# Do you have any pet theories that probably wouldn't hold up under scientific scrutiny? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893 "2013-10-10T17:50:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/41 "2013-10-11T15:34:20Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > I think that the recent rise in authentic autism cases is caused by too much Folic acid intake during pregnancy. Spinal deformities are bad, but relatively rare, and dosing up on Folic acid has pushed fetal neuro development too far in the other direction. > > I also think authentic cases of autism are no way as common as diagnosed, and a lot of kids who are just a little weird are becoming weirder because parents and schools have decided they’re autistic/Asperger’s/whatever spectrum. Add ADD to that. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/42 "2013-10-11T16:13:51Z")
I believe that, all things being equal, people will default to being decent to each other. I believe being selfish and greedy are the aberration. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/43 "2013-10-11T17:19:00Z")
Urgh. Here’s one that’s really not SDMB-friendly: I believe that some kind of magnetic energy that changes as the earth orbits the sun has a mild effect on the brain development of fetuses, and that results in personality tendencies roughly describe by the zodiac signs. I know that magnetic fields affect neuron growth, I worked in a lab that did research on that. I also know that there have been an astonishing number of coincidences with birth signs in my life. The five guys I dated before my husband were all Aries and had only two different birthdays between them. Six more guys who wanted to date me and got nasty when I said no were all Leos. And I have the same birthday as my husband’s ex-wife. I don’t _do_ anything about my theory, I just enjoy collecting data. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/44 "2013-10-11T17:27:32Z")
My theory is that people who don’t have pets live cold, unfulfilled lives. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/45 "2013-10-11T17:38:49Z")
People in front of me drive slower when I’m in a hurry, and all men own black Mercedes sedans were bullies in school and have a higher than average incidence of divorce, spousal abuse and erectile dysfunction. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/46 "2013-10-11T17:45:02Z")
Electricity is like snake venom. You can build up a tolerance. Note: No one should run experiments in reliance upon my theory. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/47 "2013-10-11T18:02:12Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > My theory is that nearly every man who strongly advocates against homosexuality, the “homosexual lifestyle”, and believes that sexual orientation is a choice, is a closeted homosexual. > > I think this might actually hold up to scientific scrutiny, though I’m not quite sure that would work. I mostly agree but, as with most everything in life, there are many points on the continuum. I know two men who are rabidly homophobic. They both say that they hate gays because the very idea of men having sex with men is disgusting. But if you listen very closely to their stories, you’ll learn that both men were intimately touched while asleep, became quite aroused, and only upon awakening (“Just in time!” as one of them put it), discovered that they were being fondled by another man. Each incident happened separately, years apart, on navy ships with all male crews. It is clear to me that both men were/are deeply disturbed by the idea that a man touching them could be arousing. Both of these men hold fast to their image of themselves as virile, manly, and _very_ straight men. Becoming aroused when touched by a man simply does not fit into that view of themselves. So to maintain the facade, they must take the position that homosexuality wrong, evil, and disgusting. So, to expand slightly on **iiandyiiii** ’s theory, I believe that some men who advocate as he describes are not necessarily closet homosexuals but are unsure, at some deep level, with their own heterosexuality. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/48 "2013-10-11T18:03:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > My theory is that people who don’t have pets live cold, unfulfilled lives. I agree with this 100%. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/49 "2013-10-11T18:13:11Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > and all men own black Mercedes sedans This was supposed to be “and all men _who_ own…” I also theorize that autocorrect and copy/paste on the iPhone are intentionally designed to sabotage clear communication. ---
**Author:** ![CLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@CLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CLee)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/50 "2013-10-11T18:32:07Z")
I’m not sure if excess sugar and soda cause children to be hyper little monkeys, but I’m certain that parents who permit a constant stream of junky food are permissive in other aspects of their kids’ upbringing as well and that wild behavior reflects more on a permissive parenting style than a crappy diet. ---
**Author:** ![XRaeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f14d63/32.png) [@XRaeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XRaeth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/51 "2013-10-11T18:59:55Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Electricity is like snake venom. You can build up a tolerance. > > Note: No one should run experiments in reliance upon my theory. It’s certainly possible that after too many electric shocks you end up damaging nerve endings and building up a pain tolerance to electric shocks. It’s also possible that electric current passing through your body causes a chemical reaction in some of your tissues that causes them to become more resistive, lowering the amount of current that will pass through you. All of this is total conjecture but its a definite possibility. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/52 "2013-10-11T19:38:56Z")
This one actually has scientific support: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/u6XAPnuFjJc/maxresdefault.jpg "RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc) Motivation experiments show that offering big rewards for simple tasks work beautifully but when intellectual power is needed in a task then big rewards are not conductive to increasing performance. That has been known in Psychology and Economics for awhile. But it is when one applies it to sociology where I think it becomes iffy, but IMHO, important. As the narrator mentions it, after a certain point, the lack of performance for more rewards observed in humans sounds like something a socialist would point out, I would say those experiments explain in part why there is so much trouble for capitalist and socialist nations when they apply solutions that actually do not fit all. As it turns out it is mostly educated and more economically independent people the ones that would understand the benefits of more socially minded systems while the ones that do more physical work and are less wealthy react better to simpler solutions and incentives. I think there are many exceptions, but the experiments explain a lot regarding the failure of many solutions attempted in the past and present. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/53 "2013-10-11T19:39:20Z")
I strongly suspect human-caused “global warming” is a bunch of B.S. But I also concede there is evidence humans have contributed to global warming. But I still think it’s B.S. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/54 "2013-10-11T19:42:09Z")
That anti-depressants are extremely dangerous drugs that do not work and that cause more problems that they supposedly solve. They are supposedly for chronic, long term depression, yet everyone who says “I feel a little down” to a shrink will get them. And they are addictive and hell to kick. The only reason they are on the market is to make money for the drug companies. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/55 "2013-10-11T19:57:31Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > This one actually has scientific support: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc) > > Motivation experiments show that offering big rewards for simple tasks work beautifully but when intellectual power is needed in a task then big rewards are not conductive to increasing performance. > > That has been known in Psychology and Economics for awhile. > > But it is when one applies it to sociology where I think it becomes iffy, but IMHO, important. > > As the narrator mentions it, after a certain point, the lack of performance for more rewards observed in humans sounds like something a socialist would point out, I would say those experiments explain in part why there is so much trouble for capitalist and socialist nations when they apply solutions that actually do not fit all. > > As it turns out it is mostly educated and more economically independent people the ones that would understand the benefits of more socially minded systems while the ones that do more physical work and are less wealthy react better to simpler solutions and incentives. > > I think there are many exceptions, but the experiments explain a lot regarding the failure of many solutions attempted in the past and present. This is a facinating topic, I believe that more is understould about this than we give ourselves credit for understanding because the ones that seem to understand it go unnoticed. I believe that we are wired to only fully respond to a reward when it stimulates something in our nuerons that feels good. Money is kind of like food, we like it but initself is not very stimulating. ``` Years ago I owned a small telemarketing company. By far I had the most liberal pay plans in town. Money was not enough to keep my turnover down. I found rewarding a successful evening of calling by a good conversation and some personnal attention did much more to slow down my employee turnover than raisng the pay plan. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/56 "2013-10-11T20:20:24Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I believe the reason MJ is considered to be a gateway drug is _because_ it’s illegal. If it were legal, I think a significantly less amount of kids would be willing to experiment with breaking the laws with things like cocaine or heroine. Interesting. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/57 "2013-10-11T21:03:25Z")
My theory is that anything that the SDMB’ers say can not positively, under any condition, no way will ever be or can be; means that it has either already been done or it will be done or is already. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/58 "2013-10-11T21:22:52Z")
I do not believe there is anything wrong with most children who are diagnosed as having ADHD. In most cases I believe it is simply a way to legally administer drugs to a child so that they become an easy-to-manage zombie. The problem is with the parents, not the children. I believe most people on disability are not disabled, and are simply taking advantage of the system. Same goes for people on welfare, food stamps, WIC, etc. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/59 "2013-10-11T21:58:49Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Not exactly a theory, but I am absolutely certain I can perceive colour in my peripheral vision. I’ve confirmed this with informal experimentation, but people on the SDMB have told me this is impossible. > > (I’m not even sure the weight of facts rests on their side (I found documents suggesting some colour perception is possible). They were certain of it though. I wasn’t sure what you were talking about for a minute. I looked up the peripheral vision entry on wikipedia and it says: " In addition, there are two types of receptor cells, rod cells and cone cells; rod cells are unable to distinguish color and are predominant at the periphery, while cone cells are concentrated mostly in the center of the retina, the fovea." This doesn’t preclude people being able to see colour in their peripheral vision. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893/60 "2013-10-11T23:50:41Z")
I believe some people are the human equivalent of [Easy keepers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_keeper), and can only lose weight on a strict low-carb diet, which works great for them but not necessarily for “normal” people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-pet-theories-that-probably-wouldnt-hold-up-under-scientific-scrutiny/670893.md?page=4)