Thursday, December 7, 2023
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Science & Technology > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Science & Technology

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

By T.K. Randall
May 7, 2023 · Comment icon 13 comments


The human brain visible through a man's head.
How much of the brain do we use ? Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Andrew Mason
It's an idea that has been spread around for decades - but as one scientist explains, there's nothing to actually back it up.
We've all heard someone claim that we only use around 10% of our brains, but according to neuroscientist Dean Burnett, this notion is almost certainly false.

Writing in Science Focus recently, Burnett remains adamant that the idea is blatant nonsense and something that, despite the best efforts of scientists, has been perpetuated for years.

Indeed, it is perhaps not unusual to hear of someone using this as an argument in favor of suggesting that we possess psychic powers, for instance, using the mysterious 90% of our brain that otherwise defies purpose or explanation.
The origins of the claim itself remain unclear, though it certainly began at least as far back as the 19th-Century when our understanding (and available tools) were far more primitive than they are now.

As Burnett explains, every part of the brain is used - for something - even if we do not currently have a full understanding of what that something might be.

That said, we are unable to use it all at the same time - the brain is highly resource intensive - so if we really did only use 10% of it, then evolution would have ditched the other 90% pretty sharpish.

There is certainly much we don't know about the human brain, but the idea that nine-tenths of it is essentially redundant is very much a myth that will hopefully be put to bed sooner rather than later.

Source: Science Focus | Comments (13)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #4 Posted by Abramelin 7 months ago
You'd be a 'holy man' in a couple of African countries.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Skulduggery 7 months ago
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 fictio... [More]
Comment icon #6 Posted by Skulduggery 7 months ago
Apologies for typos. My new phone's keyboard is incredibly obnoxious and I am just burnt out on going back and editing posts.
Comment icon #7 Posted by Abramelin 7 months ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(2014_film)
Comment icon #8 Posted by joc 7 months ago
...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:  
Comment icon #9 Posted by quiXilver 7 months ago
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.
Comment icon #10 Posted by ercbreeze 7 months ago
I know many people that only use 5% of their brains.  
Comment icon #11 Posted by Alchopwn 7 months ago
Or a profound orgasm, which is very similar to an epileptic seizure.
Comment icon #12 Posted by DanL 7 months ago
computer problems the post that I made was NOT the post that I wrote...
Comment icon #13 Posted by joc 7 months ago
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.


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles