We only use 10% of our brain
The 10 percent of the brain myth states that humans generally use only 10 percent (or some other small percentage) of their brains. This is a false assumption.
The 10 percent of the brain myth states that humans generally use only 10 percent (or some other small percentage) of their brains. This is a false assumption.
What is correct, however, is that at certain moments in anyone's life, such as when we are simply at rest and not actively engaged in a task, only certain parts of the brain are active. But, when we are actively engaged in a task, such as problem-solving or learning, the entire brain is engaged.
Where Did the 10% Myth Begin? The 10% statement may have been started with a misquote of Albert Einstein or the misinterpretation of the work of Pierre Flourens in the 1800s. It may have been William James who wrote in 1908: "We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources" (from The Energies of Men, p. 12).
Perhaps it was the work of Karl Lashley in the 1920s and 1930s that started it. Lashley removed large areas of the cerebral cortex in rats and found that these animals could still relearn specific tasks. We now know that destruction of even small areas of the human brain can have devastating effects on behavior. That is one reason why neurosurgeons must carefully map the brain before removing brain tissue during operations for epilepsy or brain tumors: they want to make sure that essential areas of the brain are not damaged.
Why Does the Myth Continue? Somehow, somewhere, someone started this myth and the popular media keep on repeating this false statement (brutal but true). Soon, everyone believes the statement regardless of the evidence. According to the believers of this myth, if we used more of our brain, then we could perform super memory feats and have other fantastic mental abilities - maybe we could even move objects with a single thought. Wouldn’t that be nice 😊
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Justin