Brains vs. Beliefs Episode 5: 10% Brain

Written by: Emily Stark

In this episode, we discuss the misconception that we only use 10% of our brains. We describe the origins of this mistaken belief, how this is promoted in the media, and share how research has tested this assumption and shown it to be false. We explain how we use all parts of our brain, though different parts can be more or less active depending on the specific task. 

You can view show notes and a transcript here: https://share.transistor.fm/s/8aaf81c4

Click to listen below, or find this episode wherever you find podcasts!

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Resources and References

Boyd, R. (2008). Do people only use 10% of their brains? Scientific American, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/

Chew, S. L. (2018). Myth: We only use 10% of our brains. Association for Psychological Science, https://www.psychologicalscience.org/uncategorized/myth-we-only-use-10-of-our-brains.html#:~:text=Our%20fires%20are%20damped%2C%20our,only%2010%25%20of%20their%20brainpower

Dekker, S., Lee, N. C., Howard-Jones, P., & Jolles, J. (2012). Neuromyths in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers. Frontiers in psychology, 3, 429. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00429

Hughes, S., Lyddy, F., & Lambe, S. (2013). Misconceptions about psychological science: A review, Psychology Learning and Teaching, 12, 20-31. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/plat.2013.12.1.20

 Herculano-Houzel, S. (2002). Do you know your brain? A survey on public neuroscience literacy at the closing of the decade of the brain. The Neuroscientist, 8 (2), 98-110.

Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Ruscio, J., & Beyerstein, B. L. (2010). 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior. Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex, United Kingdom.