Shadowing Practice: Totally Wrong Facts You Probably Still Believe - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Completely wrong facts that people still believe.

The Great Lie of China.

If you actually ended up becoming one of the fortunate few people who achieved their childhood goal of becoming an astronaut, you would at some point have the opportunity to go to space.

And during that time in space, if you happened to look down at the Earth, you would at some point find the Great Wall of China, right?

We all know that the Great Wall of China is visible to the naked eye in space

because of its sheer mass of size.

But what if I told you that wasn't the case at all?

And the origins of this folk tale actually date back to comic books.

Let me explain.

There is no doubt that the Great Wall of China is one of the coolest man -made structures on this entire planet.

The history, the architecture, the grandeur, it's all insane.

And because of that, the Great Wall was a perfect candidate for the perfect lie.

And this lie actually dates back as far as 1932.

During this time, Ripley's, believe it or not, yeah, the people that made the best book at the book fairs, were doing short stories and comic strips

and potentially one of their most iconic comic strips stated that the Great Wall of China was the mightiest work of man,

and that it was the only man -made structure that was visible not from space, but from the moon.

The comic goes on to state other facts and information about the Great Wall of China, but that first line about the Great Wall being seen from space was not only an unsubstantiated claim,

but was also enough to get people hooked, line, and sinker.

And from that point on, this wild claim made before anybody even went to space was just taken as fact, And well, the myth still persists to this day.

Now, I would say it's more or less common sense

that you can't see any one specific man -made structure on Earth from the moon, but I can see where it gets a bit dicey when you swap the moon for space.

But with the construction of the International Space Station, it has been confirmed by numerous astronauts that the Great Well of China is not visible to the naked eye from space.

Astronauts have claimed that they have seen the Great Well of China, but it has required magnification.

But on top of requiring magnification, they also need to be extremely focused on where they're looking

because the Great Wall of China blends into the landscape so well.

The brown and gray bricks on the wall don't necessarily contrast super well from the brown trees and dirt.

And for that reason, unless you know exactly where to look and you have a bit of magnification, you're not going to see the Great Wall of China from space.

And you'd have a much better bet looking from a commercial airplane, assuming you knew where to look and it was clear.

Now, to add a bit of insult to injury, astronauts have also claimed that there are other man -made structures that are way easier to spot from space, with those structures being way less important than the Great Wall of China,

specifically airstrips and large stretches of road.

And the reason for that is simply because of contrast.

The dark black tarmac used to make roads and airstrips is much more visible.

And on top of that, these simple structures are typically very straight.

And as some of you may know, straight lines do not exist in nature.

So for those two reasons, these simple structures stand out a lot more than the Great Wall of China.

So yeah, the Great Wall of China is cool, but it's not visible from space cool.

Witch please.

I would say it's safe to assume

that most people watching this video are familiar with the hysteria -induced Salem Witch Trials of 1692 too.

And while the witch trials happened and were crazy, there are a ton of myths and misconceptions surrounding the Salem witch trials.

So, for that reason, I'm gonna kind of speedrun a bunch of Salem witch trial myths.

You know, because we are getting into the spooky season.

Okay, for starters, it wasn't just women that were being accused of witchcraft.

During this time, everybody was hysterical, and nobody was safe from a demonic or witchcraft allegation.

And while it is a fact that mostly women were accused and prosecuted, a quarter of the people that were killed during the Salem witch trials were actually men.

This may or may not be surprising, but what probably is surprising is the fact that it wasn't only humans that were killed during the Salem Witch Trials.

There was at least two dogs confirmed to be killed because they were accused and found guilty of witchcraft.

And in these dogs' cases specifically, they were found guilty of being under the influence of witchcraft.

Which means that it wasn't even their fault, but they still died because of it, and that is sad.

And speaking of deaths, I think the most common misconception about the Salem Witch Trials was

that witches were burned at the stake.

And while it's undeniable that at least 20 people were killed during the Salem witch trials, none of them were burned.

That's right, 19 of them were hung, and one of them was crushed to death by rocks.

Now, if you're saying to yourself, I know for a fact witches were burned at the stake, you're right.

But it did not happen in Salem.

All of the burnings that happened took place in Europe.

And while the Salem witch trials only lasted roughly a year, there was multi -year -long hysteria and witch hunts that took place over in Europe that claimed the lives of thousands.

And over there, they were burning witches left, right, and center.

And I find that a bit interesting, because Salem is now forever bound to the concept of witch hunts and witch trials.

Although, compared to the witch trials that took place in Europe, what happened in Salem was really a drop in the bucket.

Not to say that it was okay, but, I mean, comparably, 20 deaths versus 1 ,000, you'd think they'd associate the practice with the Europeans.

Or at least the Europoopens.

Oh my god, that was so dumb.

Razor -sharp lies.

When I was a young naive little bro I was once told

that if you shaved your face the facial hair would grow back thicker fuller

and darker in hearing this as like a 13 14 year old bro All I wanted to do a shave

because I really wanted to have some cool facial hair

and seem older than I was like every other kid Does I remember shaving

and shaving and bleeding a lot but never making any facial hair progress.

And I actually ended up giving up on the practice before I ever learned the truth.

And if you had a similar situation, well, welcome to the club, because a lot of people have not only heard this myth, but actively fall for it every single day.

The origins of this myth, interestingly, are unknown, although clinical studies disproving this myth date back all the way into the 1920s.

Which just goes to show how prolific this myth is, because we have literally had clinical studies for almost a hundred years proving that shaving does not affect your hair thickness, but people still believe it.

And while it actually has no physical effect, appearances are something we can discuss.

And here's what I mean by that.

When you shave, the razor cuts the hair on the surface of the skin, but it has no effect on the follicle deep below the skin.

The hair that was on your face went from a long pointed tip to a short nub.

And this little nub of hair can feel coarser as it begins to grow out.

And if you couple this short -lived bluntness of the freshly shaved hair with the fact

that the new hair that is growing hasn't yet been exposed to any chemicals or sunlight to lighten it, then you may feel like this new, freshly shaved hair is coming back thicker and darker.

But in reality, it's more or less of an optical illusion that typically only lasts a few days.

The ladies are gonna know what I'm talking about.

You know if you shave your legs, and then a few days later your legs feel prickly?

That's because of the blunted, coarse hair.

You're not getting hairier or growing new hair, it's just the hair that was there needs some time to grow that fine tip again.

And if there really was any truth to this myth, don't you think shaving your head would become the number one remedy for baldness.

I mean, to be fair, it kind of is the number one remedy or solution, but not because it grows your hair back.

It just prevents you from looking like myrrh from Impractical Jokers.

But yeah, while there are genuine methods of regrowing hair and making your hair thicker, shaving is not one of them.

And I'm glad it's not, because that would literally make the entire act counterproductive.

The baby bird belief.

Have you ever been out on a walk when you see a vulnerable, injured baby bird on the sidewalk all by himself?

This is a deeply heartbreaking sight, and all you want to do is help out this little baby bird.

But right as you kneel down to pick up this bird and put them anywhere else, your friend tells you, hey, you can't touch this baby bird.

If you touch this baby bird, its mom will pick up on your scent and abandon this bird completely.

If you touch it, it's gonna die.

The best thing you can do is leave it.

So then you and your friend continue to walk on the sidewalk, only for that bird to get run over by a guy on a one wheel.

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Tragic.

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This is a myth that I definitely believed.

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Actually, up until recently, honestly, because I never thought about it too much, but I remember hearing this a lot when I was younger.

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Thinking about it now, it seems like a clever way for parents to make their kids not touch wild animals.

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But that's about as deep as it goes, because this claim is more or less of a folklore or a myth.

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When speaking about birds specifically, first of all, birds don't even have a very strong sense of smell to begin with.

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So scientists claim that it's highly unlikely

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that a bird would even be able to tell the difference whether

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or not their child has been touched by a human or not.

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And regardless of their lack of smell, birds are dedicated parents, and go to pretty extreme lengths to ensure the survival of their children, even if that means killing one of their children.

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Which sounds counterproductive, but I mean, if you've got four kids, one of them sucks, and you want at least three of them to live, you gotta get rid of the bad one.

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At least in bird logic.

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Now, with every myth, there's typically a kernel of truth.

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The kernel of truth is this.

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There is specific scenarios where birds will abandon their young, but it's not nearly as simple as, oh, if you touch the baby bird, it's done.

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What typically causes a bird to abandon its nest is

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if the bird's nest is simply too hostile to continue to live in.

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If the nest is consistently visited or even threatened by predators on a regular basis, and the bird's babies are still in the egg stage,

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then the parents may make the tough decision of abandoning the nest to begin a new one in a safer location.

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Although, if the chicks have been hatched, it's going to take a lot to scare away a parent bird from its nest.

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Although, every bird is different, and there's definitely a fluctuation on commitment when it comes to bird parents.

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The general consensus is that birds that live longer are typically more picky and sensitive with their young, and potentially more likely to abandon their children.

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However, birds that live relatively shorter lives typically tend to be more committed to their children.

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And what's even more interesting is the fact that this doesn't only apply to birds.

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There are not many animals that will simply abandon their child because it has been encountered by a human, with one of the notable exceptions being rabbits.

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Rabbits in general live very high -stress lives.

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They can even die from stress if you try to pick one up.

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But besides rabbits, most animals are not going to ditch their kids simply because you touch them.

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Now, with all of this being said, I feel like it's important to note that you shouldn't be touching baby animals in most cases.

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You don't know what diseases they have and they don't know what diseases you have.

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In most cases, baby animals are not far from their mothers and even if you don't see them, the parents are typically watching or not too far away.

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And if you find yourself in a situation where there is a vulnerable baby animal

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that is in desperate need of your help, don't neglect it out of fear of it being abandoned.

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However, if there's a baby animal that you see that's safe, although alone, it's best to leave it alone and assume that the parent is nearby, which is often the case. Although, use your discretion

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and feel free to call your local animal shelter to get

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more professional advice the mouthful myth have you ever been watching tv

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and either seen somebody have a seizure

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or maybe get knocked out in a fight only for people to run to the rescue

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and put them on their side

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and maybe even put something in their mouth to ensure

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that they do not swallow their tongue i know i have and i can't Pinpoint exactly where, honestly, but I know for a fact that I've heard

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that it's not only possible But a genuine risk that

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if you become unconscious whether through sleeping seizure or trauma

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That there's a chance that you could swallow your tongue

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and suffocate if you've heard

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or potentially even believe this myth It honestly kind of makes sense I mean your tongue is long

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and if you're not actively controlling it, it could potentially go the wrong way But the truth of the matter is

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that it is physically impossible to swallow your tongue Meaning

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that this is not a genuine risk unless your tongue becomes

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detached from your body somehow it is physically impossible to swallow your own tongue, which is a good thing.

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Now, what's unfortunate is the actual truth of the matter and things that people try to do to prevent tongue swallowing.

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One of the worst things

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that somebody can do to prevent somebody from swallowing their tongue is by putting something in the person's mouth.

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If someone specifically having a seizure has an object inserted into their mouth, it can essentially just become a weapon and causing potentially broken teeth

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and now a new foreign object being in the mouth of somebody who's unconscious and seizing, which is a genuine danger because this object could be swallowed, which is definitely not good.

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What actually happens if you become incapacitated?

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Well, unless you're seizing, all of your muscles are going to relax.

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This includes your tongue.

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And when your tongue is in a relaxed state, it is possible for your tongue to partially or even completely obscure your breathing.

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Obviously, this isn't swallowing your tongue, but it is still dangerous.

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This phenomenon is extremely common, and it is known in most cases as snoring.

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Sleep apnea specifically is a result of a partial blockage in your airway during your sleep.

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But in the case of somebody who's currently seizing, their muscles aren't relaxed whatsoever.

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However, one of the bigger risks isn't their tongue falling to the back of their throat, it's actually the individual biting their tongue, and in some cases, off.

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If you thought biting your tongue accidentally when you ate felt bad, imagine unconsciously putting all of the force of your jaw onto your tongue for minutes on end.

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That is a scary thought.

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But in either of these situations, whether your body is relaxed or tense, it is impossible to swallow your own tongue, although it doesn't mean that you shouldn't consider it when helping somebody who is unconscious.

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The best way to really help anybody who's unconscious is to put them into the recovery position, which can prevent tongue issues and allow somebody to vomit without choking on it as well.

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Here's a quick graphic on how to do the recovery position in case you wanted to know.

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Honestly, doesn't hurt to know because it literally could save somebody's life.

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But this video isn't about saving lives.

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It's about disproving myths.

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So let's keep going.

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Dead toenail tails.

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You and the neighbor kid are hanging out.

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And during this hangout, you guys get bored.

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And the neighbor kid says, hey, let me show you something.

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It's pretty cool.

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You follow him outside and you guys go on a short walk

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when you end up in a dark building in a basement.

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He turns on the light in this basement and all you see is doors on a wall.

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The neighbor kid opens one of these doors and pulls out a tray.

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And on this tray, disturbingly, is a dead body.

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You don't even believe what you're seeing at first and assume you're in a haunted house.

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When the neighbor kid confirms your worst nightmare, he says, look at this dead person.

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You reluctantly take a peek and say, yeah, what about it?

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When he tells you their hair and nails are still growing.

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Look, I was here yesterday and their hair and nails weren't nearly this long.

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At that point, morbid curiosity takes over and you take a look at their fingernails, which do look a bit long, But then you ask the neighbor kid, wait, you were here yesterday?

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And then you both decide to stop disturbing the dead and leave.

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That story, admittedly, was morbid.

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But it helps me paint the picture of this next misconception.

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Seemingly forever now, people have believed that after you die, you still continue to have hair and nail growth for some time after death.

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And whether or not this is something you've ever heard or believed, the reality is this.

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No human grows hair or grows their nails after death.

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Although, similar to the shaving thing, there is a bit of an optical illusion at play.

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And it is a morbid one.

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At this point, numerous dermatologists have debunked this myth simply by claiming is what you're seeing

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when you see potential nail growth

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or hair growth after someone dies isn't the actual growth of the hair or nails at all.

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What it is is a dehydration of the body causing a retraction of the skin, appearing the hair and nails to seem larger or longer.

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And while that may give you some clarity, it still doesn't answer why you're hanging out with a dead body.

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But seriously, to grow hair and nails, your body needs to be, one, alive, and two, able to regulate a complex hormonal system that allows the creation of hair and nails to even happen.

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And this is even a struggle for some people that are alive, let alone dead people.

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But leaving Wilt Smith's husband out of it, to further prove this point, we're going to now show you graphic images of dead people.

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Three, two, I am just catering, and I know some of you were kind of looking forward to it, and you need to seek help.

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Food fairy tales.

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Admittedly, transitioning from dead people to food isn't ideal, but here we are.

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And we've got a stinker.

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I would argue that most people have at least heard or potentially even still believe that eating turkey specifically makes you sleepy.

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And they might even have evidence to back it up.

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Which I'll quickly explain.

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People that believe that turkey makes you feel sleepy believe this because there is a chemical known as tryptophan within turkey.

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Interestingly, there is scientific evidence that shows that tryptophan is involved in sleep and mood control and can even cause drowsiness.

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And L -tryptophan has even been sold and marketed as a sleep aid.

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So far it seems like turkey making you sleepy is proven true right?

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But here's where things get interesting.

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Because while all of this is true, turkey meat is not the only meat that contains tryptophan.

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For example, chicken and minced beef also contain nearly the exact same amount of tryptophan.

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Roughly 350 milligrams per 150 grams of meat.

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But besides this, pork and cheese actually have more tryptophan than turkey.

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Which kind of muddies up the equation a bit.

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Because nobody talks about eating pork or cheese and then going to bed, or chicken or beef for that matter.

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It's always turkey.

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But to make things even more muddy, L -tryptophan supplements are typically recommended on an empty stomach to help maximize absorption.

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And if you're eating turkey with, you know, a Thanksgiving meal, with stuffing, with bread, with other things, your absorption of that tryptophan is going to be lower than if you were just eating turkey by itself,

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further reducing its effectiveness.

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I don't want to get all technical on you, but here's the truth.

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A lot of people believe that eating turkey specifically makes you sleepy because it's full of tryptophan.

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And while on the surface that seems like it's plausible, in reality the reason why people feel

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so tired after eating a huge turkey meal typically on Christmas or Thanksgiving is because exactly that.

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They are eating a huge meal and it's the meal itself that is causing the drowsiness.

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Any large solid meal can induce sleepiness because of the increased blood flow and oxygen to the digestive system.

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And why that is is because if there is extra blood and oxygen in your digestive tract, you know where it's not?

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In your brain.

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Which means that you are literally going to feel more lethargic

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and in most cases sleepy so yeah turkey won't make you any more sleepier than chicken

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or beef would and

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if you're sitting at thanksgiving dinner wondering why your dad is asleep at the table it's not

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because he had too much turkey it's

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because he had 14 beers in the garage before dinner the lazy brain legend quickly

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if you guys are enjoying this video

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and would like to see me make another video on completely wrong facts feel free to leave a like

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or leave a comment saying part two that way i know that you guys really want a follow -up to this video.

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Also, if you're part of the 70 -something percent of people that aren't subscribed, feel free to consider it.

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We make pretty good videos, and we post every Friday.

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Now, let's talk about your lazy brain.

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We all know that in 2025, there is an endless supply of self -help gurus telling you that you need to be better, and selling you the solution to be better.

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But the reality is, this business practice is nowhere near new, and people were even doing this as early as 1907.

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What were people saying in 1907?

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Well, they were saying that you are only using roughly 10 % of your brain.

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And this slogan kind of got a lot of traction

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and allowed a lot of people to make a lot of money selling ways to tap into untapped potential within your brain.

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And from these claims dating back as early as 1907, people to this day still quote and believe that you only use roughly 10 % of your brain.

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But is it really true?

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Well, according to evidence from studies of brain damage, brain imaging, localization of function within the brain, and even metabolic studies of the brain,

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people use much more than just 10 % of their brains.

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Now, specifically focusing on the brain imaging studies, out of the countless brain imaging studies that have taken place, none of them have ever shown an area of the brain to be fully silent or inactive.

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What they did find was that many functions of the brain are highly localized, with different tasks being allocated to different parts of the brain, which is, I think at this point,

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relatively common knowledge, at least the left and right hemisphere part, but it obviously goes much deeper than that.

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But that alone kind of just disproves the entire myth that we only use 10 % of our brain.

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It would make no sense for our most vital organ that is literally consuming most of our calories, at least compared to other organs, to be so dormant.

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It makes almost no sense.

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And I would probably argue that even when you are sleeping, or potentially even unconscious, you are using more than 10 % of your brain

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because of all of the unconscious acts that your body is consistently doing.

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I would even argue that your dad passed out on the Thanksgiving table has more than 10 % brain activity, even if he only has 10 % of a normal brain.

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Regardless, outside of just imaging studies, neuroscientists have even probed individual, localized micro parts of the brain to test the response of single neurons.

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And even those tests revealed that there was no gaps or inactive areas.

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Everywhere that they probed in the brain was able to essentially respond to the stimuli, proving that all of the brain was active.

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And whether or not all of the brain is doing equal quality or efficient work is a different conversation.

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But the claim of 90 % of the brain being unused is completely untrue, at least from a biological standpoint.

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There may be a separate argument specifically about this conscious versus subconscious mind, but even still, your subconscious mind is active, it's not dormant, it's just not fully within your control.

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So yeah, good news, you use more than 10 % of your brain.

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The bad news is, even 100 % of zero IQ is still zero IQ.

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But regardless of what your IQ score is, I have a video for you.

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The video you see on screen right now is actually a collab video I made with Chat History, where we played GeoGuessr to see who is truly the best stickman of them all.

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But in case that's not your speed, just check out the channel.

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We have so many good videos for you to watch.

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Thank you guys so much for watching this video.

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And as always, trust me, bro.

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399 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Totally Wrong Facts You Probably Still Believe”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: brain, hair, bird, tongue. This video has 279 sentences and 4509 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:17. The speaker talks fast, about 234 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
myth noun	/mɪθ/	A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are…
shave verb	/ˈʃeɪ̯v/	To make (the head, skin etc.) bald or (the hair) shorter by using a tool such as a razor or electric clippers to cut the hair close to the skin.
nail noun	/neɪl/	The horny plate or appendage at the ends of the digits of various animals, including most reptiles, birds, and mammals (both nonhuman and human).
swallow verb	/ˈswɑ.loʊ/	To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
potentially adverb	/pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/	In a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way.
abandon verb	/əˈbæn.dən/	To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.
unconscious adjective	/ˌʌnˈkɑnʃəs/	Not awake; having no awareness (usually as the result of a head injury).
meal noun	/ˈmiːl/	Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
visible adjective	/ˈvɪzɪb(ə)l/	Able to be seen.
nest noun	/nɛst/	A structure built by a bird as a place to incubate eggs and rear young.
neighbour noun	/ˈneɪbɚ/	A person living on adjacent or nearby land; a person situated adjacently or nearby; anything (of the same type of thing as the subject) in an adjacent or…
sleepy adjective	/ˈsliːpi/	Tired; feeling the need for sleep.
comic noun	/ˈkɑmɪk/	A comedian.
genuine adjective	/ˈd͡ʒɛn.juˌɪn/	Belonging to, or proceeding from the original stock; native.
roughly adverb	/ˈɹʌf.li/	In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
check out verb	To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
come back verb	To return to a place.
grow out verb	To allow (something, often hair) to grow unimpeded.
help out verb	To provide assistance.
look forward to verb	To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.
pick up on verb	To notice, observe, learn, or understand, especially something otherwise overlooked.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

The ladies are gonna know what I'm talking about.
What actually happens if you become incapacitated?
You reluctantly take a peek and say, yeah, what about it?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has been confirmed · have claimed · have also claimed
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	being seen · was just taken · has been confirmed
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who achieved · nearby, which is · tongue, which is

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 63 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: myth /mɪθ/, thanksgiving /ˌθæŋksˈɡɪv.ɪŋ/, thick /θɪk/, throat /ˈθɹoʊt/, breathe /bɹiːð/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shave /ˈʃeɪ̯v/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, unconscious /ˌʌnˈkɑnʃəs/, facial /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/, seizure /ˈsi.ʒɚ/
Long words — get the stress right: potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, consistently /kənˈsɪstəntli/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like myth, shave, nail.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Totally Wrong Facts You Probably Still Believe - Learn English Speaking with Video

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