The statement that suggests we only use 10% of our brains is completely false. There are a few possible reasons about how this saying came about, one being my own and the other being more factual, but either way it is false. I'll begin with my own explanation for its origins; someone was so aggravated at not being able to solve a problem that they needed an explanation for why they were so dumb. Unfortunately, while I was investigating this myth no other published article seemed to agree with my reasoning. One article suggested that it may have been on account of misunderstanding great scientist, such as Albert Einstein, who all suggested that we were not using all of our possible intellect as human beings. Unfortunately, the people who do only use 10% of their brain took these quotes far too literally and managed to drag the rest of us down with them : ). There is one more explanation which, besides my own, I find the most likely. It suggests that people may justify the 10% theory because only 1 out of every 10 nerve cells in the brain are essential at any one point in time. This still however does not justify the 10% theory, so before anyone goes to use this saying for motivation or for an explanation for getting a "D" on a test, make sure the person your talking to still believes that it's true.
Kyle
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2 comments:
Yeah the 10% thing makes little sense. We may be only using 10% at one time, for different tasks though.
While it is good to debunk a myth, I will miss the feeling of imagining humans that could increase their mental capacity at least tenfold. Alas, old dreams die hard.
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