Have you ever heard of the saying that humans only use 10% of their brains? This saying has been widely circulated around the world. Some people even say that even the great scientist Einstein only used 15% of his brain.
Have you ever heard of the saying that humans only use 10% of their brains? This saying has been widely circulated around the world. Some people even say that even the great scientist Einstein only used 15% of his brain.
Is it true that we only use 10% of our brains?
- This saying can be traced back to an American psychologist named William James in the early 20th century. He once said: "Ordinary people only use 10% of their potential intelligence." He himself said that ordinary people use 10% of their potential intelligence, but later after being quoted by many people, it became "People's brains only use 10%, and they need to be developed urgently."
- The era in which this view was proposed was limited. In brain science research, the understanding of the function of the brain is very dependent on scientific equipment. For example, important imaging technologies such as high-resolution CT and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain are not yet mature. This view was proposed in the early 20th century. At that time, these devices did not exist, and human understanding of the brain was still very limited, so there was no equipment at that time to estimate the working state of the brain and the use of its functions.
- The statement of this view itself is not scientific. If we want to rigorously propose that the human brain uses 10%, we must first estimate the total amount of human brain that can be used and the current usage. However, even the latest literature cannot answer this question clearly, let alone 100 years ago.
- The functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain today breaks the rumor. Magnetic resonance imaging can tell us in real time through intuitive image color comparison: which part of the brain is working? Which part is resting. The facts of functional magnetic resonance imaging show that when we open our eyes, even if we do nothing, the brain is still working. If we make some complex movements, such as walking, talking or learning, the brain, cerebellum, and brainstem will be activated, and this part of the area will be more than 10%, and sometimes even more than 40%.
- The medical perspective provides counter-evidence. According to the brain doctor, in his career, he has never heard of a patient who has had 90% of his brain removed and still lives well. On the contrary, sometimes a little damage to the brain can cause serious diseases and functional decline.
- It does not conform to the law of biological evolution. An important feature of biological evolution is "maintaining maximum efficiency and not keeping idle people." If an organ can meet the survival needs of an organism by using only 10%, then the remaining 90% is unnecessary. Just as the human tail and appendix have gradually degenerated, the brain will gradually become smaller if it is idle for a long time. However, studies on human fossils have shown that the human brain is not only not getting smaller, but getting larger. In fact, the brain will never allow its functions to be idle. When you cover your eyes for two hours, the sense of touch will be enhanced, and some visual conduction pathways will be changed to pathways that transmit touch. Similarly, why do blind people have stronger sense of touch and hearing than ordinary people? Because when vision is impaired, the brain area originally responsible for vision will replace the function of hearing and touch.
Therefore, this statement is incorrect. Therefore, the brain has been fully utilized, and daily protection is important. Protect it to make it healthier; exercise it to make it more flexible.
The main causes of brain damage are as follows:
Physical damage
1 Brain damage caused by trauma
2 Environmental pollution such as ionizing radiation and nuclear radiation
Chemical damage
1 Drug damage before birth, such as antibiotics, antiviral drugs, and chemotherapy drugs taken by the mother;
2 Long-term heavy drinking;
3 Smoking;
4 Drug abuse;
5 Long-term large-scale caffeine intake;
6 Unhealthy diet, such as high fat, high sugar, and lack of vitamin B;
7 Brain damage caused by environmental pollution caused by various chemicals.
Emotional damage
1 Negative thoughts
2 Long-term exposure to high pressure and stressful environment
3 Emotional diseases such as anxiety and depression
Lifestyle factors
1 Long-term lack of sleep or sleep disorders
2 Lack of physical exercise
3 Long-term addiction to electronic products.