2006-11-16 13:49:37 · 14 answers · asked by arthyee 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
You're probably referring to the idea that we only use 10% of our brains, but this is nothing but myth and quite easily disproved.
First of all, evolutionary, it's inconceivable that humans would evolve with such large brains only to use a small portion of it. Metabolically, brain tissue is costly to develop and maintain. The largest consumer of oxygen in the body is the brain. It would be counterintuitive for all that energy to be spent on something that is only 10% efficient. Natural selection would opt for a more efficient organ.
Also clinical evidence has shown how catastrophic losing less than 90% of the brain is to individuals. Moreover, by observing the effects of strokes, head trauma or other damages to the brain, scientists have found that there isn't an area of the brain that can be destroyed without leaving the patient with some kind of functional defecit.
Also, there are brain scans that can detect electrical activity in the brain in all sorts of situations. I'm sure we've all seen a MRI or PET scan with more than 10% of the brain being illuminated with activity.
The evidence against the 10% myth is overwhelming. One of the reasons this myth has been so sucessfully maintained is due to the New Age movement. Many New Age "scholars" believe that man's next step great step in evolution is being able to use more than 10% of the brain and having psychic and telepathic powers as well as the ability to create your own reality with nothing more than brain power.
The 10% theory has also had success in the media. There have been tons of advertisements that tout the 10% myth in order to promote the potential of their product. I distinclty remember a crappy Albert Brooks movie called "Defending Your Life" that featured an afterlife where people use more and more of their brains as they progress toward heaven. Some science fiction films also feature "advanced" races of people with rediculously oversized heads and telekenetic or psychic abilities that also draws from this myth.
2006-11-16 15:44:40 · answer #1 · answered by Spaghetti Cat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We already do.
You are probably referring to the myth that people only use 10% of their brains. As I just stated, that statement is a myth and is not true.
You can click the link below to get more details but I'll give you a basic summary.
The ten percent myth has been propagated by psychics and other "paranormal pushers" to convince people that there is this large part of their brain that is being unused and by tapping into it they will be able to have unimaginable powers. Unfortunately they are only imaginable powers.
PET scans and MRI's reveal that although a single function may only use a small portion of the brain, a single activity uses many different areas and if you look at all the activities that one person does in a day they actually use almost the entire brain.
Sorry to spoil the myth for you.
2006-11-16 14:03:28 · answer #2 · answered by The Fred 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe someday. At present, we only consciously use 10% of our total brain power.
The subconscious level is a different matter. The conscious mind is like the ram memory in a computer being say, 256MB, in comparison to the subconscious mind which would compare to the hard disk drive in the 1,000,000GB range, and that is a conservative quote.
The most powerful computer today or even tomorrow would not even make a wart on the human mind's behind.
Good question,
Darryl S.
2006-11-16 13:57:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
We are using all of it now. Thermal imaging shows we use different parts of the brain for different functions. Just not all at once, all the time.
The idea that we use only a small part of our brain is a myth.
2006-11-16 13:58:12 · answer #4 · answered by Labsci 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No. Certain potentialities must be activated by experience prior to a certain age or they never develop at all. For example, infants are born with the ability to hear and discriminate all the sounds necessary for every type of language. However, as the child develops, it is exposed to only the subset of those sounds in the local mix of languages. Eventually the child will lose the ability to understand or reproduce certain sounds. That's why many people are unable to lose their foreign accent when speaking a language other than their mother tongue(s).
2006-11-16 13:56:08 · answer #5 · answered by Voxygen8 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
It's a myth that we use only 10% of our brain.
Now, obviously nobody can predict the future. But the question of whether we'll learn to use what resources we have to their fullest potential -- that's a good question, as it is a question of hope.
2006-11-16 14:02:30 · answer #6 · answered by ouini 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Nine people in the bio section answer and only two right answers. The persons right before me. Sigh!
2006-11-16 14:02:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most people can't drive and talk on a cell phone...we will never reach that stage!
LOL!
2006-11-16 13:56:02 · answer #8 · answered by Silly me 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
no, I don't think so, the future, we will use less of our brain and body due to machines, robots doing all our works.
2006-11-17 21:11:49 · answer #9 · answered by Mike 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not in this current white house administration, they are at full capacity at this time with no potential for expansion.
2006-11-16 13:56:02 · answer #10 · answered by jack circle 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋