We do not only use 10% of our brain.

[edhopper]

It's a myth from a hundred years ago and it's disturbing how many people still think it's true.
In fact we use all of our brain.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/

And it keeps popping up as the basis for movies and other fiction.

"Limitless" a few years ago and now "Lucy" with ScarJo.

Amazing how durable this BS is.

[Turbineguy]

1. Maybe it's a bit like

the glass that's half full of water. The glass is actually full because it also contains air.

[NYC Liberal]

3. Sort of. Not all of the brain is used for conscious actions/thinking.

A LOT of it is dedicated to things like hormone regulation, internal body processes, etc.

[nomorenomore08]

5. There's also what we call the subconscious.

Maybe the "10%" myth comes from so much of our mental processes being inaccessible to us directly.

[edhopper]

6. because the brain has many areas

and many functions. Thinking just one of them. The myth comes from a time before neuroscience mapped the brain.
The question is why do so many still believe it.

[nomorenomore08]

7. I think it's just the dearth of accurate scientific knowledge, all around, in this country.

Something the Christian right sure as shit hasn't helped.

[edhopper]

8. It's like people still using the phrase

"missing link" even though that refers to pre-darwinian biology.

[nomorenomore08]

10. Using the phrase literally, in a scientific sense, is a bit silly, yes.

It's also used in many figurative contexts, though.

[edhopper]

11. Yes

in reference to evolution.

[nomorenomore08]

15. People always wrongly oversimplify these things.

Just look at the hatchet job the Ayn Rand types have done on natural selection/"survival of the fittest."

[FrodosPet]

44. "The Missing Link" was found YEARS ago!

[Phlem]

18. or could the missing link be

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24603-mystery-human-species-emerges-from-denisovan-genome.html#.U7dax_ldXMo

[edhopper]

38. The "missing link"

comes from the pre-darwininan idea of the great chain of beings.

It is a nonscientific term.

[Phlem]

49. I understand that

I have had a subscription SA for years and still do.

Guess I'll turn turn sarcasm on next time.

Did you however read the article?

[edhopper]

50. Sorry, Poe's law

Scanned it. Interesting.

[ZombieHorde]

28. The myth comes from early brain researchers

who said they only understood about 10% of the brain.

[nomorenomore08]

30. Makes sense.

[nolabels]

68. I read it another way from the article

It was written in the article
(snip)
Although there's no definitive culprit to pin the blame on for starting this legend, the notion has been linked to the American psychologist and author William James, who argued in The Energies of Men that "We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources."
(snip)

Yet it would seem technically correct for a much lower percentage, for later is this snippet
(snip)
Another mystery hidden within our crinkled cortices is that out of all the brain's cells, only 10 percent are neurons; the other 90 percent are glial cells, which encapsulate and support neurons, but whose function remains largely unknown.
(snip)

Glial are support cells and are not actively involved neural responses -90%

To me, it would seem more correct would be closer to the 3-5% everyone likes to pass around, or maybe lower, after all it takes one to send and one to receive to complete the connection. Really to me what does matter anyway, it all works quite splendidly most of the time.
Would also like try to echo what I've always heard in decades involved in the repair trades, never try to fix something that is working as well and as planned

[edhopper]

71. But obviously

the brain can't be all neurons. The percentage of neurons to other cells is how it functions. It would be like saying we can have more muscle without the circulation or skeleton to support it.

[nolabels]

80. I was just kind of pondering the sloganism

I have seen much postulation about all the functions of the human body as of late. One that kind of got me interested was the idea of what controls the mind as much as the mind controls other things is that multitude of microorganisms (bacteria and such) in digestive system that is equal ten times to what have in cranium and the digestive side might sometimes have greater control over us because of enzymes and other trace substances it produces inside our body. Think about though, neither side would be able to survive without the other. It's a symbiotic relationship that often makes us hungry for similar things daily.

[edhopper]

81. There is also some stuff I've seen

that the brain moving your arm happens before the thought of moving it does. Are those thoughts just a justification for something the body already decided?

And then there is "what is music?"

[nolabels]

88. Some Native American civilizations were saying that before Lief Erickson happened in

Anyway in more recent times i have found that we have this little blurb

HOW YOUR BRAIN TELLS YOUR ARM TO GET READY, SET, GO
(snip)
Instead, roughly 50 milliseconds after the electrical readings showed evidence of perception, a change in neuronal activity signaled the command to touch the target; it came with no apparent further preparation between perception and action. “Ready, set” was unnecessary. In these instances, the neurons just said, “Go!”
(snip)
http://www.futurity.org/brain-gets-set-action/

And like, well duh, i think there is an even more obvious and simpler example in the knee reflex. Imagine all the thing we really don't know about yet

And what i was getting on about with bacteria in our digestive system

What Your Gut Bacteria Say About You
(snip)
"You're Hungry... Very, Very Hungry"
Surprisingly, gut bacteria may also control appetite, nudging you toward the oozy, creamy, crunchy foods they like. Fact is, the little buggers have species-specific appetites (a microbiologist can tell what types of food you eat and predict whether you're slender or not just from the variety of microbes in your stool sample).
(snip)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/gut-bacteria-influence_n_3908465.html

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. Maybe it just refers to republicans?

[3catwoman3]

13. You beat me...

...to it!

[ailsagirl]

20. And me too!!

I guess great minds think alike!!

[genwah]

4. Wait, this is us using 100% over a day's span? That's it for us? NOW I'm depressed.

[Uben]

9. You haven't met the republicans that I have

I'd say 10% was stretching it a bit! More like 2%.

[edhopper]

12. They also use all their brain

they just have very small brains

[freshwest]

17. Nah, they only use the reptilian reflex brain... It's efficient and sufficient for mindlessness.

The rest of the gray goo is just busy making excuses for the way they behave.

[Boomerproud]

14. Common sense and plain decency are also used sparingly among the RW.

They prove it every day.

[nomorenomore08]

16. True that there haven't been very many smart conservatives since Buckley and Goldwater passed.

Anti-intellectualism is like a holy sacrament in present-day red America.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

19. The amount of BS that people believe is depressing. And a real boon for RW politicians.

[deathrind]

21. "What The...

Bleep Do We Know"

Excellent movie, highly recommend it.

[edhopper]

39. Full of

pseudoscience bullshit. People shouldn't waste their time.

http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/04/what_the_bleep_.html

[sulphurdunn]

22. Not only do we use all of it, but

the more we use it the better it works.

[CrispyQ]

52. One of my favorite "Far Side" cartoons was a man sitting in his easy chair in his living room.

His head was on the floor next to the chair. Under the toon it read, "Fred discovered the old adage 'use it or lose it' was true."

I love Larsen. So many great laughs!

[sulphurdunn]

56. Funny

[Fred Sanders]

23. All of a nation pretending a lie is the truth? How could that happen?...*burp*...Iraq war..*burp*...

[Vattel]

24. Do we only use 10% of our brain? No, we also misplace the word "only" in sentences.

[edhopper]

40. Yours is a question

mine is a declarative statement.

"Do we only use 10% of our brain?"
"No, we don't only use 10% of our brain."

[Vattel]

58. In both cases, "only" should follow "use"

[edhopper]

59. Hmmm

I guess you're right grammatically. But it sounds better to me this way.
I'll accept that I chose style over proper usage. The Strunk and White defense.

[Vattel]

62. Yes, but grammar nazis like me demand proper usage.

We have ways of making you talk grammatically, muahahahaha.

[edhopper]

63. You can try

but I ain't never not going to keep writing as it sounds strongly.

[Vattel]

64. lol

[snooper2]

67. "muahahahaha" - This is not a word. Please correct your post before the real Slim Shady shows up.

[Vattel]

87. Even worse, only vampires laugh like that, and I am a grammar Nazi--not a grammar vampire.

[Phlem]

25. I can believe that.

Some of the people I've met and some people in the media have uttered words that support this.

[Warpy]

26. it's one of those closely held beliefs that turns out to be total bullshit on close examination

but people will resist changing a belief with all their might and until they are dead.

It's like those "wagon loads of infected smallpox blankets sent to the tribes as gifts. Turns out smallpox is too fragile a virus to survive that trip in anything but a still living victim of it.

Wait and see how many responses this one gets.

[hfojvt]

27. well if we don't

then why do so many believe that we do?

I mean, wouldn't people who used more of their large brains, be less susceptible to BS?

[nomorenomore08]

32. Why would people believe the Earth is 6000 years old?

Why are so many ridiculous, childlike beliefs commonplace in the world?

[hfojvt]

33. because

people only use 10% of their brains.

Duh.

[ZombieHorde]

29. THANK YOU!!!!

Big pet peeve of mine.

[Kurska]

31. People who "surpass the limit" and use 100% of their brain at once are scientific phenominom

It is called a grand mal seizure.

Seriously, movies with this premise are AGGRESSIVELY stupid.

[Jamastiene]

34. Lightning DOES strike the same place twice.

The Empire State Building has been struck hundreds of times. Barns sometimes have lightning attractors attached to them for the sole purpose of giving the lightning something to hit over and over again instead of the barn itself.

People still say lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. I hear people say it all the time and it irritates me.

[defacto7]

35. Brain functions work more like

a hologram than a filing cabinet.

[bemildred]

42. +1.

It's not ever full or empty, that is not how it works.

[Union Scribe]

36. I saw a preview for that dumbass movie

and almost put my palm through my forehead I mean if they're going to go that route, do they have to explicitly cite that awful 10% idea?? Maddening.

[Warren DeMontague]

37. Speek Fr Yrshlrf

[hobbit709]

41. I wouldn't bet on it being that much with the average teabagger.

[LeftishBrit]

43. Absolutely!

I believe the myth was invented by an encyclopaedia salesman, as part of his advertising campaign.

Brain imaging studies show that all of our brains are active at all times - sleeping as well as waking. The level of activation may vary for different parts of the brain with different activities; but there is no totally inactive area.

[CanSocDem]

45. This...

...is a scientific Americans 'proof' that they are using massive brain power???:


"Take the simple act of pouring coffee in the morning: In walking toward the coffeepot, reaching for it, pouring the brew into the mug, even leaving extra room for cream, the occipital and parietal lobes, motor sensory and sensory motor cortices, basal ganglia, cerebellum and frontal lobes all activate. A lightning storm of neuronal activity occurs almost across the entire brain in the time span of a few seconds."

As for all the really complicated aspects of American life like social justice, public health and equality, we're all waiting for the whole brain application.


.

[edhopper]

46. Are you disputing that we use our entire brain

or making a comment about many Americans not really thinking about policies?

[ck4829]

47. The limbic system alone (breathing, heart regulation, etc.) has to be way more than 10%

So maybe if I just think real hard, I can also have telepathy and can kill a yak from 200 yards away... with mind bullets.

[edhopper]

48. Yes, that's the ticket

if we could use more of our brain we could manifest abilities which no one has ever had and which run contrary to the laws of physics.

It all make sense.

[merrily]

51. What percentage of their respective brains various characters used

was a recurring them in Defending Your Life. And, yes, I think the meme that most people use only a small percentage of their respective brains was in the movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defending_Your_Life

[edhopper]

61. Yes, that one too.

Funny movie, but uses this nonsense as well.

[CrispyQ]

53. One of my favorite brain books, "The Amazing Brain."

http://www.amazon.com/The-Amazing-Brain-Robert-Ornstein/dp/0395585724

It's stunning. A kid's book, sort of, but enchanting at any age. The part that covered the visual center - very unique! I won't spoil it, but if you have kids, this book is a must! And if you don't, this book is a must!

on edit: I do love those 'finally using all of our brain' stories, though. That drug in Limitless, I'd take it in a flash.

[bluedigger]

54. It's like crop rotation.

Just because 90% of my brain lies fallow does not mean I'm not "using" it.

[edhopper]

60. No

none of it is lying fallow. You use it for a myriad of functions beyond conscious thinking.
It's like talking about emotion coming from the heart. Just antiquated hooha.

[bluedigger]

65. I see your sense of humor has been plowed under.

[edhopper]

66. Sorry

It's early and I need more coffee.
I get that reaction from some of my jokes, so i should know better.

[bluedigger]

69. My milk went bad - no coffee for me, either.

[edhopper]

70. I always keep a can

of evaporated milk on hand for such emergencies.

[samsingh]

55. you're right - this is an urban myth.

[whistler162]

57. Try reading some of the threads

here and you will realize 10% maybe a over estimate!

[lunatica]

72. We use 100% of our brains?

that's so depressing! That means 100% is pretty damn mediocre at best. There's no room for improvement?! It's hopeless.

[edhopper]

73. LOL

We can find better ways to use it and we can improve it. I think there is some evidence about growing grey matter. And of course nutrition and no substance abuse are big factors.

[lunatica]

74. I was aiming at some twisted dark humor

Kind of like my signature. I'm not sure which smilie I could have used to get that across.

[edhopper]

75. I knew you weren't serious

just making additional comment.
Updated my post to reflect this.

[lunatica]

76. Thanks!

It's nice to be apersheeated!

[Mosby]

77. the scientific myths that drive me crazy

That lie detector tests can detect lies.

That there is a truth serum drug.

Confusing theory with hypothesis. (not exactly a myth, more like lack of understanding)

[rock]

78. But we do use only 5% of our big toe

What in the hell do such expressions mean? Not much.

[edhopper]

82. NFL kickers used to use most of their big toe.

now they don't use it at all....weird.

[valerief]

79. As dependable as, "We can't afford this/that in America." Bullshit. nt

[Avalux]

83. Of course we use all of our brain, but do we use our heart?

Without the heart, the brain is a dangerous weapon.

[edhopper]

84. The heart is a muscle to pump blood

emotions come from the brain and endocrine system.

I think too many people are guided by emotion over logical thinking.

[Avalux]

85. Biologically speaking you're correct.

But there are many times in my life when logically, my brain said yes but there was something else which defied reason that said no, and vice versa. I'm glad I allowed that something else to guide me every time. As a scientist I apply what I know to this, I just know it to be true.

[edhopper]

86. I would say

that you subconsciously analyzed it and were held back while the thoughts were still formulating.

Of course there are many times when we do things for purely emotional reasons. But we should always temper it with thought. Hell, the whole GOP seems to be acting on nothing but Obama hatred and greed.