In 2014, a study discovered that 65% of Americans believed that humans only use 10% of their brains. Closer to home, 50% of British Primary and Secondary school teachers have at one point in their career endorsed the myth. The concept has gained currency in the last few decades, however its origins can be traced back to William James in the 1890s. William James, an American psychologist, commented that we make “use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources". His statement unfortunately was misinterpreted and became quickly fantasised. Whilst he was optimistic that humans could achieve more in understanding the brain, he did not refer to brain volume or quantity of cells, nor did he give a specific percentage. This notion of untapped grey matter in the brain has made it to the big screen, with movies such as Lucy showing us what would happen if we accessed 100% of our brain. In the Luc Besson movie, Lucy sheds her physical, intellectual and perceptual limitations when she accidentaly ingests a brain-enhancing drug.
Needless to say, numerous studies have successfully disproved this theory. Technology such as fMRI (functional MRI) and PET scans enable scientists to track blood flow in the brain. Higher blood flow in a specific region of the brain lights up more brightly on scans and correlates to greater activity or use of that area.For example, during comprehension and production of speech our Broca and Wernicke areas are more active and these regions would light up more. These studies have established that no part of the brain is inactive- even in our sleep. Regions of the brain have broadly understood functions; however, the brain is a complex machine fuelled with a limitless solution of the unknown. Mysteries remain about how neurons and glia interact to produce complex behaviours and neurological disorders. The brain is remarkably adaptable, one part can take over, or compensate, for another. Nevertheless, there is no part of the brain that is known to be unused or completely unnecessary. For the truth is that we use virtually every part of the brain, and that (most of) the brain is active almost all the time.
Neurologist Barry Beyersteine sets out six main arguments refuting the 10% myth- which I will now outline:
1. The brain damage argument: if only 10% of the brain is ordinarily used, then damage to other areas of the brain should not impair performance. However, it is now commonly known that the brain itself is extremely delicate and slight damage anywhere can have profound effects.
2. Brain scans have shown us that in a healthy person, the entirety of the brain is always performing. PET and fMRI technology can monitor brain activity in real time. Even during sleep, all parts of the remain active at some level. A “silent” area is only discovered in cases of serious brain damage.
3. The efficiency argument: the brain is enormously costly in terms of oxygen and glucose consumption. The brain only makes up 2% of the human body weight, yet it requires 20% of the body’s energy. So, if 90% of the brain is unnecessary, there would be a large survival advantage towards humans with smaller, more efficient brains. Thus, the process of natural selection would have eliminated the inefficient brain portions. It is also highly improbable that a brain with so much redundant matter would have evolved in the first place; given the historical risk of death in childbirths associated with the large brain size (skull size) of humans.
4. Localisation of function: decades of research have been devoted into mapping different functions onto different regions of the brain- and no function-less areas have ever been found.
5. Microstructural analysis; researchers are able to use tiny electrodes to monitor single cell activity in the brain. This meticulous technique would have undoubtedly detected 90% of unused mass,
6. Synaptic Pruning; brain cells that are not used possess a tendency to degenerate over time. Thus, if the myth held true autopsies would reveal degraded brain cells.
Conscious realisation of the brain’s efficiency is not needed for the brain to work. The notion that we can access superpowers through 'unlocking' higher parts of our brain is just fantasy. There are many myths regarding the intricate organ, some being “left-brain vs. right brain individuals, “brain damage is permanent”, “alcohol kills brain cells” etc... Our understanding of the brain is constantly evolving and thus our pre-conceptions about it.
- sham x
My poem of the week:
Here is what they don’t tell you:
Icarus laughed as he fell
Threw his head back and
yelled into the winds,
arms spread wide,
teeth bared to the world.
There is a bitter triumph
in crashing when you should be soaring
the wax scorched his skin,
ran blazing trails down his back,
his thighs, his ankles, his feet.
Feathers floated like prayers
past his fingers,
close enough to snatch back.
Death breathed burning kisses
against his shoulders,
where the wings joined the harness.
the sun painted everything
in shades of gold.
There is a certain beauty
in setting the world on fire
and watching from the centre
of the flames
-unknown
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