Why do we only use 10% of our brain?

Question

What is the point then to have so much brain if we don't even use it?

Answer 1

I'm sorry to hear that you only use 10%

Answer 2

In fact it all gets "used" but we never use more than about 10% at any one time. This makes sense if you think about it. Different parts of the brain do different things. A certain small part is used for processing feelings from your left toe for example and another part handles moving that toe. If you were feeling nothing much special from that toe should you still be aware of it100% of the time? Or put it another way - if you were not moving it should the part of the brain that is responsible to control it be active? The 10 percent of your brain that is "working" is the active part, the other 90% is ready and waiting to work, but it doesn't show up on a brain activity scan because it just isn't busy right now...

That said; there may be -some- parts of the brain that never seem to get "turned on" or show up as active on a brain-scan but it is equally possible that those may be parts that are redundant and only work in case of failure or they might just be under/undeveloped or they may merely be working in a way we are not able to detect - yet.

The media-created myth that we only use about 10 percent of our brains is not really based on any real clinical evidence - no one has ever had their brain scanned 24-7 for their whole life. What we do know about how the brain works grows every day but very little of the real science ever makes it into the mainstream so most people believe whatever they hear about it especially when it appeals to our vanity.

Answer 3

Almost all humans do use all of their respective brains all of the time. There are no back-up brain segments waiting in reserve. The "10% brain use" myth is just that; a myth. The capacity of a brain is flexible however and might be compared to an engine. An engine capable of moving a vehicle at 100 mph does not strictly run at 100 mph; it is capable of being run at infinite speeds from zero to 100 and is all in use no matter what the speed.
Finally, brain capacity is relative. Information is stored in an ever compressing state. While not infinite, the capacity of the human brain appears to be vast and incredibly flexible.

Answer 4

from what i've heard you actually use most all your brain, it's just not all at once. i think it's more like 80% so i don't know what goes on in the other 20 % lol

Answer 5

I really think it's because we just dont know how to use it. We still dont know everything about the brain even with all the technology that we have today.

Answer 6

I don't think we only use 10% of it. I think we can only use 10% of it at once.

Answer 7

Some believe we haven't evolved enough or we do not use the other percentage due to evolution. There are many theories, yet there is no real hard fact as to why.