10% of our brains????

Question

I cannot figure out for the life of me why people are still spouting this little myth. Think about it if we only used 10% of our brains we wound't be alive! All the specific lobes that control things like our breathing, heart beating, memory and much more cannot be contained in that small 10%.

For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain

Humans use only 10% or less of their brain:
Even though some mysteries of brain function persist, every part of the brain has a known function
This misconception most likely arose from a misunderstanding (or misrepresentation in an advertisement) of neurological research in the late 1800s or early 1900s when researchers discovered that only about 10% of the neurons in the brain are firing at any given time. If all of a person's neurons began firing at once he would not become smarter, but would instead suffer a seizure. In fact, studies have shown that the brains of more intelligent people are less active...

Answer 1

Evidence Against the Ten-Percent Myth

The argument that psychic powers come from the unused majority of the brain is based on the logical fallacy of the argument from ignorance. In this fallacy, lack of proof for a position (or simply lack of information) is used to try to support a particular claim. Even if it were true that the vast majority of the human mind is unused (which it clearly is not), that fact in no way implies that any extra capacity could somehow give people paranormal powers. This fallacy pops up all the time in paranormal claims, and is especially prevalent among UFO proponents. For example: Two people see a strange light in the sky. The first, a UFO believer, says, "See there! Can you explain that?" The skeptic replies that no, he can't. The UFO believer is gleeful. "Ha! You don't know what it is, so it must be aliens!" he says, arguing from ignorance.

What follows are two of the reasons that the Ten-Percent story is suspect. (For a much more thorough and detailed analysis of the subject, see Barry Beyerstein's chapter in the 1999 book Mind Myths: Exploring Everyday Mysteries of the Mind.)

1) Brain imaging research techniques such as PET scans (positron emission tomography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) clearly show that the vast majority of the brain does not lie fallow. Indeed, although certain minor functions may use only a small part of the brain at one time, any sufficiently complex set of activities or thought patterns will indeed use many parts of the brain. Just as people don't use all of their muscle groups at one time, they also don't use all of their brain at once. For any given activity, such as eating, watching television, making love, or reading, you may use a few specific parts of your brain. Over the course of a whole day, however, just about all of the brain is used at one time or another.

2) The myth presupposes an extreme localization of functions in the brain. If the "used" or "necessary" parts of the brain were scattered all around the organ, that would imply that much of the brain is in fact necessary. But the myth implies that the "used" part of the brain is a discrete area, and the "unused" part is like an appendix or tonsil, taking up space but essentially unnecessary. But if all those parts of the brain are unused, removal or damage to the "unused" part of the brain should be minor or unnoticed. Yet people who have suffered head trauma, a stroke, or other brain injury are frequently severely impaired. Have you ever heard a doctor say, ". . . But luckily when that bullet entered his skull, it only damaged the 90 percent of his brain he didn't use"? Of course not.

Variants of the Ten-Percent Myth

The myth is not simply a static, misunderstood factoid. It has several forms, and this adaptability gives it a shelf life longer than lacquered Spam. In the basic form, the myth claims that years ago a scientist discovered that we indeed did use only ten percent of our brains. Another variant is that only ten percent of the brain had been mapped, and this in turn became misunderstood as ten percent used. A third variant was described earlier by Craig Karges. This view is that the brain is somehow divided neatly into two parts: the conscious mind which is used ten to twenty percent of the time (presumably at capacity); and the subconscious mind, where the remaining eighty to ninety percent of the brain is unused. This description betrays a profound misunderstanding of brain function research.

Part of the reason for the long life of the myth is that if one variant can be proven incorrect, the person who held the belief can simply shift the reason for his belief to another basis, while the belief itself stays intact. So, for example, if a person is shown that PET scans depict activity throughout the entire brain, he can still claim that, well, the ninety percent figure really referred to the subconscious mind, and therefore the Ten-Percent figure is still basically correct.

Regardless of the exact version heard, the myth is spread and repeated, by both the well-meaning and the deliberately deceptive. The belief that remains, then, is what Robert J. Samuelson termed a "psycho-fact, [a] belief that, though not supported by hard evidence, is taken as real because its constant repetition changes the way we experience life." People who don't know any better will repeat it over and over, until, like the admonition against swimming right after you eat, the claim is widely believed. ("Triumph of the Psycho-Fact," Newsweek, 9 May 1994.)

The origins of the myth are not at all clear. Beyerstein, of the Brain Behaviour Laboratory at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, has traced it back to at least the early part of the century. A 1998 column in New Scientist magazine also suggested various roots, including Albert Einstein and Dale Carnegie ("Brain Drain"). It likely has a number of sources, principally misunderstood or misinterpreted legitimate scientific findings as well as self-help gurus.

The most powerful lure of the myth is probably the idea that we might develop psychic abilities, or at least gain a leg up on the competition by improving our memory or concentration. All this is available for the asking, the ads say, if we just tapped into our most incredible of organs, the brain. It is past time to put this myth to rest, although if it has survived at least a century so far, it will surely live on into the new millennium. Perhaps the best way to combat this chestnut is to reply to the speaker, when the myth is mentioned, "Oh? What part don't you use?"

Answer 2

I once had to write an essay on this and I agree with you. These days the only way this could be a 'true figure' would be if we were talking about using our brain consciously (like to consciously control an action or thought process) as much of our brain IS dedicated to unconscious action (digestion, heartbeat, blinking, breathing, pupil dilation and so on...!)
As you have said MRI, fMRI and PET scans do show that different tasks, actions and emotions seem to trigger activity in different regions of our brains. However, the connection between brain regions and the functions they are assumed to perform are overall, not definite, although there is a large amount of evidence supporting strong correlations between some regions and specific functions.
An easier way to put rest to the 10% myth is to think of brain injury. How often does someone who suffers some form of brain injury (whether relatively minor or very severe) who survives show no change in their behaviour or character? Basically never! No matter what region of the brain is damaged and no matter how minor or severe the injury, the person will almost certainly either behave differently, have motor/sensory problems or have a change in some aspect of their character. Also, what is common is that collections of people who have received damage to the same brain region will often suffer very similar problems or character changes post-injury. For example damage to the prefrontal cortex often results in a lack of inhibitory control and they develop impulsivity. If the myth were true we could suffer damage to up to 90% of our brain without it having any effect on us whatsoever.
Diseases and conditions affecting brain regions also help to put the 10% myth to rest. Again conditions affecting specific regions often cause the same symptons. For example Alzheimers is related to degeneration of neurons in the hippocampus, which is strongly linked to the storage of new memories. As a result, many people with Alzheimers have intact long term memories but difficulty in recalling events which have recently occured.
Very few people will actually still claim that the 10% myth is true, and even fewer of these people are academics who actually know anything about the brain. Most people I've heard this from are people who simply quote it in a context they think it is appropriate in, but in reality they dont really know what they are saying and have no way of supporting this statement! They usually feel a bit silly afterwards if you explain to them the conflicting evidence against the 10% myth!
All the best!

Answer 3

Haha Isles1015, gotta love Wedding Crashers.

Answer 4

UHH! It depends on where one's brain is located.
Some men only use one inch, others more, but usually no more than 6-61/2".
Learned that on YAHOO Q & A,
Don't know anything about women. Nada, niente, nuttin, nothing, 0000000000, even after 3 marriages.

Answer 5

Einstein only used 9% of his brain.. thats what my teacher said lol-- but i once heard somewhere that those people who can make things float in thin air are using more than 10 % and thats why they can do that.....

Answer 6

I think the point of the message is we don't use all of our brain consciously. but if you think about it, you at some point in time have to use all or a majority of it...or else, whats the point in having it all?

Answer 7

I agree. I can't stand it when I hear that old wives tale being perpetuated.

That and creationism.

Answer 8

I think we only use 10% of our hearts.

Answer 9

thnx for the info and the points. there wasn't a question in there was there because if there was i missed it and you should make it more obvious.

Answer 10

Perfect.... i dono how much exact percent we use... but its very less.... .. girls... never use it