Comments on: No, for the Umpteenth Time, Your Brain Isn't Hiding Superpowers From You http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/ Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:57:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: NeuroRat http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2393 NeuroRat Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:21:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2393 My understanding for the 10 percent idea was always that it came from the early days when researchers were first studying the brain by inserting electrodes into various areas and then observing how the subject responded, and they found many brain areas that didn't appear to do anything. They called these "silent areas," and theorized that they must be parts of the brain that we didn't use. Of course today we know that's not true; the so-called silent areas are active in behind-the-scenes functions, which can be seen on high-tech brain scans. In a biological sense, we must use all our brain tissue or it wouldn't have developed (brain tissue has a very high energy cost to maintain). Anyway, that's my understanding. It could be wrong. My understanding for the 10 percent idea was always that it came from the early days when researchers were first studying the brain by inserting electrodes into various areas and then observing how the subject responded, and they found many brain areas that didn’t appear to do anything. They called these “silent areas,” and theorized that they must be parts of the brain that we didn’t use. Of course today we know that’s not true; the so-called silent areas are active in behind-the-scenes functions, which can be seen on high-tech brain scans. In a biological sense, we must use all our brain tissue or it wouldn’t have developed (brain tissue has a very high energy cost to maintain).

Anyway, that’s my understanding. It could be wrong.

]]> By: Morgan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2392 Morgan Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:27:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2392 I've often seen it attributed that this whole thing is a misquote of Einstein. He has stated that human beings use 10% of their Potential. But The Glial Cell mystery sounds like it might be what info gave him the nice round idea of 10% and could also be why people were taken to misqoute him that it was brain power and not potential. I’ve often seen it attributed that this whole thing is a misquote of Einstein. He has stated that human beings use 10% of their Potential. But The Glial Cell mystery sounds like it might be what info gave him the nice round idea of 10% and could also be why people were taken to misqoute him that it was brain power and not potential.

]]> By: Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe « Xenophilia (True Strange Stuff) http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2391 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe « Xenophilia (True Strange Stuff) Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:58:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2391 [...] So, roughly 150 years ago, scientists studying the brain wrote off 91 percent of our brain as mere glue for the more important neurons that do the actual thinking. We now understand that they were wrong, but this strikes me as the sort of fact that can seep into the general culture and then become very difficult to dislodge.  The fact that psychics and TV shows through the years have propagated the myth surely can’t help. – discoverblogs [...] [...] So, roughly 150 years ago, scientists studying the brain wrote off 91 percent of our brain as mere glue for the more important neurons that do the actual thinking. We now understand that they were wrong, but this strikes me as the sort of fact that can seep into the general culture and then become very difficult to dislodge.  The fact that psychics and TV shows through the years have propagated the myth surely can’t help. – discoverblogs [...]

]]> By: Stern http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2390 Stern Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:30:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2390 I always hate it when the movies continue to distribute disinformation like that (not to sound like a conspiracy theorist or anything). I end up shouting scientific facts and references at the tv. It's like my own, screwy version of MST3K. The worst for me is that movies and tv commercials continue to operate under the assumption that dogs cannot see colors. WTF?! I always hate it when the movies continue to distribute disinformation like that (not to sound like a conspiracy theorist or anything). I end up shouting scientific facts and references at the tv. It’s like my own, screwy version of MST3K.

The worst for me is that movies and tv commercials continue to operate under the assumption that dogs cannot see colors.

WTF?!

]]> By: tetartos http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2389 tetartos Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:56:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2389 In http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tenper.html there is a pretty good explanation of the 10% meme/myth. My understanding is that the myth came from the observation that the more important part of the human brain is the cortex - as if we are using "just the surface". So the plausible next thought is "what if we could use even deeper areas of the brain!!!" Since the cortex occupies approx. 77% of the brain's volume, I think that 10% is just a convenient figure meaning "a relatively small proportion". In http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tenper.html there is a pretty good explanation of the 10% meme/myth.

My understanding is that the myth came from the observation that the more important part of the human brain is the cortex – as if we are using “just the surface”. So the plausible next thought is “what if we could use even deeper areas of the brain!!!”

Since the cortex occupies approx. 77% of the brain’s volume, I think that 10% is just a convenient figure meaning “a relatively small proportion”.

]]> By: Kakarot http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2388 Kakarot Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:49:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2388 I use 100% of my brain, People call me GOKU. Beams, flying, sensing people, abnormal strength, faster than a bullet or light. I'm a Sayajin. 100% brain right there. I use 100% of my brain,

People call me GOKU.

Beams, flying, sensing people, abnormal strength, faster than a bullet or light. I’m a Sayajin.

100% brain right there.

]]> By: institutrice http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2387 institutrice Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:28:43 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2387 So you mean it's not true that we use 10% of our brains and Einstein was so brilliant because he used 20? ;-) Thanks for debunking the myth!!! So you mean it’s not true that we use 10% of our brains and Einstein was so brilliant because he used 20? ;-)

Thanks for debunking the myth!!!

]]> By: Starting Things Off – The Roundup « AmoebaMike http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2386 Starting Things Off – The Roundup « AmoebaMike Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:00:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2386 [...] Zimmer’s “Your Brain Isn’t Hiding Superpowers From You”  This post’s a little older than a week, but it helps debunk a widely believed [...] [...] Zimmer’s “Your Brain Isn’t Hiding Superpowers From You”  This post’s a little older than a week, but it helps debunk a widely believed [...]

]]> By: Sara http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2385 Sara Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:57:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2385 Meme: 1 : an idea, belief or belief system, or pattern of behavior that spreads throughout a culture either vertically by cultural inheritance (as by parents to children) or horizontally by cultural acquisition (as by peers, information media, and entertainment media) 2 : a pervasive thought or thought pattern that replicates itself via cultural means; a parasitic code, a virus of the mind especially contagious to children and the impressionable 3 : the fundamental unit of information, analogous to the gene in emerging evolutionary theory of culture - meme pool (n.) : all memes of a culture or individual - memetic (adj.) : relating to memes - memetics (n.) : the study of memes 4 : in blogspeak, an idea that is spread from blog to blog 5 : an internet information generator, especially of random or contentless information (Etymology : meme : derived from the Greek mimëma, 'something imitated', by Richard Dawkins in 1976) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meme Meme:
1 : an idea, belief or belief system, or pattern of behavior that spreads throughout a culture either vertically by cultural inheritance (as by parents to children) or horizontally by cultural acquisition (as by peers, information media, and entertainment media)

2 : a pervasive thought or thought pattern that replicates itself via cultural means; a parasitic code, a virus of the mind especially contagious to children and the impressionable

3 : the fundamental unit of information, analogous to the gene in emerging evolutionary theory of culture
- meme pool (n.) : all memes of a culture or individual
- memetic (adj.) : relating to memes
- memetics (n.) : the study of memes

4 : in blogspeak, an idea that is spread from blog to blog

5 : an internet information generator, especially of random or contentless information

(Etymology : meme : derived from the Greek mimëma, ‘something imitated’, by Richard Dawkins in 1976)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meme

]]> By: Ian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2384 Ian Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:23:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/08/20/aha-where-that-pesky-10-of-your-brain-meme-comes-from-and-why-its-not-true/#comment-2384 Why are you using the word 'meme' when it seems the phrase you're meaning is 'belief'? Why are you using the word ‘meme’ when it seems the phrase you’re meaning is ‘belief’?

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