(Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D.) One of the most prevalent myths in the popular press is that we use only 10% of our brains. This has been mentioned in more articles out to debunk myths than any other.[1] Unfortunately, despite efforts to eliminate the myth, even college-educated students believed this myth.[2] The Skeptical Inquirer[3] writes:
by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D., December 14th, 2018
That tired Ten-Percent claim pops up all the time. Last year, national magazine ads for U.S. Satellite Broadcasting showed a drawing of a brain. Under it was the caption, ‘You only use 11 percent of its potential.’ Well, they’re a little closer than the ten-percent figure, but still off by about 89 percent.
The prevalence of the 10% myth appears regularly in TV ads, newspapers and magazines and shows only small signs of decline.
Where the Myth Comes From
There are several probable roots of this myth. Back in the 1800s, Harvard psychologist William James is said to have suggested that humans are using only a fraction of their potential, which is one possible source. Another likely culprit is technology. When neuroimaging was first used in numerous studies at the end of the 1990s, it was common to “see” just small areas of the brain illuminated during the experiments, and some people presumed this meant that just a small portion of the brain was being used. Another thought is that “the 10-percent myth became popular with the self-help teachings of Dale Carnegie, as a way of helping people think about how to realize their own potential.” [4] Others suggest that the 10% myth is linked to people selling ways to unleash psychic power.[5]
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What We Know Now
There is no study that definitively identifies a percentage of the brain being used. However, the most up-to-date brain imaging available shows intricate networks throughout the brain in most tasks. Beyerstein[6] offered evidence to eliminate the myth by noting that if just 10% were used, brain damage would have to be limited to those few places, when we know that in actuality, brain damage has been documented in every part of the brain. He also suggested that brain scans show activity (blood flow, electrical and chemical changes) in all areas and that the brain is the most demanding organ in the body, using 20% of the body’s energy while occupying 2% of the body’s weight, which would be unlikely if only 10% of the brain were being used.
He also argues that both PET and fMRI neuroimaging shows that the brain is active even during sleep and that no area is completely inactive. There is evidence of broad network activity rather than simple “localizationalism,” where small, specific parts of the brain are used. He also argues that microstructural analysis would have offered evidence of disuse if it existed, and that synaptic pruning would be evident in autopsies. These explanations show the fallacies in believing we use only 10% of our brains.
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References
[1] Alfernink & Farmer-Dougan, 2010; Ansari, 2015; Boyd, 2008; Christodoulou & Gaab, 2009; Dekker, Lee, Howard-Jones & Jolles, 2012, 2012; Deligiannidi & Howard-Jones, 2015, Ferrero, Garaizar & Vadillo, 2016; Geake, 2005; Geake, 2008; Howard-Jones, 2014; Karakus, Hoard-Jones & Jay 2015; OECD, 2002; OECD, 2007; Pei, Howard-Jones, Zhang, Liu & Jin, 2015; Willis, 2015
[2] Higbee & Clay, 1998
[3] Radford, 1999
[4] Aamodt & Wang, 2009
[5] Beyerstein, 1999; Myss, 1998
[6] Beyerstein, 1999
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools
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Source:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/neuromyth-most-people-use-about-10-percent-of-their-brains/
“…if just 10% (of the brain) were used, brain damage would have to be limited to those few places, when we know that in actuality, brain damage has been documented in every part of the brain.”
The above statement is used to conclude that more than 10% of the brain is being used, but it doesn’t prove that. First, the parts of the brain that are not being used at the time someone is say trying to solve a math problem are still per-fused with blood, they simply don’t receive the extra blood due to the task at hand. Brain damage not occurring in certain parts of the brain under normal conditions has nothing to do with whether that part of the brain is being used or not but rather if that part of the brain is perfused with enough blood to prevent nutrient deprivation.
“…the brain is the most demanding organ in the body, using 20% of the body’s energy while occupying 2% of the body’s weight, which would be unlikely if only 10% of the brain were being used.”
Incorrect because brain cells are far more highly energetic and metabolic than normal bodily cells. It actually makes sense they would use far more energy than the rest of the body. Highly metabolic parts are more likely to suffer damage like the eyes do with cataracts as we age because the eyes (part of the brain) are extremely energetic and don’t receive enough nutrients with age.
“… microstructural analysis would have offered evidence of disuse if it existed, and that synaptic pruning would be evident in autopsies.”
This analysis proves nothing in this case since just because various brain parts are not always active doesn’t mean they will suffer because they still receive enough blood to maintain good health. For example, if we suddenly stopped running that doesn’t mean our legs will stop functioning because walking or occasional movement will still supply the legs with sufficient blood.
This incorrect argument implies that if the brain is not being used 100% of the time it will suffer damage. Why? It still receives its usual blood supply whether it’s being actively used or not. It’s just that this blood supply increases as a particular part of the brain is activated.
Good analysis, 977enn. I would add this hypothesis to the discussion:
Science argues that we are only using 10% of our DNA, with the rest being denigrated as “junk DNA”. Perhaps when the 90% DNA that’s inactive gets activated, our brains will also gain their full potential.
In the end, however, this article misses the main point. It’s consciousness and not the physical brain where our full potential waits to be unleashed..
For example, look at the extraordinary psychic powers of some yogis, Indigo or Crystal kids, expert practitioners of OBEs and Lucid dreaming, and Savants. Even NDEs say a lot about the hidden potential of the brain, or rather consciousness.
In the end, this is just another neuroscientist doing their job; coming at it from what they know, and have been taught. They’ve been indoctrinated. It’s not their fault.
But let’s be blunt here, science does not understand consciousness. They openly admit this. In fact, they still believe it is an epiphenomenon of the brain. That’s like taking apart a radio to find the announcer.. Good luck!