What urban legends did/do you believe?

[amadeus]

I've compiled a list of many of the most popular American urban legends. These legends however relate to things that you do, and not to folk tales like Bigfoot.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Most urban legends are just that; legends. They mostly have no factual basis.

Although, to much masturbation can be bad for you. And soda. But that's not really legend, too much of anything can be bad.

 

[GenMarshall]

Eating Pop Rocks and soda may kill you
The Mythbusters busted this one!

 

[amadeus]

I never watched that show, but knew it was false.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I thought the cracking knuckles and the like was proven right?


And the Swimming one is true, pretty much any cardiovascular excercize( I know I spelled that wrong ) within about an hour or so, it depends on the person, will cause some sort of problem, usually just making you sick.

I know this because it's happenned to me and many of my friends before. Just like running after a meal. Bad idea.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

I thought the cracking knuckles and the like was proven right?

Nah, it's just the release of gas I believe. And I swim all the time right after dinner!

The only one I am unsure of is the hat one, seems like a baseball cap would put more strees on the roots.

 

[garric]

Caffeine doesn't stunt your growth?

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Caffeine doesn't stunt your growth?

If it stunted mine, I would be 7 feet tall without it.

 

[JonnyB]

People still tell me cracking my knuckles will give me arthritis.

Good thing they're wrong, I crack mine A LOT.

 

[Tomoyo]

I believed the knuckles thing for a long while. Then I found out that it was just nitrogen bubbles popping, not cartilage or anything. Then I found out some guy died from having a nitrogen bubble in his knee while working on the Brooklyn bridge, so many I should be cracking my knuckles more...

 

[Souron]

I believed the knuckles thing for a long while. Then I found out that it was just nitrogen bubbles popping, not cartilage or anything. Then I found out some guy died from having a nitrogen bubble in his knee while working on the Brooklyn bridge, so many I should be cracking my knuckles more...

That's decompression sickness. It only happends if you ascend or descend in water quickly. It was first widely observed with the building of the Brookline Bridge, before people figured out what caused it. The workers would work in the underwater bell by day and quicky assend to the surface by supper daily.

Today it happens most commonly with scuba divers, who dive to deep depths and assend too quickly. There are recomended halting altitudes where divers are supposed to stop for a few minutes to let there bodies adjust, but sometimes the reccomended stop time is not enough for the specific diver, so the diver gets "the bends". The treatment is spening several days in a pressurised chamber.

I'd be surprised if nuckle cracking was the same thing.

 

[Tomoyo]

Knuckle cracking is probably not the same thing. I just remembered hearing about death by nitrogen bubble at the Brooklyn Bridge (as in, actually at the bridge) and related it to knuckle cracking by means of similar terms.

 

[Turner]

Moderator Action: Changes made

 

[QuoVadisNation]

aww.. there's no "New Jersey Devil" and various other haunted sightings option.

 

[drkodos]

Not even one of them.

 

[Alex the Great]

I once believed in the coffee stunting your growth one.

Then I found out that's steroids.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

I used to believe the gum one

 

[amadeus]

Moderator Action: Changes made

Thank you.

garric...I'm hesitant to ask...but did you really believe no. 8? I know some people like to give joke responses on polls, but I thought I'd ask...

 

[Revolutionary]

when I was a little kid I kind of believed in the gum myth, mostly because I didn't care enough to look into it, never really thought about it though

I heard the knuckle cracking myth a few years ago, I thought about that one mostly because I can crack my knuckles at any time by simply tightly closing my fists with both hands, like Bruce Lee

I didn't know whether to believe it or not so I figured I might as well cut down on the knuckle cracking, not that I did it much to begin with

 

[colontos]

So, is it ok to crack knuckles then?

Because I just succeeded in breaking the habit. Now I find out it isn't bad after all.