Half of All Science Teachers Are Completely Wrong About the Brain...

I can't really recall how many times I have heard the myth which goes "Humans only use 10% of their brains."

I suspect most of you, dear readers, have also heard this said from time to time.

This TED segment, while short, never fails to elicit a sense of wonder..., which is, I think, as it should be.



Yet, I marvel at the embedded imagery, verbal and graphic.

I am hoping you may convince me that I'm being much too picky.

1: As the segment begins, it appears to be targeted at literature that propagates this myth. I can only presume that the bulk of this material is dated 'self-help'-style publications, predominantly promoted by independent 'experts.' The point of the TED talk seems to be to make one feel stupid for feeling they could be more, and exploring that topic as presented by these independent authors.

2: The facts demonstrated within the video, are impressive, and represent the most recent developmental understanding; thus having the advantage of not being dated.

I expect many will be able to grasp what they find interesting from the piece. But I think the information is valuable without the contrast to "stupidity" (whatever that meme is supposed to evoke.)

Opinions are welcome!

And the other half have no brain. Teachers! Useful idiots to the Matrix, training the little slaves of the future, little children comitted by you to have their soul, their very life force sucked from the very marrow. Damn you. Damn you all!

Interesting video.

What stood out to me is the statement that if we did not use portions of our brain, evolution would have done away with the useless mass.

It's safe to assume that our brain would have atrophied if portions were useless......right? Vestigial organ?

So basically our entire body is just a vessel that powers a brain!?
Wait, that makes total sense... it's just kinda weird that I realized I am just a brain who grew all this stuff off of it to make that brain function. Kinda eerie.

Interesting stuff.

sheepslayer247
Interesting video.

What stood out to me is the statement that if we did not use portions of our brain, evolution would have done away with the useless mass.

It's safe to assume that our brain would have atrophied if portions were useless......right? Vestigial organ?

edit on 6-2-2014 by sheepslayer247 because: (no reason given)

It would fit with the model that seems to be represented by parts of our brain like the limbic system, which appears to be dwarfed in comparison by ratio to its size in other animals. However, I think it is generally incorrect to characterize the totality of human individuality in material terms; the brain is only that part of us which we can physically measure... so far.

reply to post by strongfp



Correct me if I am wrong, but the entire notion of a single organ developing in an evolutionary sense for it's own sake seems skewed. The point I found interesting along those lines is the idea of sporadic coding... which is I think how all brains work... but they made it seem like this is only about the human brain.

Admittedly...I haven't watched the video...I'm not big on watching internet video for some reason....

That being said....

I find it hard to believe we truly only use 10% of our brain. I'd imagine there are areas we don't routinely access, but I'd think we use far more than 10%.

Also, I am of the camp that the brain is hardware, and that there is software running on that hardware. Much along the line of thinking that a personality could conceivably be "uploaded" to an AI capable machine recipient.


So, there's my $.02.

reply to post by zeroBelief


We use ALL of our brain, but we only use 10% of its entire potential. Some people use a little more, others a little less.

reply to post by MystikMushroom

We use ALL of our brain, but we only use 10% of its entire potential.

Isn't that more or less expressing the same idea about only using 10% of the brain. Can you expand on what you mean?

Momma always told me if I had half a brain, I'd be dangerous...

Where do I apply to evil med school?

Probably the FDA...

reply to post by Maxmars


if have not read it you might like a book by "Edward De Bono" titled.."i am right you are wrong"...he goes quite in depth to how the brain functions,a lot was explained in an earlier book of his titled "the mechanism of the mind" but it was all theory then that he has now proven to be reality as such

90% of the brain woild simply die. Anyone who actually believed that we only use 10% only had 10% functioning, if you ask me.

We use 100%

HUMBLEONE
And the other half have no brain. Teachers! Useful idiots to the Matrix, training the little slaves of the future, little children comitted by you to have their soul, their very life force sucked from the very marrow. Damn you. Damn you all!

edit on 6-2-2014 by HUMBLEONE because: (no reason given)

Have you ever actually seen or tried to engage a child without a decent education? The futures innovators, they are not.

In fact look at any 3rd world country..

The way I recall it, you only use 10% at any given time. It's like juggling, much easier to juggle 3 pins than 30...

zeroBelief
Also, I am of the camp that the brain is hardware, and that there is software running on that hardware. Much along the line of thinking that a personality could conceivably be "uploaded" to an AI capable machine recipient.


So, there's my $.02.

And I'll pull up a log and make that $.04...

reply to post by CretumOrbis

"It turns out though, that we use virtually every part of the brain, and that [most of] the brain is active almost all the time," Gordon adds. "Let's put it this way: the brain represents three percent of the body's weight and uses 20 percent of the body's energy."

Do People Only Use 10 Percent Of Their Brains?

MystikMushroom
reply to post by zeroBelief

 

We use ALL of our brain, but we only use 10% of its entire potential. Some people use a little more, others a little less.

But blue is BLUE....

I'm thinking we're pretty much saying the same thing.

reply to post by zeroBelief


You have it wrong.

"Use" and "utilise its full potential" are different.

To use your colour analogy:

a) One can "use" their brain to determine that blue is simply the colour somewhere between violet and green on the optical spectrum.

For example: These words are BLUE.

b) One can "utilise the potential" of their brain to determine that blue can be used in range of contexts not limited to describing a colour, but also an emotion, feeling, group affiliation etc.

For example: Peter felt sad when he saw a news story about the Bloods fighting with the Crips.

reply to post by Maxmars


At last! I've been waiting for years for a thread such as this. This "10% use of brain - one must utilize one's brain at 100%" is so unscientific. I'm gonna tell you all what using 100% of the brain will result in: Epilepsy.

Epileptic seizures are the result of excessive and abnormal cortical nerve cell activity in the brain.

en.wikipedia.org...

The brain is using only the part it need, otherwise, if is activates nerve cells it ain't supposed to activate, it'll fry - like a computer.

reply to post by swanne


My belief is there are numerous types of seizure activity.
Not necessarily the one you are describing unless you are on death row and awaiting the chair..

You are trying to describe, in my opinion the after effect, where the seizure activity RESULTS in excessive impulses in the brain.
but I don't think heightened activity in the brian results in seizures..unless you shock the brain purposely

But for certain, one other type of seizure activity, is temporary blockage of blood supply, moments before seizure activity..
Survival mode,the body goes into seizure, attempting to dislodge the blockage of one of the main arterys to the brain..
most likely happening in the spine,skull or shoulder/collar bone region..

Another type of seizure activity is febrile seizures caused by excessive rise/constant high temperature...
this would not be caused by either of the descriptions above..

You have been waiting how long? Just to say what....that short sentence..

Epileptic seizures is a term used to describe the diagnose of having more than one seizure activity in a lifetime.
Otherwise the diagnose and term would just be seizure activity..let me look that one up for sure....

Phew I have been waiting along time to contribute that also...

I believe the percentage used is obviously much more then 10 percent, at any given moment.
but certainly not 100 percentage usage throughout the brain, at any given moment.

A very high percentage has and will be used at one time or another throughout the course of a lifetime..
there is also neuro-plasticity to be taken in consideration with this subject..
and also the infant brain,where numerous pathways are firing during the first years..
then the child's brain goes through a trimming process and eliminates most pathways to establish shorter and faster routes.
which also happens throughout adulthood with adult brains for memory recall.

The human brain is very complicated and one of the last frontiers in the human body.

reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


Thanks for the read, reminds me that I forgot part of the analogy. Like anything else in life, some people are better at juggling than others...

swanne
The brain is using only the part it need, otherwise, if is activates nerve cells it ain't supposed to activate, it'll fry - like a computer.]

I agree, but is that a standard CPU, dual or quad core, threaded and/or liquid cooled? There's a wide range in how many pins those can juggle...