Some have and others have not heard about this question. It is a topic that very few have knowledge
about, but so many have opinions on. It
is safe to say that those who have not extensively studied the brain have no real
proof to neither reject nor support any side.
So why and how has this question become so popular, drawing the
attention of so many people? Do we
really use only 10% of our brain?
The brain of course is the most important organ in our body;
controlling every conscious and unconscious action that we are capable of. I have found, through research that many
people believe that the brain is more powerful than we think. If we look at the giants in history; Aristotle,
Isaac Newton, Einstein and etc., these people were undoubtedly highly
intelligent! However, according to certain psychologists humans only use about
10% of their brain. Therefore if these
men did what they did using 10% of their brain, what is the true potential of
mankind? It is a fact that the brain is
divided into three basic regions; cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem. The cerebrum usually deals with conscious thinking
and the brain stem and cerebellum handle body functions. In these three regions there are even more specific
sub categories and each has its own responsibility. If the functions of the brain are localized
in specific regions, is there an area of the brain that has no purpose
whatsoever? If the answer is yes, then could we continue to thrive if that area
was cut out? This, as you may realize, is crazy. According the Benjamin Radford, author of The Ten-Percent Myth the theory that
humans only use 10% of the brain is completely false. He stated in his article
that PET scans and FMRI scans show that “…the vast majority of the brain does
not lie fallow.”
You may be wondering, “Then why has it become such a popular
theory?” We know that there is no
concrete evidence that proves that humans only use 10% of their brain; however
some psychologists use the inconclusiveness of this topic to persuade people
that mind-reading, flying and other “supernatural” feats may be possible. Some people are more easily persuaded than
others, and will accept senseless ideas as facts. If we also analyze the theory from an
evolutionary perspective, we find further evidence against it. If 90% of the brain is not needed for humans
to function and thrive, then why is it there?
This theory simply does not hold together. I’m anxious to hear your thoughts!
In reference to your last statement the same applies to the apendix. It serves no purpose now, but it did before. That may be true with the brain. Over time what ever function the other 90% served was no longer needed and ultimately it served no purpose. However I would be extremely surprised if only 10% of our brain is used
ReplyDeleteI am in agreeance that there must be a more than 10% usage but I question if we could analyize the smartest and most influential people in the world would we see more brain usage or less?
ReplyDeleteUsman: It seems that the appendix actually plays an essential role in the development of a fetus; "http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-function-of-t". Phil: I wonder the same thing and I think that the people who are called “genius” have an innate or acquired ability to better utilize their brain. Not a supernatural ability, but one that makes it easier for them to see concepts and analyze situations; just like how reading sharpens your literary skills. P.S. have you seen the movie Limitless? It is a great illustration of your question.
ReplyDeleteHumans are obviously at the top of the food chain, under normal conditions. Does that mean we use more of our brain than all other organisms?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t say that because the brain of lesser animals doesn’t seem to function in the same way that our brain does; lesser animals lack the ability to reason and make common sense decisions. However if we look at the sensory ability of a bear for example, we see that its ability to smell is over 200 times better than ours. I believe that over time animals have counteracted the inability to “think outside the box” with a superior ability to sense and react to their environment. So in some ways, animals use their brain better than we can?
ReplyDeleteNo we just substituted better traits in place of others
ReplyDeleteHow does that contradict what I said? If these animals retained certain abilities that make them more exceptional than us in a specific area such as sensation, how aren't they using there brain better than us (in that area)?
ReplyDelete