21 Lies Americans Tell Themselves
Dr. House said it best — everybody lies. But what about lies whole societies tell themselves? In the 1990s, the University of Virginia ran a study that revealed students averaged two lies per day, and the general public averaged one lie. The problem? participants had to know they were lying to report it.
Societal and cultural influences play a role in the kinds of lies we tell. Mindfully American honed in on this idea, compiling common lies Americans believe but are rarely seen as lies because they’re part of our educational and cultural upbringing. Some of them are tough to swallow, but we believe they deserve to be on this list.
Perhaps the next time you hear someone spew off one of these lies as a fact, you can kindly show them a different (ahem, truthful) point of view.
1: Business Education
The idea that people have to study at a university to be successful business owners is a lie that many hopeful entrepreneurs are taught to believe. Sure, with a 72% rate of companies hiring people with business degrees, you’ll likely have a higher chance of landing a job. But if running your own business is your goal, Richard Branson of Virgin Group and Anne Beiler of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels are proof that you don’t need a degree to be successful in business.
2: Goodness Wins
The concept that goodness wins over evil makes one feel warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately, the truth is sometimes different. No matter how much of a good, truthful person you are, being good doesn’t always persevere over evil.
There’s also a point to be made about what “good” is; people in terrorist groups are often raised to believe that “good” people are “bad.” So, if they succeed with an attack, they’ll view it as goodness winning, and if the attack gets intercepted, they’ll view it as badness winning.
3: Last Place
On the flip side, good people don’t always finish last. Telling yourself this common line that society has ingrained in our minds could prevent you from achieving your full potential.
4: Conspiracy Theories Are Always Wrong
The idea that conspiracies are always myths is a dangerous lie that society often leads people to believe. While false conspiracy theories are abundant, labeling every conspiracy theory as false is downright untrue.
Case in point? In 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service and Tuskegee Institute collaborated on a fraudulent syphilis treatment program for diagnosed Black men. For forty years the program ran, providing dangerous “treatments” and procedures to the men so that researchers could gather more information about syphilis. During this time, penicillin had been recognized as a cure, but the truth was kept hidden until the public began questioning the situation.
5: The “Right” Happiness
Many people have been instructed by society that happiness is something that needs to be pursued. However, some wise people recognize that this is a lie; happiness is something that one should experience instead of pursue.
6: Doctor Knows It All
Most doctors share information they believe to be truthful with their patients. However, one shouldn’t take a single doctor’s word at face value if the information doesn’t sit right with them. While many doctors have good intentions, doctors don’t always know what’s best for us. Get second opinions and follow what feels true to you.
7: Never Make Mistakes
The concept that success is born by never making mistakes is a lie that hinders and excuses too many people from finding their own path to success. Without making mistakes, success is often more difficult to come by.
Don’t believe us? The late multimillionaire Steve Jobs made many mistakes, including hiring John Sculley as the CEO of Apple, the same man who would later fire Jobs from the company he built.
8: Hard Work Pays Off
As harsh as it sounds, hard work and helping those around you aren’t always the most effective ways to get ahead in your career. People who are arrogant, outspoken, and have bullying traits often get ahead more. In fact, narcissists are notorious for high performance at work, driven by their charisma, abundance of self-confidence, and fearlessness at taking risks.
The glimmer of hope? Society gets a high-five for encouraging people to take a morally sound path to get ahead.
9: Longevity Fail
Although society likes to make us think that the pharmaceutical industry is around to help people, this may be a more accurate reflection of those working at the top of the big pharma chain: The reason they care about patients and their longevity is that it’s more money they can pocket over the course of each patient’s life.
Given that pharmaceutical companies get assistance through government programs, tax breaks, and publicly-funded research, it seems that if they truly wanted to help people, they’d lower the cost of medication.
10: American Dream
The traditional concept of the American Dream is a societal lie. It’s more challenging than ever for immigrants and Americans alike to land a job that pays them well enough to build the kind of comfort and wealth that the American Dream once promised.
As PBS reported, Mexican immigrant Audelia Molina was working 11-hour days and making about $199 per week trimming garments at a Los Angeles factory. While the law eventually caught up with Molina’s employer, her story is a common one among hardworking immigrants in the U.S.
11: Outsourcing Happiness
The concept that your happiness comes from someone else, such as a partner or child, is a huge lie society has pushed on people. The most stable form of happiness comes from within.
12: Freedom and Justice
Governments around the world like to push the idea that their people have freedom and justice. But from a textbook definition point of view, this couldn’t be further from the truth; injustices abound, and freedom has government-imposed limits.
13: Paycheck Sizes Make You
American culture has caused many people to believe the lie that the size of their paycheck determines their wealth. The problem? A person making $150,000 per year and spending $150,001+ of that is poorer than a person making $50,000 per year and spending within their means.
14: (Un)safe Territory
Being happy doesn’t always equate to being in a comfortable position, as many people think. Instead, happiness often grows from achievement after pushing oneself out of their comfort zone.
15: Faking It
The phrase “Fake it until you make it” works for some. But when you break down the concept, it’s nothing but a lie; anything is not achievable if you just keep trying (faking). It’s safe to say it’s unrealistic for everyone to become astronauts, no matter how much they try to fake it until they make it.
16: Religious Teachings
In the West, there’s often an underlying tone mainstream society has that if a person isn’t Christian, they don’t have morals (or the right morals). That’s just not true. A 2021 study showed that even atheists have moral compasses, though atheists and theists tend to diverge when it comes to morals protecting vulnerable people versus protecting group cohesion.
17: Most Important Meal
The concept that breakfast is the most important meal of the day has been pushed onto us by American society. However, every person has different needs, and skipping breakfast in the name of intermittent fasting may be one of the best things you can do for your health.
18: The Grind
Contrary to what American society leads its citizens to believe, working around the clock isn’t something that should be praised. For those who can financially swing it, cutting back on work and expenses in the name of spending more time with people and doing activities one loves is a far more soul-filling path for many.
19: Ultimate Goal
Mainstream society and Hollywood have pushed the idea that marriage is the number one goal Americans should strive to achieve, though that’s thankfully changing. Along those lines, the concepts that divorce is bad and that the number of years a couple has been together defines the success of their relationship are also falsehoods society leads people to believe.
20: Sugar High
Sorry, Little Debbie. It may work in politicians’ favor to lead us to believe that having sugar in our lives is good (or, at least, okay) for us. But time and time again, research shows that humans need zero grams of sugar intake to survive.
21: Psychedelics Are Bad
Despite what society led people to believe starting in the 1960s, countless studies show a promising impact of psychedelics on people struggling with mental health. The healing power of psychedelics is something indigenous cultures have been aware of for thousands of years.
19 Historical U.S. Myths That Annoy History Buffs to the Core
If your teacher taught it in history class, it’s normal to assume it’s true. Ask any historian, though, and you might be surprised to learn the stuff of school history lessons is often riddled with inaccuracies.
19 Historical U.S. Myths That Annoy History Buffs to the Core
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Some people fear aging, but at least one good thing might come with it: The wisdom to recognize more lies. These are some of the valuable lessons many Americans have learned once they have several decades under their belts.
