5 lies from your childhood you still think are true

Let's separate childhood lies from the truth.

Growing up, we were told so many lies and half-truths; there are some we still believe today, and we need to jettison them.

Here are 5 lies we were told as children growing up:

1. If you swallow chewing gum, it takes seven years before you can excrete it

When gum is swallowed, it passes through the oesophagus into the small intestine, where it absorbs sugars and nutrients. It moves through the colon and rectum during bowel movements, typically passing through the system in less than seven days.

2. Beans make people tall

We were told that if we wanted to grow tall, we had to eat a lot of beans, but the truth is, beans don't make you tall. It is your DNA that decides if you are tall or short. So, if you didn't eat beans as a child, that's not why you are short.

3. Isaac Newton discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head

Newton's observation of apples falling straight to the ground rather than sideways or upward inspired him to develop his law of universal gravitation. There is no evidence suggesting the fruit landed on his head.

4. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west

This was made worse by the fact that the sun was constantly moving when we entered the car, but the truth is that the sun doesn't move; the earth is the one that rotates, and that is what makes it seem like the sun is moving.

5. Sitting close to the TV is bad for your eyes

Whenever we sat close to the TV, our parents used to throw a fit because they believed it would make us go blind or affect our eyesight. Despite commonly held beliefs, sitting near a TV does not harm your eyes. Children tend to hold reading materials near their eyes because they can concentrate better than adults do. However, as children get older, this behaviour normally goes away.