What Are Old Wives Tales

“Skylar, how many times must I tell you not to go outside with wet hair? You don’t want to catch cold, do you?” asked my Mom for the umpteenth time. I know it was a rhetorical question, but…I got sooo frustrated that I actually replied, “Mom,” I said, “you don’t need to worry because chicken soup will undoubtedly cure my cold if I get one”. I bet, like me, at some point in your life…your mom, or maybe your grandparent, has tried to impart this same wisdom to you too. After all, old wives’ tales like these have been told for centuries. So today, I will tell you about the origin of the phrase, the most common wives’ tales – both old and new, and reveal the tales’ likelihood.

Long before paper and pens were invented, older women would pass down

You may have been told when you were growing up that eating fish improves your brain's capacity and there is now some proof that this old wives' tale is true. The reason for this is fish oils, which contain omega-3 and omega-6. These essential fatty acids (EFAs) are critical for health, normal growth and the development and function of our brains. In a study carried out by neuroscientist and senior research fellow at Oxford University Dr. Alex Richardson and colleague Dr. Madeleine Portwood, 120 primary-school children with coordination difficulties who were given a mix of omega-3 and omega-6 EFAs over three months showed significant improvements in school performance. Fish oils have also long been shown to protect against coronary heart disease, as well as Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis; they have anti-inflammatory properties, which protect blood vessels and are also considered helpful in reducing stiffness and tenderness in joints.

Toads Can Cause Warts. In the old days, no one knew about viruses. Thanks to ignorance, folk beliefs popped up to explain the sudden appearance of warts on healthy individuals. A child who developed a wart on his or her hands was said to have handled a toad or was urinated on by a toad. It was believed that a toad could pass its bumps off to a person. It was also claimed that a person could get warts by washing their hands in water that had been used to boil

It's easy to see why parents might want to pass along this relatively new old wives' tale to keep their children from spending too much time watching television. However, watching television – no matter how close to the television you sit – won’t hurt your eyes. Watching too much television might hurt your health, though, if it prevents you from getting enough daily exercise! On a similar note, however, tests have shown that blue violet light – the kind that lights up smartphone displays – can cause damage to