Is it true that we only use 10% of our brain capacity?
You may have heard that we only use 10% of our brain capacity or that if it were possible to use 100% of our mind, our skulls would have to be 10 times larger to hold such power. But is all this true?
According to an article published by the BBC, the belief that we only use a fraction of our mental power is a myth, and there is a great deal of physiological and biological evidence to support this fact. But then where did the famous 10% figure come from?
10% of brain areas
According to the publication, the simple action of opening and closing your hands or babbling a few words requires that well over 10% of our brains get active. In fact, there is no need to do anything to make this extraordinary organ busy with many things!
Our brain, besides being responsible for storing memories and information, also keeps us alive, commanding numerous functions, such as our heartbeat and breathing, for example.
10% of brain cells
Another hypothesis about the emergence of the figure refers to the number of brain cells active during a given action. In fact, the functioning of the brain requires such a large demand on our body for resources that nerve cells cannot simply stand around doing nothing. All are necessary!
Still on the amount of active cells, the confusion may also have arisen thanks to the fact that 10% of brain cells are formed by the neuroglia, which make up the white mass and serve - nutritional and physical support - to the remaining 90%, which constitute the gray matter and are responsible for doing the rest of the work. But these cells could never turn into neurons, making us smarter.
Head
About the fact that we have to have huge heads to support a brain with a mental capacity 90% larger than today, imagine the difficulties! To stay active, our “little” brain demands up to 20% of all the oxygen we breathe, plus 25% of the blood pumped by the heart. So if it were bigger, the amount of energy and resources needed would be huge - not to mention what births would look like.
10% of what?
And how did this idea of the 10% become so popular, even with so little biological and physiological basis? Apparently, the figure first appeared in the preface to a book published in 1936, and since then the idea that humans can become 90% smarter than they are now has really taken hold, becoming a quite popular belief.
However, while this whole story is a myth, it does not mean that we are limited! Our brain, while lacking the power to awaken inactive or unfamiliar areas, is able to constantly adapt and store new information, forming new connections between nerve cells and gaining more space by breaking up old connections that are no longer needed or used.
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