# What facts that 'everyone knows' are in fact, wrong?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-facts-that-everyone-knows-are-in-fact-wrong/519120>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 27, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-facts-that-everyone-knows-are-in-fact-wrong/519120 "2009-11-27T14:02:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-facts-that-everyone-knows-are-in-fact-wrong/519120/1 "2009-11-27T14:02:18Z")

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I had a _(good natured)_ argument with a colleague the other day when she stated the commonly held belief that 'We only use 10% of our brain" as a means of explaining some of the odder aspects of our world.

I’ve also argued with her when she stated that girls mature faster than boys _(only physiologically I said)_

Not to pick on her, just that she’s the one I work with most often and talk to the most, there’s plenty of other of these sorts of beliefs I’ve come across elsewhere _(and probably hold myself)_

Any other examples and are the people promulgating them open to be being corrected, I’ve learned to my cost to be careful how I frame my corrections with some people!

After all nobody likes a ruggedly handsome and devastingly intelligent Irishman correcting them:p

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**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-facts-that-everyone-knows-are-in-fact-wrong/519120/2 "2009-11-27T14:35:14Z")

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You’re in luck. We had a feeling you’d ask this, and we’ve just finished compiling a whole list of such things for your reading pleasure. [Enjoy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=539582).

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-facts-that-everyone-knows-are-in-fact-wrong/519120/3 "2009-11-27T14:44:28Z")

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> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> You’re in luck. We had a feeling you’d ask this, and we’ve just finished compiling a whole list of such things for your reading pleasure. [Enjoy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=539582).

Good question.  
Excellent link to similar thread.  
Magnifcent closure of thread.