How accurate is the claim that we only use 10% of our brains ?

[UM-Bot]

It's an idea that has been spread around for decades - but as one scientist explains, there's nothing to actually back it up.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/366693/how-accurate-is-the-claim-that-we-only-use-10-of-our-brains

[lightly]

I guess it would have to be 10% accurate?

[Abramelin]

That idea is a misinterpretation.

We use 10 (once it was 15) percent of our brains... AT THE SAME TIME.

If we used 100% of our brains at the same time, we'd have an epileptic seizure.

[lightly]

Aha!  . . I had two of those.   !  (but not for over a year now) 

[Abramelin]

2 minutes ago, lightly said:

Aha!  . . I had two of those.   !  (but not for over a year now) 

You'd be a 'holy man' in a couple of African countries.

[Skulduggery]

1 hour ago, Abramelin said:

That idea is a misinterpretation.

We use 10 (once it was 15) percent of our brains... AT THE SAME TIME.

If we used 100% of our brains at the same time, we'd have an epileptic seizure.

Yeah, this. I always thought this was common knowledge. This is what I've always been told. But, then I saw some Hollywood movie about a girl gaining superpowers because she tapped into the rest of her brain that humans usually don't tap into, well accordingto the movie. The other 90% is what the movie would have uou believe. I think it had Morgan Freeman in it. It was super lame. I was like, wait. The movie has it all wrong. It is ten percent simultaneously,  not just ten percent of the entire brain ever. It was like they totally missed the idea. As movies usually do. You'd think good fiction would have a better understanding of science to at least make the fiction more believable,  but nope.

[Skulduggery]

Apologies for typos. My new phone's keyboard is incredibly obnoxious and I am just burnt out on going back and editing posts.

[Abramelin]

6 minutes ago, Skulduggery said:

Yeah, this. I always thought this was common knowledge. This is what I've always been told. But, then I saw some Hollywood movie about a girl gaining superpowers because she tapped into the rest of her brain that humans usually don't tap into, well accordingto the movie. The other 90% is what the movie would have uou believe. I think it had Morgan Freeman in it. It was super lame. I was like, wait. The movie has it all wrong. It is ten percent simultaneously,  not just ten percent of the entire brain ever. It was like they totally missed the idea. As movies usually do. You'd think good fiction would have a better understanding of science to at least make the fiction more believable,  but nope.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(2014_film)

[+joc]

...the brain is so complex we only know what 10% of it is used for...

This was the original phrase that sparked the entire, We only use 10% of our brain, myth.

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains:

 

[quiXilver]

Earliest reports I came across for its mention were from a Chicago Journalist who first claimed it in an article.

It gained popularity through hearsay.

He based it on no scientific study, but it seems to be his idea.  Don't recall his name as I read this some decades ago.

[ercbreeze]

I know many people that only use 5% of their brains.  

[Alchopwn]

13 hours ago, Abramelin said:

If we used 100% of our brains at the same time, we'd have an epileptic seizure.

Or a profound orgasm, which is very similar to an epileptic seizure.

[+DanL]

computer problems the post that I made was NOT the post that I wrote...

Edited May 8 by DanL

[+joc]

3 hours ago, DanL said:

computer problems the post that I made was NOT the post that I wrote...

Reminds me of this gem of an old saying:

I know you believe you understand what  you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.