What popular myth did you believe for years before realizing it was wrong?

[Siajanua2027]

• Here are other common myths that are not true:
  Goldfish Memory: Goldfish have a memory span of about three months, not three seconds.
  Sharks Smell Blood: Sharks cannot smell a tiny drop of blood from a mile away.
  Gum Digestion: Swallowed chewing gum does not take seven years to digest; it passes through the system.
  Alcohol Warms You Up: Alcohol actually lowers your core body temperature by dilating blood vessels.
  Bats are Blind: Bats can see and use echolocation.
  Napoleon's Height: Napoleon was not unusually short; he was roughly 5'7", which was average for his time.
  Cracking Knuckles causes Arthritis: This action is harmless and does not lead to arthritis.

[NathanDavis]

not exactly a myth, but...

something I realized till I was 20 something years old... there are people out there in this world who eat white plain rice!!!

I kind of knew it, I had even seen it but I never really registered the fact that... a lot of people actually cook plain rice, and some don't even add anything later, they just have it like that

I've always had "Mexican rice" meaning, the seasoning and flavor go in there, by default...

[exitseven]

if you do not wait a half hour after eating to go swimming you will get a cramp.
If you jerk off you will go blind.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO

[CriminallyInsane]

My grandma always had me convinced about something about swimming too soon after eating was bad but I think there's really nothing to that?

[Xawyx-2]

I knew most of those myths were not real, but I believed in the first two.

[beefcakebradybatson]

My father, like Mr. Bonaparte, was 5'7" and a lumberjack (yes, there are black lumberjacks!) and boxer.