Urban myths are like the #fakenews of our time – now they spread rapidly through the internet and social media, scaring people into believing things that just aren’t true. But some of these myths are so ridiculous they’re almost funny. When I was a kid…these got passed through simple “word of mouth”.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Chewing gum takes seven years to digest: I’m sorry, what? If you actually swallowed a wad of gum, it’s true that your body can’t break it down like other foods. But that doesn’t mean it stays in your stomach for seven years! It typically passes through your digestive system in a few days.

The world will end in 2012: Remember when everyone freaked out about the Mayan calendar supposedly predicting the apocalypse in 2012? Well, we’re still here. Turned out the Mayans simply ran out of room on their calendar, and didn’t mean to foretell our doom.

Eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda will make your stomach explode: This rumor has been around since the 80s, and is still going strong. But rest assured – candy and carbonated beverages won’t cause your insides to rupture. (That being said, maybe lay off the sugar a little anyway, for your own health.)

Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen after he died: The tale goes that the Disney founder was frozen with the hope that he could be thawed and brought back to life in the future. Sorry to disappoint, but there’s no evidence to support this. Walt was actually cremated after he passed away.

Humans only use 10% of their brain. If this were true, we’d all be a bunch of geniuses if we could just figure out how to access the other 90%. But in reality, we use all parts of our brain – it’s just that not all parts are active at the same time.

So there you have it – just a few of the many bizarre myths out there that people continue to believe.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good tall tale (hello, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster) – but it’s important to separate fact from fiction. And if you’re ever in doubt about the validity of an urban myth, maybe think twice before sharing it on your Facebook page. ~Parker