Last Updated on March 16, 2023 by Mike Robinson

The popular psychology myths are common; in fact, there is much information that has been misunderstood and misrepresented. Sadly, this information is passed from one person to another and from generation to generation as if it were real.

Do not be ashamed if you thought one was true. Then I leave you with the ones that, in my opinion, are the popular psychology myths of this science. I do not think I need to tell you that psychologists do not read our minds.

Popular Psychology Myths

1: Subliminal advertising works

It is one of the great conspiracies of the television era: that advertisers launch subliminal messages, lasting for thousands of seconds, on our screens. These messages would have the ability to alter the way you think, act, and buy.

However, those ads do not work, and your “subconscious” mind is safe. In many laboratory-controlled investigations, subliminal messages have not affected the choice of purchases or voting preferences.

In 1958, a Canadian network showed its viewers a subliminal message during Sunday’s programming. They showed the words “call now.” The phone companies looked at their records and saw no increase in calls.

Although there is a lack of evidence on subliminal advertising, it has continued to try. In 2000, a Republican ad addressed to President Al Gore showed the word “rats.”

2: The Epidemic of Autism

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social isolation, poor development of verbal and non-verbal communication, and stereotyped movements.

Over the 1990s, the prevalence of autism in the United States was 1 in 2500. In 2007, the percentage was 1 in 50. The rapid growth in diagnoses made many people believe that it was an epidemic.

However, there was a problem when diagnosing the disorder, and that was that it was not clear what conditions the patient had to meet to be autistic.

In recent years, the diagnostic criteria have become simpler than in the last three DSMs (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

3: We only use 10% of our brain capacity.

The brain is a “machine” that requires a lot of energy to maintain. In fact, it spends 20% of calories burned despite assuming only 2% of body weight.

It would be absurd to think that evolution has allowed that, although so much is spent, only 10% is used. Another thing is that we are often distracted and do not adequately plan.

It seems that the myth dates back to American psychologist William Jame, who proposed that the average person rarely uses more than 10% of his intellectual potential. They have also done a lot of damage to psychology gurus who have tried to sell their miraculous products that will take advantage of the other 90%.

Listening to Mozart makes children smarter.

In 1993, a study published in the journal Nature claimed that children who listened to Mozart increased their spatial reasoning skills. A new myth had been born.

Since then, millions of copies of Mozart CDs have been sold. Even the state of Georgia allowed each newborn to receive a free cassette.

However, more recent studies have replicated the original study and have not achieved the same results, even if they approach.

Anything that increases alert arousal will increase performance on demanding tasks but is unlikely to have long-term effects on spatial abilities or general intelligence.

4-Shock therapy is inhuman.

You are probably still reading this, and many of you believe that shock therapy should never be done and that it is savagery. Watching television takes up a great deal of the time that we spend in our lives and intervenes in creating our reality.

Electroconvulsive therapy is still in use today, and a lot has changed since it was first used over 50 years ago. Today, patients receiving ECT are given anesthesia, muscle relaxants, and even substances to prevent salivation.

There is no scientific consensus as to why ECT works, although most studies show that for severe depression it is effective. In 1990, a study showed that 91% of people receiving ECT experienced it positively.

5-Different people are attracted

Although it works well for positive and negative charges, it is not the same for social relations. If so, why do urban tribes exist? Or why do you share hobbies with your best friends? This has influenced TV and film a lot.

Hundreds of studies have shown that people with similar tastes and personality traits are more attracted to people who are different.

6-Right And Left Hemisphere

“People who use the left hemisphere are more analytical and logical, while people who use the right hemisphere are more creative and artistic.” Surely you’ve heard that many times—the cerebral hemispheres do not work that way.

Certain regions of the brain are specialized in certain functions and tasks, but there is no predominant part of the others. Both hemispheres are used almost evenly.

The two hemispheres are much more alike than different in their functions.

7-Lies detectors are reliable.

The reality is that no one, not even machines, can correctly evaluate whether a person is lying or not.

Lie detectors operate by assuming that physiological signs reveal when people are not telling the truth. Polygraphs measure the electrical conductance of the skin, blood pressure, and respiration. When these signs are altered from a question, the operators interpret that a lie has been said.

However, these psychological reactions are not universal. What’s more, you can learn to pass the polygraph test.

8: Dreams have a symbolic meaning.

43 percent of people believe that dreams reflect unconscious desires and hide hidden truths. Actually, dreams remain an enigma for science, but they are not a magic ball to see the unconscious mind.

The most accepted theory is that dreams are a representation that gives our brain control over the processing and categorization of information and experiences, such as a file ordering system.

9: Our memory is a tape recorder.

About 36% of people believe that our brain stores past experiences in the form of memories, but this is not the case.

Memory does not allow reproduction; it does not duplicate perfectly what we have experienced but rebuilds it. I could therefore fail, and this is problematic, especially when we rely so much on it.

10: Going to the psychologist is for the crazy ones.

Going to the psychologist serves to improve your life and heal the suffering that arises from personal problems.

In fact, people who go to the psychologist are coming out of their comfort zone and are interested in improving their lives. Going to the psychologist for anxiety, stress, or depression is a normal activity because they are psychological as well as physical.