Myths we put down
A running index of popular psychology claims that are false, overstated, or still being argued — each one linked to the page where we show the evidence. If a “fact” everyone repeats turns out to rest on nothing, it belongs here.
The human attention span is 8 seconds — shorter than a goldfish
Fabricated. Traced by the BBC to a data firm (Statistic Brain) that could provide no credible source; the goldfish figure is invented too.
See the evidence → The Engine RoomMoney stops buying happiness above $75,000
The plateau did not replicate. A 2023 Kahneman–Killingsworth collaboration found wellbeing keeps rising with income for most people; a 2024 critique argues even the revised picture is threshold-dependent.
See the evidence → The Counting HouseMilgram proved ordinary people blindly obey authority
Archival reanalysis shows the experimenter improvised pressure, results varied hugely across conditions, and many participants doubted the shocks were real. The better reading — “engaged followership” — is more disturbing, not less.
See the evidence → The Influence RoomGood sleep hygiene fixes insomnia
Guidelines do not recommend sleep hygiene as a standalone treatment for clinical insomnia. CBT-I is first-line.
See the evidence → The Night ShiftEveryone needs exactly 8 hours of sleep
Need varies between people; most adults fall in a range. Rigidly chasing a number can itself feed insomnia.
See the evidence → The Night ShiftBlue light from screens is destroying your sleep
The melatonin effect of typical evening device light is real but modest — smaller than the claim. What you are doing on the device usually matters more.
See the evidence → The Night ShiftAlcohol is a good sleep aid
It shortens time-to-sleep but suppresses REM and fragments the night. Sedation is not sleep.
See the evidence → The Night ShiftMultitasking is a skill you can build
For attention-demanding work it is task-switching, with real costs, and attention residue means you arrive at each task already degraded.
See the evidence → The Engine RoomYou can learn in your sleep / while unconscious
Sleep consolidates what you already learned; it does not reliably teach new declarative material played to you while asleep.
See the evidence → The Night ShiftProcrastination is laziness or poor time management
It is emotion regulation — avoidance of a feeling attached to the task. Calendars do not fix it; self-forgiveness reduces it.
See the evidence → The Engine RoomMoney motivates people at work
Unfair or insufficient pay demotivates strongly, but beyond “fairly paid” more money does little for sustained motivation versus autonomy, mastery and purpose.
See the evidence → The Engine RoomThe 21-day rule builds a habit
The number has no basis; real habit-formation times vary enormously by behaviour and person.
See the evidence → The WorkshopWillpower is the key to self-control
Environment and design out-perform willpower; the “ego-depletion” literature has largely failed to replicate.
See the evidence → The WorkshopMemory works like a recording
Memory is reconstructive — rebuilt and re-edited at every recall, which is why confident memories can be wrong.
See the evidence → The Memory VaultAttachment style is a fixed type that dooms your relationships
Attachment is dimensional and can change; treating it as a rigid personality type over-claims well past the evidence.
See the evidence → The Space Between