Old Wives’ Tales are traditional, often superstitious beliefs that are passed on by word of mouth down the generations. Many of us grow up accepting our ancestors' words of 'wisdom' as true only to discover later in life that they are in fact myths.
These sayings vary from culture to culture but here are a just a few of the most popular Old Wives’ Tales that the British have passed down to their children through the centuries. The question is, which are the stuff of legends and which have their basis in fact?
1. ‘Feed a cold, starve a fever.’
Although I always like to use
the first half of this proverb as an excuse to stuff my face when I have a
cold, starving a fever is unlikely to be beneficial when your body is weak and needs
to preserve its strength. According to Reader’s Digest, the original saying was ‘feed a cold,
stave a fever’, stave meaning 'to prevent'. The phrase later evolved to mislead
people into fasting to combat their fever.
2. ‘Don't go outside with wet
hair. You'll catch a cold!’
Another cold-related saying
(clearly a pre-occupation of wives down the ages), this tale is apparently
still believed by 40%* of mothers. However according to a study reported in The
New England Journal of Medicine in which two groups of people were exposed to
viruses that cause the common cold, one group in a 5°C room and the
other in a 30°C room, both groups caught colds at about the same rate,
suggesting no link between the two.
3. ‘Eat your crusts – they’re
good for you.’
Mothers over the centuries
have desperately tried to persuade their children to eat their crusts with
promises of hairy chests and curly hair (neither of which seem all that
appealing in my view). However, whilst these promises are likely to disappoint,
a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that bread
crusts actually contain eight times the antioxidants of any other part of the
bread! So get those crusts down you.
4. ‘Carrots help you see in
the dark.’
Another favourite of British mums,
this tale is said to have come about due to allied propaganda during WWII when rumours were spread that carrots were responsible for the exceptional
night vision of British airmen. The myth was spread to stop the Germans from
discovering that the British were using Radar. While carrots contain vitamin A
which is good for healthy eyes, bingeing on them will sadly do nothing to
improve your night vision.
5. ‘Eating cheese before bed
gives you nightmares.’
As someone who rather enjoys
a spot of late-night cheese and biscuits, I have never allowed myself to be too concerned by this Old Wives’ Tale. The origin of this saying is said to be Charles
Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ in which the main character Scrooge blames a ‘crumb
of cheese’ for his night-time visitations. However a study of 200 people by the
British Cheese Board revealed no correlation between late-night cheese-eating
and bad dreams. Interestingly, though, different types of cheese seemed to have
differing effects with a high proportion of Stilton-eaters reporting
particularly bizarre or vivid dreams.
For more weird and wonderful
Old Wives' Tales, check out Reader’s Digest's full article.
*Source: Pediatrics journal
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