Put your hat on, nearly all your heat escapes through your head!
The verdict
The head loses about as much heat per area as the rest of the body – only a small part of the total. The myth comes from an old military experiment in which people were warmly dressed everywhere except the head. A hat is still nice.
On the wall
Don’t keep your mobile in your pocket, the radiation will give you a brain tumour!
Verdict: A large review commissioned by the WHO in 2024 found no link between mobile phones and brain tumours, even though almost everyone has had a mobile for decades.
Don’t swim straight after eating, you’ll get cramp and drown!
Verdict: No research has shown that people drown from swimming on a full stomach. A gentle swim after lunch is perfectly fine.
Don’t swallow the apple pips, a tree will grow in your tummy!
Verdict: The stomach is far too dark and acidic for anything to sprout. The pips come out again, usually quite unbothered.
Verdict: There is no evidence that coffee stunts growth. Children still shouldn’t have much caffeine – but for other reasons.