25 modern pseudosciences that irritate the most (26 photos)

The world is full of crazy theories, assumptions and techniques that mislead us, or, more simply put, blatantly deceive us. Users of the AskReddit forum were asked a good question: “What pseudoscience pisses you off the most?”, and here are the most striking answers.





1. “Evidence” for the Flat Earth Theory



2. “Chiropractors. Chiropractors and 'spine adjustments' have no scientific backing"





“This is a massage that provides temporary relief but, unlike regular massage, can lead to serious spinal problems if not performed correctly. It's not worth the risk. If you want to go to a chiropractor, you'd better just find a good massage therapist."

3. “There are so many contradictory diet theories out there right now that I’m ready to call all of dietetics a pseudoscience.”



4. “When they tell you anything about “detoxifying” your body, it’s definitely a lie.”



5. “A lie detector is a prop in a play.”



“The performance is put on by the investigators; the audience is the person being interrogated. The plot of the play: “We can read your thoughts, don’t bother lying.” Theatrical props “work” by giving different indications in response to physiological changes in the audience. This helps give the audience the impression that the performers can read their emotions.”

6. “The Mozart Effect” – UC Irvine study claims deep immersion in Mozart’s world can make you smarter.”



“The study involved 36 people and found that those who listened to Mozart before the task performed much better on the task than those who listened only to silence. The study concluded that Mozart can actually increase your IQ by eight or nine points. However, the results of this study have been widely criticized by the academic and scientific community at large. Many argue that the results were misleading and that the researchers did not examine what role participants' diet, posture or time of day they took the tests played in the results."

7. “Homeopathy. Pseudoscience that people for some reason continue to believe in"



“Yes, no one has canceled the placebo effect. But you cannot treat with homeopathy in cases where a life-saving medicine is required, replacing it. The worst thing is when children die because of the stupidity of adults.”

8. “I used to work for an assembly line type web design company.” I made a whole bunch of Herbalife websites."



“We were getting retention bonuses, and I hated the Herbalife sites because I knew they were going to go out of business and I would never get the bonus.”

9. “Psychics and mediums who prey on the gullible, the mentally ill, the desperate and the vulnerable and claim to be able to speak to dead people.”



“Such things should be punishable by law. In the same furnace are hypnosis, parapsychology, “experts” in body language, psychoanalysis, lie detection and all sorts of similar scams.”

10. “Astrology. I don't mind stories about natal charts and all that, but as soon as you start telling me that it affects my personality and "compatibility", you go to hell."



11. "Essential oils. Stop trying to push this stinky crap on me as a cure for migraines. The smell is the trigger!"



12. “Crystals. They look beautiful. Some look amazing, but that's about it. Don’t tell me about their healing and magical properties.”



13. “Dominance training for dogs. This is not real, you are only hurting your dog. Stop doing this"



14. “Scientology. A cult masquerading as a religion and sponsored by organized crime."



15. “Pure” beauty. I'm sorry, but mixing raw lemon juice and coffee grounds and then applying it to your face as a scrub will do more harm than an AHA/BHA or other chemical exfoliant."



16. “The idea that vaccines cause autism. The doctor who came up with this idea became a laughing stock in the medical world. But nevertheless, many people fall for this nonsense.”



17. “As an archaeologist, nothing excites me more than the hypothesis that monumental architecture such as the pyramids is the work of aliens.”



“This means that ancient people were too stupid to accomplish such a feat and that modern people are superior to them, which is far from the truth. I'm not saying aliens can't be real, it's just that these theories don't take into account the capabilities of our ancestors."

18. “Whenever someone uses the concept of “energy” to justify all this new age, all the mystical movements and occult things, I lose my temper. It's the same with the word "quantum"



19. “Invented bullshit words used to advertise cosmetic products, combined with bullshit statistics.”



“90% of 12 women said their face looked brighter when we asked them to say their face looked brighter, try our new hyuroxin nucleotide miracle serum today.” Thank you, I don’t need my face to look “brighter”, stop talking nonsense already.”

20. “Breatharianism. It's like photosynthesis, but for people."



21. “Everything is natural. No chemicals. No preservatives. Stop lying already!”



22. “Pseudoscience of a healthy lifestyle. You don't need a detox, you don't need to alkalize your water to reset the pH."



“If you were that full of toxins or your pH was that off the charts, you would need new organs, especially the liver and kidneys. And you’d probably be dead by now.”

23. “Tarot cards. Supposedly they provide an opportunity to look into the past, know the present and see the future.”



24. “Pseudoscientific pop psychology tests such as the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) and the Enneagram. Literally none of them are supported by any science at all. They are completely useless"



25. “Everything Gwyneth Paltrow Speaks and Sells”