Dear Sasquatch: My mom insists that I keep a glass of water by the bed each night to drink when I wake up, to avoid dehydration. She says that we lose a liter of water a night just through sweating. Is this true? —Brynne P. »
Dear Sasquatch: Is it true that if you die in your dreams, you will die for real? Like have a heart attack or something? —Pari S. »
Health and diet websites and books, not to mention endless email forwards, tout many unproved (and some downright erroneous) health benefits of water. Some of these are easy to be skeptical of, such as the claim that drinking two glasses of water in the morning “activates” the internal organs. As though our organs are inactive when we sleep. Another myth that seems particularly persistent, however... »
Numerology makes its way into modern mythology in so many ways that you almost don’t even see it anymore until you start looking. Mathemagical claims are in everything from personality tests to weird coincidences to Ancient Chinese Gender Charts. »
The idea of lemmings mindlessly following each other off a cliff is so ingrained in modern mythology that lemmings are an analogy for anyone following a group mindlessly. But do lemmings actually commit mass suicide? »
Wait thirty minutes after eating before you swim or you’ll get stomach cramps and drown. Don’t read in low light or you’ll ruin your eyes. Eat your carrots! They’ll improve your vision. Feed a cold; starve a fever. Once you start shaving, the hair will just grow back darker and thicker. »
I’ve eaten food off the floor. Don’t act shocked. You have, too. You may have looked around to make sure no one was watching, but you’ve done it. And if you’re like me, you silently declare, “Five second rule!” as you’re popping that unfortunate M&M or almond into your pie hole. But is there such a thing as the five second rule? »
Asexual. Defined as a person who does not experience sexual attraction. It seems like a simple enough concept, yet there are a million myths and misconceptions about asexuality, going from amusingly wrong to offensive and creepy. To help dispel some of these myths, though, it helps to understand better the components of a sexual orientation. Most people understand the sexual preference spectrum: y... »
