Why do some people still believe that we only use 10% of our brains ?

Question

But, they don't think we use only 10% of our livers,muscles,lungs,red blood cells etc. There's no evidence to support that we only use 10%. If only used 10% we'd be 90% less efficient as an organism. You wouldn't make a car that only uses 10% of it's engine. So where did this myth come from ?

Answer 1

Years ago, I have read a book that stated (I am quoting from memory here, so be indulgent): "The totally false notion that we use only 10% of our brains probably comes from the misinterpretation of a more exact statement, that we only understand 10% of how the brain works".

As for those who still maintain that notion, and insist it to be true, to the point of seeking or claiming that they have found ways to use more than this percentage, they probably are not really using all of their brain at that time...

Answer 2

When you look into it we really are way overdesigned.

We really only need one of our kidneys, and lungs, and eyes, and ears, and we definitely are way overdesigned with regard to most of our other organs also. A healthy liver is way overcapacity for what it has to do. Our stomach varies in size by how much we eat. You can lose an awful lot of blood before you pass out, major sections of peoples colons are removed every day and they go on . You have ten fingers but as long as you retain your thumb, you don't really need them all, etc.

Answer 3

Billions of brain cells, so, naturally, given their limited intelligence, those who began studying the brain long ago assumed that all those cells had to be occupied (eventually) and couldn't possibly be when considering what people knew at the time.

They didn't make room for the cells that were really back-ups to be used when the primary cell deteriorated. One of the functions of REM sleep, I think, is to transfer data from declining cells to unused ones during the process of checking out each and every cell each and every night during those usually 90 minutes of REM sleep.

Answer 4

It's very hard to be using 100% of your brain, since your brain has different regions for different actions. If you can do math, run, be in love, have emotions, rationally think, make decisions, be artistic, and write at the same time, you're getting closer.

Answer 5

Actually you have mixed it up. They say that 90% of our brain is used for involuntary actions such as a heart beat and lungs brwething, and that 10% of our brain is used for voluntary actions and thinking. Although now most say this is untrue because the human brain has about 100 terrabytes of memory process. (One terrabyte is 1000 gigabytes)
hope this helps :-)

Answer 6

Ok hang onto your brain. There is a man who has a high IQ, graduated with math honors and is socially ok. But, has almost no brain. His skull is filled with cortical fluid. No, joke. Check this out, John Hawks Anthropology weblog. Happy reading.

Answer 7

I don't know. Why do some people still think the world is only 6,000 years old?

Answer 8

Mere observation tells me most people use far less than that.