That stat about how many spiders you swallow in your sleep being a myth actually surprised me

So I was reading this entomology blog last week (weird hobby, I know) and they broke down how the whole 'you swallow 8 spiders a year' thing started as a hoax. Some guy in the 90s made it up to show how easily people believe internet facts. I always thought it was a legit study. Now I'm wondering what else I just accept without checking. Anyone else find out a common 'fact' was completely made up?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_palmer1mo ago

My sister actually took a journalism class and their first assignment was to fact check the 10% brain myth - that's how I finally learned the truth. I started using Snopes for anything that sounds too good or too weird, it catches most of these old myths that just keep circling around. Now I just assume any "fact" that makes for a good story probably has some holes in it.

verar211mo ago

Yeah I actually fact check everything now after I spent years telling people that we only use 10% of our brains. Turns out that one's totally made up too. If you want to test stuff fast, just look for the original source or study instead of websites that repeat it. For health or science facts, try searching with the word "myth" or "debunked" after the claim. Most of these fake facts are older than the internet and just keep getting shared because they sound good.

valw361mo ago

Turns out that one's totally made up too" - man, that hit me hard. I was one of those people who told the 10% brain myth to everyone for years, even used it in a school presentation once. Makes me wonder how many other "facts" I've been walking around believing my whole life.