# What Urban Myths seem to hold on for years or decades even when disproven **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852 "2026-06-12T19:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/101 "2026-06-15T03:30:29Z")
The reason some think that eating carrots improves eyesight is because no one has seen a rabbit wearing glasses. šŸ„ø šŸ‡ ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/102 "2026-06-15T08:30:15Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > daylight saving DST was introduced in many countries (Germany was the first) during World War I. Mainly to conserve coal for the war effort by reducing the need for artificial lighting in the evening. It doesnā€™t really affect farmers because they will use whatever daylight thatā€™s available, regardless of what the clock says. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/103 "2026-06-15T12:33:22Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Related, you donā€™t break the spaghetti in half. People will tell you it changes the taste somehow. This is the first Iā€™ve heard of that one. And given that, for most cooks and the equipment they actually have, and the way most spaghetti is sold, you canā€™t cook it without first breaking it, itā€™s hard to see how the myth would even take hold. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/104 "2026-06-15T12:35:42Z")
Humans only have five senses. Six, if you can see dead people. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/105 "2026-06-15T12:42:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And given that, for most cooks and the equipment they actually have, and the way most spaghetti is sold, you canā€™t cook it without first breaking it, itā€™s hard to see how the myth would even take hold. Iā€™ve heard the complaint that you shouldnā€™t break the spaghetti but I didnā€™t even know it was a big question until a few years ago. Before that, I never broke spaghetti because I just never even thought about it. What I did was take the spaghetti and dip half of it in the pot and push down slightly on one end, and the soaked half of the spaghetti will eventually loosen up and allow the entire strand to go into the pot. I didnā€™t like this myself because it felt to me that each half would be getting a different amount of cooking time. So I independently discovered that I could break the spaghetti in half, which is faster and felt more consistent. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/106 "2026-06-15T12:59:34Z")
And people still believe in the ā€œtongue map.ā€ > **[The Taste Map of the Tongue You Learned in School Is All Wrong](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/neat-and-tidy-map-tastes-tongue-you-learned-school-all-wrong-180963407/)** > > Modern biology shows that taste receptors aren't nearly as simple as that cordoned-off model would lead you to believe ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/107 "2026-06-15T13:01:20Z")
Bunny Rabbit on Captain Kangaroo did. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/108 "2026-06-15T13:43:00Z")
And Bugs Bunny when he went undercover to spy on Cecil Turtle. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/109 "2026-06-15T13:58:18Z")
The biggest reason not to break spaghetti, as far as I can discern, is that it upsets Italians. I donā€™t know _why_ it upsets them, but there are plenty of videos on social media of people rage-bairing the Italians in their lives by breaking spaghetti. Kind of like how Americans heating water for tea in the microwave upsets Europeans. Hereā€™s a Little American Secret for you all: We donā€™t do that. Itā€™s a prank we play on social media to confuse and upset Europeans. Anyone here who needs hot water will use a kettle (yes, we have kettles in America) or boil some in a pot or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/110 "2026-06-15T14:00:37Z")
I must be missing something- how is the fact that I have an extra hour of daylight after work supposed to affect my shopping? Iā€™m not going to buy more groceries or clothes because it gets dark at 9 pm instead of 8 pm. Maybe the fact that it stays light for that extra hour means I play golf during the week more often and Iā€™m going to get take out because I get home too late to cook or in some areas , it might have meant that stores had an extra hour of passing foot traffic because people were returning home an hour later from outdoor activities but that doesnā€™t seem like it would make a big difference to the Walmart of its day - although it might make a big difference to a 7-11 or an ice cream shop. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/111 "2026-06-15T14:04:28Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I must be missing something- how is the fact that I have an extra hour of daylight after work supposed to affect my shopping? You get off work an hour earlier which presumes you have more time for shopping. Back in the day, even though the clock governed your work time, the sun still governed your leisure time. ETA: It also occurs to me that men were probably most responsible for spending disposable income in those days. Women could shop for household necessities during the work day, but men (who bought luxury items like cigars, pocket watches, gifts for the wife) only had that brief time between work and the barā€¦uh, dinner time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/112 "2026-06-15T15:00:26Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Kind of like how Americans heating water for tea in the microwave upsets Europeans. Hereā€™s a Little American Secret for you all: We donā€™t do that. If youā€™re in the break room at work, how do you make tea? Most American break rooms donā€™t have an electric kettle. The coffee machine might be able to dispense hot water, but itā€™s likely not hot enough, dispensed in the wrong amounts, and unreliable anyway (at least, thatā€™s an accurate description at my workplace). But itā€™s easy to fill up my mug, zap it for a couple of minutes, and then drop in a teabag. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/113 "2026-06-15T15:07:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Most American break rooms donā€™t have an electric kettle. Most Americans donā€™t drink tea, but those of us who do often bring in their own electric kettles for tea. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/114 "2026-06-15T15:12:19Z")
I donā€™t think it changes the taste any - but people who cook long pastas fairly frequently do have a big enough pot not to break the spaghetti/lasagne , whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/115 "2026-06-15T15:14:59Z")
At my workplace, there is a jar in the kitchen area to collect soda can tabs for special recycling. Iā€™m not kidding. It was placed there months ago, and itā€™s almost full. For now, itā€™s just sitting there. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/116 "2026-06-15T15:20:21Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > The reason some think that eating carrots improves eyesight is because no one has seen a rabbit wearing glasses. šŸ„ø šŸ‡ Speaking of rabbits and carrots, the idea that carrots are a staple food of rabbits is itself a myth. Rabbits will eat carrots, but itā€™s not good for their diet-- too much sugar content. The reason behind the ā€˜rabbits eating carrotsā€™ myth is an interesting bit of entertainment history: it originates from the fact that Bugs Bunny liked to eat carrots. The reason _why_ he was originally depicted eating a carrot was because it was a parody of Clark Gableā€™s character eating a carrot while talking to Claudette Colbertā€™s character in the movie ā€˜It Happened One Nightā€™. It was meant to show a certain insouciance on the part of Gableā€™s character, establishing a long-running [TV / movie trope](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheSnackIsMoreInteresting) where a character eats an apple or something similar while having a conversation. The makers of Looney Toons thought that would be perfect for Bugā€™s character too. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/117 "2026-06-15T15:21:34Z")
But you donā€™t actually have more time between work and whatever. You still work from 9-5 or whatever, dinnerā€™s still at 6 and so on. There arenā€™t more hours - itā€™s just that more of the after work ones have daylight. Why would people have been reluctant to shop after sundown in May when they did it in December? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/118 "2026-06-15T15:25:17Z")
Some of those stories are urban legends but there really are organizations that collect the tabs. The tabs arenā€™t worth any more per pound than the whole can would be - but people who want the nickel or dime per can deposit back are willing to donate the tabs. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/119 "2026-06-15T15:25:20Z")
Maybe they eat dinner at sunset. I donā€™t think United Cigar was just lobbying for shits and giggles. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/120 "2026-06-15T15:25:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The coffee machine might be able to dispense hot water, but itā€™s likely not hot enough, dispensed in the wrong amounts, and unreliable anyway (at least, thatā€™s an accurate description at my workplace). But itā€™s easy to fill up my mug, zap it for a couple of minutes, and then drop in a teabag. Plus if it doesnā€™t have its own dedicated water tap, the water can taste of coffee. I nuke my tea because I donā€™t like it extremely hot and strong. I like the convenience of pre-made hot tea, but then I put milk in it to soften the tannins because the pre-brew is slightly too strong for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=7)