Hey Curious Minds, do you think we only use 10% of our brain? Maybe you’ve heard people say things like, “Even Einstein only used 5% of his brain!” or “Some people might work their whole lives and only increase it to 4%.” Well, get ready to find out that some of these common beliefs are actually untrue.
If you’ve been confidently sharing this idea with friends without remembering where you first heard it, you’re in the right place. We’re kicking off our new series by debunking one of the most famous myths: the idea that humans only use 10% of their brains. But where did this idea even come from, and is there any truth to it?
First, let’s look at the origins of this myth. Some believe it started in the early 1900s, when neuroscientist Karl Lashley experimented with removing parts of rats’ brains. He found that even with some brain damage, the rats could still perform tasks and behave normally. This led to the mistaken belief that large parts of the brain were unused. Another possible source is a claim made by journalist Lowell Thomas in the introduction to Dale Carnegie’s famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People. He suggested that humans only develop 10% of their mental abilities, but this was actually a misinterpretation of William James, a psychologist from the late 1800s. James had made a more general point about untapped mental energy, not about specific percentages of brain use.
More myths were added over the years. For example, in the 1930s, neurologist Wilder Penfield discovered what he called “silent cortex”—areas of the brain that didn’t seem to respond to electrical stimulation. At the time, these areas appeared to have no function, but we now know that they do play important roles.
People tend to interpret information in ways that fit what they already believe, and pop culture has helped keep this myth alive. For instance, the movie Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, promoted the idea that humans can only access 10% of their brainpower. Despite the movie’s popularity, scientists criticized its inaccurate portrayal of how the brain works.
So, what does modern science say? In reality, we use 100% of our brain, not just a small portion. Geneticists point out that organs we don’t use tend to stop functioning over time. Our brain is no exception—it’s active and engaged all the time, even when we’re at rest. Even slight damage to the brain can cause significant problems, proving that every part of it is important for overall health and functioning.
So, to answer the question: no, we don’t use just 10% of our brains. We use all of it, and we need to for normal human function. There’s no need to wait for a miracle drug to unlock some hidden potential—we’re already using everything we’ve got!
Stay tuned for the next article, where we’ll take on another popular myth. See you next week!
Check out our article on new revolutionary drug to increase human life by quarter. [Article]
Reference:
- Lashley, Karl S. “Persistent problems in the evolution of mind.” The Quarterly review of biology 24, no. 1 (1949): 28-42. [Article]