Suburban Myths

[Al-Indunisiy]

Suburban Myths

Suburban myths are common misconceptions that are uncritically passed on as established truths by "experts" and non-experts alike. Suburban myths should not be confused with urban legends.

Myth 1. We use only 10% of our brain.* (More.)

Myth 2. Prescription drugs are one of the leading causes of death.

Myth 3. Most medical treatments have never been clinically tested.

Myth 4. Evolution is just a theory. Creationism is a theory, too. To be fair to our children, we should teach them both.

Myth 5. Jeane Dixon predicted President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Myth 6. The brain is more insightful and productive in the alpha state.

Myth 7. There are Men in Black who are government agents whose function is to visit UFO witnesses and warn them not to tell anyone about their UFO experiences.

Myth 8. Kenneth Arnold saw a flying saucer in 1947.

Myth 9. Altered states of consciousness transport a person to a higher state of awareness and productivity.

Myth 10. There is a curse on the Kennedy family.

Myth 11. Demons can take possession of your soul.

Myth 12. There is a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world.

Myth 13. Walking on hot coals without burning one's feet requires paranormal or supernatural powers.

Myth 14. The near-death experience is typically pleasant and blissful, involving a feeling of moving through a tunnel into a bright light.

Myth 15. We usually unconsciously repress traumatic experiences.

Myth 16. Edgar Cayce was illiterate.

Myth 17. Hypnosis is a gateway to the unconscious mind.

Myth 18. At the equinox, an egg will balance on its end* and on either side of the equator water going down a drain will rotate differently.*

Myth 19. Medical doctors typically know nothing about nutrition.

Myth 20. Physicists do not know how it is possible for the common housefly to fly.

Myth 21. Faith healing works.*

Myth 22. Dr. Randolph Byrd scientifically proved that prayer can heal.

Myth 23. Even if Dr. Byrd failed, others have succeeded in proving scientifically that prayer heals.

Myth 24. You can raise your I.Q., SAT score, and dissolve brain tumors by listening to Mozart.

Myth 25. Transplant organs carry personality traits which are transferred from donors to receivers.

Myth 26. More ships and aircraft have vanished without a trace in the waters between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico than anywhere else of equal area.

Myth 27. The way a person makes marks on paper captures one's personality and hidden intentions.

Myth 28. The polygraph is a reliable device for telling when a person is lying or telling the truth.

Myth 29. Einstein believed in a personal Creator.*

Myth 30. Domestic violence significantly increases on Super Bowl Sunday.*

Myth 31. Crimes, mental illness, suicides, and emergency room visits increase when there is a full moon.

Myth 32. The second law of thermodynamics proves that evolution is wrong.

Myth 33. Darwin's theory of evolution, the theory of natural selection, implies inequality of sexes, races, and nations.

Myth 34. Creationism implies that evolution and the Big Bang theory are false.

Myth 35. In the year 2000, because of unusual planetary alignments on May 5th, the polar ice caps will melt and there will be great earthquakes caused by tidal forces.

Myth 36. Lemmings commit mass suicide.*

Myth 37. Militant fundamentalist (anti-evolution) Christians make up the majority of Christians.

Myth 38. Possessing a US Patent on a device means that one has a working device. ("A working model, or other physical exhibit, may be required by the Office if deemed necessary. This is not done very often. A working model may be requested in the case of applications for patent for alleged perpetual motion devices." Emphasis added.)

Myth 39. The Eisenhower Interstate Highway System requires that one mile in every five must be straight so they can be used as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

Myth 40. Subliminal advertising has been empirically proven to work.

Myth 41. False memories of abuse are always implanted by poorly trained therapists through hypnosis and recovered memories are more reliable if they occur outside of therapy.

Myth 42. Einstein believed in astrology.

Myth 43. Suicide increases over the holidays.

Myth 44. NASA faked the moon landings.*

Myth 45. Scientists have proved that the brain is really two brains and each has its own domain: the left hemisphere is the seat of our logical, analytical, scientific self and our right hemisphere is the seat of our intuitive, creative, artistic, emotional self.*

Myth 46. Switching to a low-tar, low-nicotine cigarette will reduce one's chances of being exposed to the carcinogens in cigarette smoke.

Myth 47. Vaccination* of children with the (MMR) vaccine to prevent measles, mumps and rubella causes autism.*

Myth 48. Christopher Columbus thought the earth was flat.

Myth 49. The Inuit have hundreds of words or for snow.*

Myth 50. Bernoulli's principle completely explains why all forms of flight are possible.

Myth 51. Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet and his name is the origin of the vulgar expression for defecation.

Myth 52. Atheists are appealing to the Federal Communications Commission to ban religious broadcasting.*

Myth 53. Sugar causes hyperactivity in children.

Myth 54. Alcohol, especially red wine, is good for your health.*(read this one carefully and to the end) and *

Myth 55. A migraine is just a bad headache and not life-threatening.*


Myth 56. Kirlian photography has shown "phantom limbs", e.g., when a leaf is placed on the plate and then torn in half and "photographed", the whole leaf shows up in the picture, proving that things have auras.

Myth 57. Water runs down the drain clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere due to the Coriolus effect.

Myth 58. The moon can trigger ovulation and bring on fertility depending on what phase the moon was at when you were born.

Myth 59. The mercury in dental amalgam is poisoning people.*

Myth 60. You should drink eight glasses of water a day for good health.* One study, however, does seem to have good evidence that drinking five glasses a day is better than drinking two or fewer with respect to fatal coronary heart disease.

Myth 61. The Declaration of Independence was signed by all signatories on July 4, 1776, as depicted in the painting by John Turnbull.

Myth 62. Charles Darwin renounced evolution and his theory of natural selection on his deathbed.

Myth 63. People who were present at the opening of King Tutankhamen's tomb were exposed to the "mummy's curse" and died soon afterward.

Myth 64. Women have more ribs than men do.

Myth 65. The Grimm brothers recorded an oral tradition of story-telling by simple, uneducated peasants in Germany.


Myth 66. The moon is a strong source of gravitational energy on the human body.

Myth 67. Nine months after a power outage, there is a significant increase in the number of babies born.*

Myth 68. A patent commissioner once wrote in his letter of resignation that "everything that can be invented has been invented."

Myth 69. Darwin admitted that it was impossible to explain the origin of the eye by natural selection.*

Myth 70. The 9/11 terrorist attacks on several targets in the U.S. were predicted by the Koran.


Myth 71. A diet low in animal fat will prevent high cholesterol which will prevent atherosclerosis which will make you immune to having a heart attack.

Myth 72. Pasteur renounced all his works on his death bed.

Myth 73. Laetrile is an effective cancer treatment whose humanitarian discoverer has been persecuted, depriving millions of people of the benefits of this wonder drug.

Myth 74. Peptic ulcers are caused by stress and eating spicy food.*

Myth 75. Fingerprint identification used by law enforcement agencies has been validated by many scientific studies that have proven that every person has a unique set of fingerprints. Furthermore, experts in fingerprint identification have passed a rigorous exam to test their ability to match fingerprints under controlled conditions.

Myth 76. Freud based his early view of neurosis on frequent reports from his female patients that they had been sexually abused in childhood.

Myth 77. Freud published numerous reports documenting that his patients had been fantasizing sexual abuse.

Myth 78. One in five children is approached by an online sexual predator. (This is a distortion of a survey result that found that 19 percent of young Internet users received an unwanted sexual solicitation in the past year. Only 3% reported being solicited on the Internet and none of these led to an actual assault. Also, Ben Radford noted that in this survey "A 'sexual solicitation' is defined as a 'request to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk or give personal sexual information that was unwanted....'" )

Myth 79. For a fee, you can have a star officially named for you or anyone you choose.

Myth 80. President Ronald Reagan cut government spending, lowered taxes, reduced the deficit, got government off our backs by deregulation, and encouraged free market economies abroad.

Myth 81. Beethoven's mother had tuberculosis, his father had syphilis, his four siblings were born blind, stillborn, deaf and dumb, and with tuberculosis (variations of this pseudo family history are used by anti-abortionists in a very illogical argument).

Myth 82. Organic farming produces food that is safer,* healthier, tastier and better for the environment than food produced by conventional farming.*

Myth 83. A study was published in the Western Journal of Medicine that showed changing the letters EPHO (each letter representing a drug being used to treat small-cell lung cancer) to HOPE led to a spectacular increase in positive response to the treatment.

Myth 84. Eight Jesuits survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by praying the rosary.

Myth 85. Every day 35-150 species become extinct,* mostly in rain forests and most undiscovered by humans at the time of their extinction.* One-half of all species will be extinct in 100 years.* [Note: species are going extinct because of human behavior; the numbers are exaggerations or distortions of data from models reported in Nature. Most species that have ever existed have already gone extinct.*]

____

Myths 86-89, thanks to the British Medical Journal:

Myth 86. There are several effective cures for a hangover.
Myth 87. People who eat late at night gain more weight than those who eat the same amount of food earlier in the day.
Myth 88. More heat escapes from the head than any other part of the body.
Myth 89. Poinsettias are poisonous.
Myth 90. Scientists in the 1970s predicted imminent global cooling and a looming ice age.

http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/suburbanmyths.html

I'll put the details on some later.

[Muezzin]

Suburban Myths

Suburban myths are common misconceptions that are uncritically passed on as established truths by "experts" and non-experts alike. Suburban myths should not be confused with urban legends.

Myth 1. We use only 10% of our brain.* (More.)

This one is a pretty silly myth if you think about it, bearing in mind how the human brain actually works.

It's not that we only use a certain percentage of our brain - it's that different parts of the brain deal with different physical or mental tasks. So it's rare that in any given task, we are exercising all parts of the brain equally. That is not at all to say the parts of the brain that are not working particularly hard at any given moment are completely useless - they're just not required at that particular moment in time, for that particular task.

[CosmicPathos]

This one is a pretty silly myth if you think about it, bearing in mind how the human brain actually works.

It's not that we only use a certain percentage of our brain - it's that different parts of the brain deal with different physical or mental tasks. So it's rare that in any given task, we are exercising all parts of the brain equally. That is not at all to say the parts of the brain that are not working particularly hard at any given moment are completely useless - they're just not required at that particular moment in time, for that particular task.

Not really. Not all of the brain is used for logical thinking. For most people, a certain lobe in the left cerebral hemisphere is involved in logic and analytical reasoning. Maybe what is meant is that this area of reasoning is 10% of the total brain size ... I am not sure though if that area is indeed 10% of the total brain tissue. But yea, the wording is unclear .... and very general

[Muezzin]

Not really. Not all of the brain is used for logical thinking.

Where did my post contradict that? :)

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[CosmicPathos]

Where did my post contradict that? :)

I never meant that brother. Just an addendum to what you said. :statisfie

[Muezzin]

Here's what Snopes has to say about the brain myth:

The Ten-Percent Myth

Claim: We use only ten percent of our brains.

Status: False.

Origins: Someone has taken most of your brain away and you probably didn't even know it. Well, not taken your brain away, exactly, but decided that you don't use it. It's the old myth heard time and again about how people use only ten percent of their brains. While for the people who repeat that myth, it's probably true, the rest of us happily use all of our brains.

The Myth and the Media

That tired Ten-Percent claim pops up all the time. In 1998, national magazine ads for U.S. Satellite Broadcasting showed a drawing of a brain. Under it was the caption, "You only use 11 percent of its potential." Well, they're a little closer than the ten-percent figure, but still off by about 89 percent. In July 1998, ABC television ran promotional spots for The Secret Lives of Men, one of their offerings for the fall season's lineup. The spot featured a full-screen blurb that read, "Men only use ten percent of their brains."

One reason this myth has endured is that it has been adopted by psychics and other paranormal pushers to explain psychic powers. On more than one occasion I've heard psychics tell their audiences, "We only use ten percent of our minds. If scientists don't know what we do with the other
ninety percent, it must be used for psychic powers!" In Reason To Believe: A Practical Guide to Psychic Phenomena, author Michael Clark mentions a man named Craig Karges. Karges charges a lot of money for his "Intuitive Edge" program, designed to develop natural psychic abilities. Clark quotes Karges as saying: "We normally use only 10 to 20 percent of our minds. Think how different your life would be if you could utilize that other 80 to 90 percent known as the subconscious mind."

This was also the reason that Caroline Myss gave for her alleged intuitive powers on a segment of Eye to Eye with Bryant Gumbel, which aired in July of 1998. Myss, who has written books on unleashing "intuitive powers," said that everyone has intuitive gifts, and lamented that we use so little of the mind's potential. To make matters worse, just the week before, on the very same program, correct information was presented about the myth. In a bumper spot between the program and commercials, a quick quiz flashed onscreen: What percentage of the brain is used? The multiple-choice answers ranged from 10 percent to 100 percent. The correct answer appeared, which I was glad to see. But if the producers knew that what one of their interviewees said is clearly and demonstrably inaccurate, why did they let it air? Does the right brain not know what the left brain is doing? Perhaps the Myss interview was a repeat, in which case the producers presumably checked her facts after it aired and felt some responsibility to correct the error in the following week's broadcast. Or possibly the broadcasts aired in sequence and the producers simply did not care and broadcast Myss and her misinformation anyway.

Even Uri Geller, who has made a career out of trying to convince people he can bend metal with his mind, trots out this little gem. This claim appears in his book Uri Geller's Mind-Power Book in the introduction: "Our minds are capable of remarkable, incredible feats, yet we don't use them to their full capacity. In fact, most of us only use about 10 per cent of our brains, if that. The other 90 per cent is full of untapped potential and undiscovered abilities, which means our minds are only operating in a very limited way instead of at full stretch. I believe that we once had full power over our minds. We had to, in order to survive, but as our world has become more sophisticated and complex we have forgotten many of the abilities we once had" (italicized phrases emphasized in original).

Evidence Against the Ten-Percent Myth

The argument that psychic powers come from the unused majority of the brain is based on the logical fallacy of the argument from ignorance. In this fallacy, lack of proof for a position (or simply lack of information) is used to try to support a particular claim. Even if it were true that the vast majority of the human mind is unused (which it clearly is not), that fact in no way implies that any extra capacity could somehow give people paranormal powers. This fallacy pops up all the time in paranormal claims, and is especially prevalent among UFO proponents. For example: Two people see a strange light in the sky. The first, a UFO believer, says, "See there! Can you explain that?" The skeptic replies that no, he can't. The UFO believer is gleeful. "Ha! You don't know what it is, so it must be aliens!" he says, arguing from ignorance.

What follows are two of the reasons that the Ten-Percent story is suspect. (For a much more thorough and detailed analysis of the subject, see Barry Beyerstein's chapter in the 1999 book Mind Myths: Exploring Everyday Mysteries of the Mind.)

1) Brain imaging research techniques such as PET scans (positron emission tomography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) clearly show that the vast majority of the brain does not lie fallow. Indeed, although certain minor functions may use only a small part of the brain at one time, any sufficiently complex set of activities or thought patterns will indeed use many parts of the brain. Just as people don't use all of their muscle groups at one time, they also don't use all of their brain at once. For any given activity, such as eating, watching television, making love, or reading, you may use a few specific parts of your brain. Over the course of a whole day, however, just about all of the brain is used at one time or another.

2) The myth presupposes an extreme localization of functions in the brain. If the "used" or "necessary" parts of the brain were scattered all around the organ, that would imply that much of the brain is in fact necessary. But the myth implies that the "used" part of the brain is a discrete area, and the "unused" part is like an appendix or tonsil, taking up space but essentially unnecessary. But if all those parts of the brain are unused, removal or damage to the "unused" part of the brain should be minor or unnoticed. Yet people who have suffered head trauma, a stroke, or other brain injury are frequently severely impaired. Have you ever heard a doctor say, ". . . But luckily when that bullet entered his skull, it only damaged the 90 percent of his brain he didn't use"? Of course not.

Variants of the Ten-Percent Myth

The myth is not simply a static, misunderstood factoid. It has several forms, and this adaptability gives it a shelf life longer than lacquered Spam. In the basic form, the myth claims that years ago a scientist discovered that we indeed did use only ten percent of our brains. Another variant is that only ten percent of the brain had been mapped, and this in turn became misunderstood as ten percent used. A third variant was described earlier by Craig Karges. This view is that the brain is somehow divided neatly into two parts: the conscious mind which is used ten to twenty percent of the time (presumably at capacity); and the subconscious mind, where the remaining eighty to ninety percent of the brain is unused. This description betrays a profound misunderstanding of brain function research.

Part of the reason for the long life of the myth is that if one variant can be proven incorrect, the person who held the belief can simply shift the reason for his belief to another basis, while the belief itself stays intact. So, for example, if a person is shown that PET scans depict activity throughout the entire brain, he can still claim that, well, the ninety percent figure really referred to the subconscious mind, and therefore the Ten-Percent figure is still basically correct.

Regardless of the exact version heard, the myth is spread and repeated, by both the well-meaning and the deliberately deceptive. The belief that remains, then, is what Robert J. Samuelson termed a "psycho-fact, [a] belief that, though not supported by hard evidence, is taken as real because its constant repetition changes the way we experience life." People who don't know any better will repeat it over and over, until, like the admonition against swimming right after you eat, the claim is widely believed. ("Triumph of the Psycho-Fact," Newsweek, 9 May 1994.)

The origins of the myth are not at all clear. Beyerstein, of the Brain Behaviour Laboratory at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, has traced it back to at least the early part of the century. A 1998 column in New Scientist magazine also suggested various roots, including Albert Einstein and Dale Carnegie ("Brain Drain"). It likely has a number of sources, principally misunderstood or misinterpreted legitimate scientific findings as well as self-help gurus.

The most powerful lure of the myth is probably the idea that we might develop psychic abilities, or at least gain a leg up on the competition by improving our memory or concentration. All this is available for the asking, the ads say, if we just tapped into our most incredible of organs, the brain. It is past time to put this myth to rest, although if it has survived at least a century so far, it will surely live on into the new millennium. Perhaps the best way to combat this chestnut is to reply to the speaker, when the myth is mentioned, "Oh? What part don't you use?"

Acknowledgments:

I am indebted to Dr. Barry Beyerstein for providing research help and suggestions.


Benjamin Radford is Managing Editor of the Skeptical Inquirer and holds a degree in psychology.

Last updated: 21 July 2007

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/10percent.asp

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2010 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.

"The Ten-Percent Myth" © 2000 by Benjamin Radford.
This article appears as part of the ULRP by permission of the author.
Sources Sources:

Beyerstein, Barry. Mind-Myths: Exploring Everyday Mysteries of the Mind and Brain.
New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1999.

Clark, Michael. Reason to Believe.
New York: Avon Books, 1997 (p. 56).

Geller, Uri and Jane Struthers. Uri Geller's Mind-power Book.
London, Virgin Books, 1996.

New Scientist. "The Last Word: Brain Drain."
19 December 1998.

Newsweek. "Triumph of the Psycho-Fact."
9 May 1994.

[Snowflake]

Myth 31. Crimes, mental illness, suicides, and emergency room visits increase when there is a full moon.

I believe there is truth in that.

The Qur’an says, “And he has subjected you to the night and day, and the sun and the moon and the stars are subjected by his command.” Many scientists believe that “subjected” in this context implies much more than simply being the basis for a calendar. Studies have shown that the moon, in fact, influences our moods and physical cycles.

Although most people today cannot tell you when the new or full moon will appear, these same lunar cycles can provide us with so much insight into fertility and mood cycles. It is more than obvious that the effects of the lunar cycle and its phases can be seen in numerous life forms, including fish, shellfish, insects, mammals (including humans), and plants.

For example, shellfish renew their shells, and undergo regeneration and sexual activity in accordance with the lunar tidal cycle. Guppy-fish have color sensitivity on their back that is most responsive during the full moon, and least responsive at the new moon. The golden hamster displays lunar rhythms in activity, and urinary volume and acidity.

Moon cycles are well known to hunters and fishermen. Sea creatures show a high lunar sensitivity; their reproductive cycles being affected by the rhythms of the moon. Exact lunar rhythms have been demonstrated in the reproductive cycles of fish. Oysters open their shells at high tide. Shrimpers flock to a full moon, at which time they predictably rise to the surface to feed.

Animal studies show that physical activity, metabolism, aggression, and sexual behavior are dramatically increased in many species at the time of the new and full moons. To deny that the moon affects the human species as well is shortsighted; however, many people around the world still feel compelled to debate and research the topic.

One Italian study (Ghiandoni et al, European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, March 1998, vol. 77, pp. 47-50) found a correlation between spontaneous full-term deliveries and the lunar month, with delivery day being correlated with the first or second day after the full moon. Most importantly, fertility cycles are synchronized with the moon; thus, couples wishing to conceive have the best results when they observe the moon’s cycles rather than solar cycles.

A Russian study (Lucatelli and Pane, Biofizika, Sept.-Oct. 1995) has found that in some cases of manic-depressive illness, "planetary locations in relation to the lunar month could be correlated with the susceptibility to bipolar manic-depressive syndrome. Other studies have found large correlations in emotional (including violent) acts around the full moon and a tendency for people to become depressed or introspective during the waning of the moon.

Traditional moon wisdom states that on the day of the New Moon the body's capacity for detoxification is at its highest. This is a time, tradition says, to make healthy lifestyle changes, break bad habits and withdraw symptoms of imbalance. This is in complete synchronization with the fact that the prophet used to fast on the days of the full moon, saying, "It is like fasting the whole year."



Read more: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...#ixzz0cRzFU1p5

Myth 2. Prescription drugs are one of the leading causes of death

Not just a myth. Together with medical errors, prescription drugs may be third leading causes of death. (U.S)

http://www.cancure.org/medical_errors.htm

[Al-Indunisiy]

:sl:
Myth no.40 : Subliminal advertising has been empirically proven to work.

subliminal

The subliminal is below the liminal (the smallest detectable sensation).

Anything truly below the level of detectable sensation could not, by definition, be perceived. However, the subliminal is generally said to be below the threshold of conscious perception. There is a widespread belief, not strongly supported by empirical research, that without being aware of its presence or content, a person's behavior can be significantly affected by subliminal messages. Thus, it is believed that one can influence behavior by surreptitiously appealing to the subconscious mind with words and images. If this were true, then advertisers could manipulate consumer behavior by hiding subliminal messages in their ads. The government, or Aunt Hilda for that matter, could control our minds and bodies by secretly communicating to us subliminally. Learners could learn while listening to music embedded with subliminal messages. Unfortunately, "...years of research has resulted in the demonstration of some very limited effects of subliminal stimulation" and no support for its efficaciousness in behavior modification (Hines, 312).

The fact that there is almost no empirical support for the usefulness of subliminal messaging has not prevented numerous industries from producing and marketing tapes which allegedly communicate directly with the unconscious mind, encouraging the "listener" not to steal, or coaching the "listener" to have courage or believe in his or her power to accomplish great things. Consumers spend more than $50 million each year on subliminal self-help products (Journal of Advertising Research, reported by Dennis Love, Sacramento Bee, 9-14-2000). A place called Hypnotictapes.com offers a wide array of such tapes developed by James H. Schmelter, a hypnotherapist with an MBA and self-proclaimed expertise in synergistic science. If Schmelter's stuff is not to your liking, try Mindwriter Subliminals... A Breakthrough In Human Reprogramming.

It is true that we can perceive things even though we are not conscious of perceiving them. However, for those who put messages in tapes and then record music over the messages so that the messages are drowned out by the music or other sounds, it might be useful to remember that if the messages are drowned out by other sounds, the only perceptions one can have are of the sounds drowning out the messages. There is no evidence of anyone hearing a message which is buried beneath layers of other sounds to the point where the message does not distinctly stand out. Of course, if the message distinctly stood out, it would not be subliminal.

The belief in the power of subliminal messaging to manipulate behavior seems to have originated in 1957 with James Vicary, an advertising promoter who claimed to increase popcorn sales by some 58% and Coke sales by some 18% in a New Jersey movie theater simply by flashing very briefly the messages "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungry - Eat Popcorn." Even though the claim has been shown to be a hoax, and even though no one has been able to duplicate the event, belief in the legend lingers. This story and several others were retold by Vance Packard in The Hidden Persuaders (1957), a book that became required reading for a generation of college students.

Belief in subliminal messaging reached a surreal apex in 1980 with the publication of The Clam-Plate Orgy and Other Subliminals the Media Use to Manipulate Your Behavior by Wilson Bryan Key. The book has been reissued under the sexier title: Subliminal Adventures in Erotic Art. Key claims that advertisers use subliminal messaging of a very serious sexual nature in order to manipulate behavior, including imbedding sexy figures and the word 'sex' in images of such things as ice cubes and food. While carefully examining a Howard Johnson's menu, Key saw that the plate of clams pictured on the menu was actually the portrayal of a sexual orgy which included various people and a donkey. Among Key's many unfounded claims is that the unconscious mind processes subliminal messages at the speed of light. Actually, the fastest brain process chugs along at some 40 m.p.h. (Hines).

Despite the fact that there is no body of empirical support for the notion that subliminal advertising is effective, in 1974 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order saying that broadcast outlets that knowingly carry subliminal ads are operating "contrary to the public interest." In September 2000, Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and John Breaux of Louisiana complained to the FCC about a Republican ad that flashed the word ''RATS'' (or "BUREAUCRATS") across the screen for 1/30 of a second. ''We have reason to believe that broadcasters are airing television advertisements that contain subliminal messages in violation of the public interest,'' they said, apparently oblivious to the fact that something which can't be registered by the brain is unlikely to have any effect on viewers and is unlikely to violate anything except the reasonable bounds of credulity.

See also hypnosis, mind control, and pareidolia.

[ardianto]

Myth 25. Transplant organs carry personality traits which are transferred from donors to receivers.

That's happened in jokes.

Myth 26. More ships and aircraft have vanished without a trace in the waters between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico than anywhere else of equal area.

Bermuda triangle ?. Uncle Woodrow has refuted this myth in another thread.

Myth 35. In the year 2000, because of unusual planetary alignments on May 5th, the polar ice caps will melt and there will be great earthquakes caused by tidal forces.

They didn't say polar ice caps will melt. They say poles are heavier than equator area. These planets and sun alignment will causing a huge gravitation that makes earth changes it rotation axle caused by centrifugal force. Poles would becomes equator and two places in equator become poles. But now we are living in 2010, and nothing happened.