If we only use 10% of our brains what is the rest for?

Answer 1

We use 100% of our brain. There are only a maximum of 10% of our neurons firing at any one time. And believe me this is good. Do you know what it's called if a much greater percentage of our neurons are firing at the same time? An epileptic seizure.

Answer 2

This is simply not true.

There is a very wide-spread belief that we humans only ever use 10 to 20% of our brain. Attributed to Albert Einstein, it is one of the ‘grab’ statements used to recruit people for the cult of ‘Scientology.’ It is also a favourite of new-agey ‘positive thinking’ gurus.

The reason for its wide acceptance may be because Dale Carnegie’s popular 1936 book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, stated that most people only use 15% of their brains—a ‘fact’ probably pulled from thin air.1

There have been many recent advances in brain research techniques, including sophisticated scanners. However, we still don’t know much about how the brain works overall. We know next to nothing about how it processes information.

We know certain activities originate in the cerebral cortex,2 and that certain memories are stored there. But we don’t know where and how they are stored, nor how we can recall memories, or come up with new ideas, for example. The little we do know has come about largely from studying people whose brains have been damaged through accidents, strokes or tumours.

So this oft-repeated belief is just plain wrong. If it were true, things which damage the brain would not have such drastic consequences for our ability to think, speak, and remember.3 If you compare it to a computer, the ‘hardware’ is all there, ready to process complex or relatively simple software tasks, which can vary from time to time. No computer uses all of its processing circuitry at once—in our brain, that would be like a major epileptic seizure.
http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/208/

Answer 3

No one neuron controls the brain. It's better if some of them "listen" while the other ones are "speaking". Since many things can happen in life, the ones that see less use were probably reserved to deal with other possibilities that we could encounter.

Answer 4

this is false
we use our entire brain there are neurons firing in our brains at all times our brains are even functioning the nurons are not firing at high rates but there are specific neuro transmitters realsesed when we are sleeping look at a map of the brain and you will see that we use specific parts of our brains for specific functions

Answer 5

The idea that "we only use 10% of our brains" is a complete myth, is a lie, is totally bogus, and is horrifyingly persistent...

Answer 6

it controls involentary activity and stores knowledge.