Urban Legends - Question what ‘Everybody Knows’!

I like to question some of the common ‘truths’ that are sort of ingrained in our culture/society.  I sometimes find truths that are not true.

Lemmings - Mass Suicide

You will still find people that believe that lemmings committed mass suicide.  Years ago psychiatrists and psychologists had a field day with this.  They felt this explained all sorts of human behaviour based on this scientific fact that ‘everybody knew’.    

If you are wondering how this came about… Disney’s documentary ‘White Wilderness’ in 1958 depicted this as something that actually happened.  But it was just some Disney movie maker’s dream.

I discovered this back in the 1990s but have heard this referenced as recently as a few years ago.

And another:

Chemical Imbalance In the Brain

For the decades that this idea has been about, I’ve thought that it is ‘bull kaka’.  I was never, ever, able to find any research paper that actually proved this to be the case: that a chemical imbalance in the brain caused things like depression.

And I searched.  I used to offer people huge amounts of money if they  could find any documentation proving its existence.  I never paid a cent.

So now, even though it has gotten to ‘urban legend’ status the whole idea of a chemical imbalance in the brain causing things like depression has been debunked. 

For a quick look, use ChatGPT and ask it this question:

“Where did the idea of chemical imbalance of the brain come from?”

(I won’t post the complete answer just this part.)

“4. 1990s: Marketing, Not Neuroscience

The phrase “chemical imbalance” became widespread during the SSRI era (e.g., Prozac).

Key point:

•The phrase was popularized by pharmaceutical marketing

•Not discovered by neuroscience

•Not validated by biomarkers

FDA testimony later confirmed:

There is no laboratory test that diagnoses depression by chemical imbalance

Even leading psychiatrists acknowledged:

‘The phrase was a metaphor, not a proven mechanism’.”

Please don’t attack the messenger. 

I’m more inclined to read book - and have read several on the subject - but seems to me that ChatGPT and other AI programs are able to spit out some truth.

🙂  You just have to ask the right questions.