Make a guess: how much brain did Einstein use? Then, how much does an average human use? Here is a clue, Einstein used the same quantity as most of us use – 100%. But, many of us believe we don’t use all of it and can improve its utilisation through regular training.
As per a survey made by Dekker et al., 48% of teachers in the UK and 46% in the NL believed in this myth. Interestingly, people maintain this belief despite their knowledge that even a tiny brain injury can inflict significant impairment on human functions.
Myths such as these appeal to us because we know the human potential, like memory, may be enhanced and attribute providing some ‘intelligence’ is the only function of the brain. The brain does a lot more than this. And seats for all body functions – vision, hearing, smell, language, number, touch, motor functions, tear production, blinking, blood flow, coughing, and countless others – are placed all over it.
References
Neuromyths in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers, Front. Psychol., 18 October 2012
10 Percent Brain Myth: Wired
Do People Only Use 10 Percent of Their Brains?: Scientific American
