Five common myths fueled by phony statistics
Misconceptions
Common misconceptions come in all forms. However, they can become easier to believe and spread with numbers and figures attached.
Marriage
The clearest example of a common misconception masquerading as fact is the widely believed misconception that 50% of marriages end in divorce, at least in the United States. The real rate is much more complex.
Where did the misbelief come from?
According to a 2005 New York Times article, the percentage resulted from comparing yearly marriage and divorce rates. However, that is misleading because the statistic doesn't cover the same group of people.
Divorce rates
A 2001 study examining marriages from 1935 to 1979 placed divorce rates below 40%. Experts told the NY Times that the number holds; it peaked in the 1980s and has fallen slowly since.
Bee pollination
Another common belief with a fake statistic is that Bees are responsible for over 30% of the world’s food supply via pollination. The real number is a lot lower than the number often quoted.
A smaller but significant portion
Our World In Data analyzed the crops that depend on pollinating insects. It concluded that they are only essential to some fruits, cocoa beans, and Brazilian nuts. They are less vital but significant than other nuts and avocados.
The final percentage
Still, if bees and other pollinating insects disappeared, these crops would lose large percentages of their growth, not disappear entirely. Therefore, the world would lose only up to 10% of its food supply.
Microorganisms
Maybe you have heard someone tell you that human cells are outnumbered 10 to 1 by foreign microorganisms in our bodies, making us only 10% human. Well, that isn't exactly true.
1970s estimate
According to Science Alert, the 10:1 ratio originated from a 1970 paper by microbiologist Thomas D. Luckey, who estimated that 100 billion microbes are in each gram of human intestinal fluid.
About half
However, science has updated the figure as the understanding of our microbiome grows. According to experts quoted by the BBC, we are 43% human cells. The ratio is closer to 1:1.
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is fundamental for the health of the planet. Still, it is false that it produces 20% of the world’s oxygen. It provides many services, but oxygen is just not one of them.
In-land photosynthesis
The number might come from a 2010 study that estimated tropical forests account for 34% of in-land photosynthesis; the Amazon supplies half of that: 16%. However, that number is also misleading.
Net zero
The statistics fail to consider oceanic photosynthesis, how the atmosphere works, and how the ecosystem uses the resource, National Geographic explained. The actual number is close to zero.
Brain
The king of statistical myths: humans only use 10% of their brains. The false idea has fueled works of fiction and has been incessantly repeated by thousands of unaware individuals.
The origin of the myth
Sam Wang, from the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, the first mention of the false statistic came from a misinterpretation of Harvard psychologist William James’s statement that humans don’t reach their full potential.
