Do we really only use 10% of our brain capacity?

The idea that we only use 10% of our brain capacity is more than rooted, but is that really true? No, it's not. An audiobook called “Welcome to Your Brain, ” something like “Welcome to Your Brain, ” produced by Princeton University neuroscientist Sam Wang, holds the idea that the self-help industry may be responsible for the spread of this concept.

In the 1990s, the famous psychology thinker William James defended the idea that we humans have not used the full capacity of our brains. This same line of reasoning was later taken up by writer Dale Carnegie in his book "How to Make Friends and Influence People."

The truth is that this statement is flawed in many ways. That is to say that from the 1.4 kg of your brain only 140 g work, and in reality your whole brain works all the time. It's an organ full of neurons and cells that make it work very well, thank you.

Misunderstanding

New York University neuroscience professor Joe LeDoux believes that sometimes the result of an MRI, which indicates the areas of the most active brain, can make people believe that only the marked areas are working, That would justify the 10% theory, albeit erroneously, after all is not because one area is more active than the others shut down.

Imagine that you are watching a movie while your brain is monitored by an MRI machine. Obviously, the brain areas related to vision and hearing would be working harder, but your brain would still be making sure your hand picks up some popcorn and brings it to your mouth and, of course, it would still be controlling other functions of your body.

It's normal that, seeing your brain images during the movie, you imagine that the highlighted parts, those responsible for vision and hearing - and, look, account for a little less than 10% of your brain activity -, are the ones that work the most and the rest of the brain is slower, but that's not true at all!

How it works

These MRI scans look for the most active brain areas at any given time, which doesn't mean the other parts aren't working. Throughout the day, depending on each stimulus received, these areas vary.

It must be understood that certain brain areas are better able to handle different types of tasks. This is why solving a mathematical problem requires work in a particular area, while writing a poem activates a different region. The issue is therefore not quantitative.

Our brain is an organ capable of performing numerous tasks at the same time. As you read this text your field of view is on the rise, but your hand can move your mouse or tablet screen without any difficulty. All this while you sway your feet to the rhythm of the music you are listening to now. At the same time, we wait, you breathe and your heart keeps beating.

It's not that simple

The 10% myth caught because, let's face it, the human brain is the most complex organ of all, and if you're not used to studying it, it's relatively easy to believe a simple explanatory phrase about it and go around repeating it. what "learned".

Both psychology and neuroscience are areas of study that are not complete. Not everything is known yet about the human brain, and it is by taking advantage of it that many non-scientists make misleading claims. In the case of the 10% myth, misinformation has been perpetuated. At least now you know that you are able to use all your brain capacity. Now you can breathe a sigh of relief!