Mental Floss: Misconceptions

It's the 1990s. Everyone is playing pogs, sporting blue eye shadow, and prepping for Y2K. Believe it or not, '90s kids aren't the only people who remember this iconic decade. But let's see which parts we remember correctly, and which cliches are purely fictional. Host Justin Dodd breaks down some common myths and misconceptions about the '90s.

Japan is a fascinating country with rich history and culture, but some of that is often overshadowed by the misconceptions people believe to be true. Is Japan really a high-tech wonderland from straight out of a sci-fi movie? Do Japanese people's diets only consist of sushi? Are tattoos a one-way ticket to being banned from public facilities? Join host Justin Dodd as he debunks some of these popular myths and stereotypes about Japan.

Cows DON'T have four stomachs, toads CAN'T give you warts, and pigs DON'T sweat a lot. Yeesh, that's a lot of negatives. But those are just three of dozens of misunderstood facts about animals we're going to be sharing today. From dogs to ostriches to lemmings, let's get into it.

Is social media a young person's game? Do influencers get a huge paycheck for every picture they post? Do social media companies really sell your data to advertisers? In this episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd delves into some common myths surrounding the digital world of social media.

New year’s resolutions aren’t doomed to fail, Halloween isn’t about devil worship, and Christmas isn’t celebrated on December 25th because Jesus was born that day. On today’s episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd debunks a handful of common misconceptions about major holidays.

You probably have a pretty clear idea of what a 1950s family looks like. Well, it wasn’t all white picket fences and Jell-O molds. In this episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd debunks some myths this so-called golden era.

Doctors, lawyers, firefighters, oh my!| Today we're debunking myths about 50 different professions. What's the difference between a Realtor and a real estate agent? A translator and an interpreter? Host Justin Dodd (@juddtoday) gets to the bottom of it all.

The Great Depression was caused by the 1929 stock market crash and plunged the entire country into poverty… right? Maybe not so much. In this episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd busts some Depression-era myths.