Have you ever come across stories or movies that show how a certain person can use only ten percent of his brain? You see how he becomes powerful as soon as he starts using all of his brains. These ideas arose from the ten percent myth that states; people use only ten percent of their whole brain.
Famous psychologists, William James and Boris Sidis in the 1890s, explained how people only use a fraction of their full mental potential. Their theory started circulating among people, rising a misunderstanding about the concept. People started writing how William James suggested that “the average man develops only ten percent of his latent mental ability”.
Parts of the brain have functions that have been properly understood, but still some parts remain a mystery. This is why many myths regarding the brain exist. Ten percent myth is also said to be a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of neurological research in the 19th and 20th century.
If a person forgets some information, has a problem remembering some memory, or can’t understand some difficult notes, it doesn’t mean that they are using only ten percent of their brain. They won’t start remembering or understanding the situations if they unlock some areas of their brain.
The reason, why this isn’t possible, is that it is a false myth and has been completely debunked because we use all parts. The only time when our brain parts don’t function properly is when they go through some damage or affected by diseases.
Let’s take a look at the reasons why ten percent myth is debunked:
Imaging scans prove that no matter what, no region of it is useless or inactive. PET and fMRI show scientists how all parts are functioning, doing simple to complex, all kinds of tasks. Either it is watching a movie, reading, or solving problems, it plays a part in all our activities. Even during our sleep, walking, talking and doing daily activities, all parts of our brain are always functioning. Researchers are still looking for a part of the it that does not function at all.
It uses 20% of our energy. Only a small 10% of the brain using such a high amount of energy makes no sense at all. Let’s consider the ten percent theory true for a second. If a person goes through an accident and damaged, will he feel any kind of effects if 90% of his brain is useless? No, he won’t because those regions weren’t even working at all, which is not reality. Every region of the it faces the consequences of brain damage, in real life.
Brain cells which are of no use start degenerating. It would have a large amount of degeneration if 90% of the parts were unused.
A tiny electrode is inserted to detect the functioning of every cell. This technique would have revealed 90% of no cell use, hence proving that the ten percent myth is false.
What are your thoughts about the ten percent theory? Do you believe we use only ten percent of our brain or is it just a false myth? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
Reference:
https://www.verywellmind.com/10-percent-of-brain-myth-2794882
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_percent_of_the_brain_myth