowledge acquired, did not influence intelligence. Today it is known that it does and that these tests cannot measure metacognition. In fact, Zubiría points out that in no aspect “are there tests to evaluate complex processes in a short time.”

3. Alcohol kills neurons

There are many myths about alcohol that most people believe and they are not true. It is said, for example, that drinking alcohol kills neurons, when this is not true. What is certain is that excessive drinking for a long time can damage the connections between neurons and cause atrophy and degeneration in them.

Another widespread, and dangerous, myth says that alcohol works to keep the body warm. The truth is that this substance does generate the sensation of heat in the body, but in reality its effect is to lower body temperature. So, in fact, it is dangerous to drink alcohol when it is very cold.

4. People are unmotivated

Another widespread myth is to point out that if people stop doing something or do it halfway, it is due to a lack of motivation, simply. The truth is that people always have motivations to do or not to do. What happens is that sometimes our motivations do not match what we are expected to do.

Something similar occurs when it is said that a person “does not find meaning” in life or a specific activity. Human beings give meaning to everything, what happens is that sometimes that meaning is wrong. Thus, a person who “does not find meaning in life” what he actually does is give him a sense of boredom, sadness, etc.

As you can see, all these myths show us that sometimes we take certain realities for granted just because we see that other people do. Therefore, we would do well to increase our critical sense, even about hypotheses that are widely shared, listening to the statements of those who are really experts on this subject.