We've all heard it. "Humans only use 10% of their brains." I have heard this comment often throughout my life, but I was always too lazy to find out if it was true or not before coming to this class so I just accepted it. But how true is that comment really? Is 90% of our brain really just a pile of mush that fills up space in our skull? This is not true at all.
However, after finding the truth to this concept, I can understand why people would say such a thing. But keep in mind, that still does not make it correct. It could be plausible that someone could think such a thing because our motor and our sensory cortex make up approximately 10% of the area of our brain. These are the parts of our brain that actually perform direct functions.
The motor cortex is the area in our frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement. Any time you want to move part of your body, you are activating your motor cortex to send a message to your body to perform that action. And your sensory cortex is the area in your parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations. So, for example, any time someone pokes you, your sensory cortex receives that sensation and informs your brain that you have been touched.
So what makes up the rest of the brain? Here comes the kicker. The other 90% is made up of association areas, no, not empty mush. These areas do not have direct motor or sensory functions, but rather they are used in much higher mental functions, such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking. Like the example of Phineas Gage in 1848. He had severe damage to his frontal lobe in a gun powder accident, yet he was still able to sense and function just fine. However, he damaged a specific association area, and he lost all morality in his behavior.
Two things can be learned from this. 1: You do use almost all, if not all, of your brain for many functions besides sensing and moving. And 2: If something sounds so ridiculous and simply does not make any sense, don't believe it! You end up looking like a clueless, ignorant person who does not know what he or she is talking about whatsoever.
Great post Isaac! I just wanted to add proof to why it is absolutely false to say that we only use 10 percent of our brain, which I think the textbook also gives. If this was true, then let's say G-d forbid someone shot you in the head/brain area. There would be a 90 percent chance of survival because "we only use 10 percent of our brains." This would be ludicrous! We all know that if you are shot in the brain area, there is zero chance of survival.
ReplyDeleteI actually think this is the most interesting post of the year thus far. I also want to reference you to a movie, "Limitless," that has the same question, only it is extremely exciting and interesting. I would add that whenever your brain is in action, it is almost certain that the other 90% is in action when that motor cortex tells your body to move. Although it's true that at any given moment all of the brain's regions are not concurrently acting out, imaging technology has shown that most sections of the brain are continually active over a 24-hour period.
ReplyDeleteI came across the following when researching this question that I think can help contribute to the topic: "Take the simple act of pouring coffee in the morning: In walking toward the coffeepot, reaching for it, pouring the brew into the mug, even leaving extra room for cream, the occipital and parietal lobes, motor sensory and sensory motor cortices, basal ganglia, cerebellum and frontal lobes all activate. A lightning storm of neuronal activity occurs almost across the entire brain in the time span of a few seconds." Isaac is therefore certainly correct in that we always are using our whole brain.