Do Humans Just Use 10% of their brain?

Have you ever imagined what would happen if we used 100% of our brain? Would we be able to unlock a secret hidden power? Stronger senses? Or even maybe something that can be a valuable asset? Contrary to a common misconception that humans use only 10% of their brain capacity, research has proven that the human brain uses more than just 10%.

Studying and understanding the human brain is complex, taking months or even years to reach a certain conclusion about the human brain. It is essentially like a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle, where one piece has to be found for the other to be put in place or to complete the puzzle.

Before we even go in-depth about the human brain and its capacity, the fiction that humans use just 10% of their brain must be explained first. Born in 1794, scientist and researcher Jean Pierre Flouren was one of the earliest people who pioneered the myth of using just 10% of our brain. His work in demonstrating and proving the regional functionality of the brain's hemispheres often characterized a large portion of the cerebral hemispheres as the "silent cortex.".This claims to may have influenced researchers into believing that this region, now known as the association cortex (grey matter that surrounds the primary and secondary sensory and the motor areas), has no function. This is the reason why many thought that humans only use 10% of our brains’ operational capability.

Hollywood then started to take this myth seriously in their movies, especially in superhero movies. The myth became mainstream, gaining even more traction with a wider and more diverse audience. People started to believe the notion, as advanced technology was not yet created to study this complex part of the body. As time passed and technology continued to advance, many researchers delved into debunking this myth. One such person is Eric Chudler, director of the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering at the University of Washington. He states in his research website that “When recordings are made from brain EEGs, or PET scans, or any type of brain scan, there’s no part of the brain just sitting there unused” (Neuroscience For Kids. (n.d.). Although many have tried to debunk this myth, there is still a huge amount of people who are not aware of this and continue to follow this misleading statement.

Now the question lies as to how much is the brain capacity really used? There is no definite percentage, as every part of the brain is used throughout the day, although at different times. To give more insight, neuropsychology can explain this further. Neuropsychology is essentially a branch of study that specializes in how the brain can affect one's cognitive behavior, emotions, and general mannerisms. These scientists have proven how vital the brain is every second: from executing specific functions, recognizing images and colors, as well as problem-solving. If the brain really was used at only 10% of its capacity, many of the basic functions we conduct within a day would be impossible: no matter how physically fit a person would be.

An article written by ThoughtCo states that “even studies that measure activity at the level of single neurons have not revealed any inactive areas of the brain. Many brain imaging studies that measure brain activity when a person is doing a specific task show how different parts of the brain work together” (Lim, n.d.). An example would be you picking up a book, glancing at it, and beginning to read it. In this action, the parietal lobe (located in the cerebrum) would be used to recognize the touch and feel of the book, the occipital lobe (also located in the cerebrum) would send information via your eyes to the brain for interpretation and processing (also known as visual acuity). This clearly highlights the fact that the human brain uses more than 10% even in basic tasks that are seamless to us, as the brain is integral for our daily life. Sometimes, while images of the brain are taken via an electroencephalography (EEG) which measures brain activity using electrodes, it tends to show areas of the brain as grey while some parts are more vibrant through blues, yellows or reds, showing heightened brain activity. This tends to lead to the grey and dull areas of the brain which indicates that the region isn’t functioning. However, this is not true as grey spots represent the brain still functioning, although at a lower degree than colored areas.

On the whole, we all have been using our brain more than 10% for many years, despite the widely accepted myth which lacked solid evidence to debunk it until the past couple of years. Unfortunately, using more than 10% of the brain does not unlock any supernatural powers, but it does indeed help us accomplish all our daily tasks and stay alive. However, all of us can make our brains more efficient by doing stunts, puzzles, and more — as long as we work towards it religiously.

Bibliography

• Neuroscience for kids. (n.d.). Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

• Lim, A. (2019). Why you may have heard humans only use 10% of the brain and why that's wrong. Thoughtco. https://www.thoughtco.com/percentage-of-human-brain-used-4159438