It’s a question that irks many neurobiologists:
“what if we could use 100% of our brains?” The idea that we only use about 10% of our
brains is a popular theory with no true, identifiable origin. It has widely been used as the premise in
movies, such as Lucy – about Scarlett Johansson accessing her full brain capacity and developing
superpowers – as well as Limitless – about Bradley Cooper taking a drug that also helps
him use his full brain capacity and gain superpowers. So, what makes this idea so believable and
is there any truth to it? What would real-life super mental powers be
like? A lot of us might like to imagine that we
only use a small fraction of our potential in order to explain our flaws and imperfections. We like to think that we are capable of being
more than we are, but that some obstacle prevents us from reaching the state of our highest
being. After all, having an obstacle to something
gives us the perfect excuse not to get there. Think about when you don’t feel guilty about
not going for a run because it’s raining outside, or you can’t do your errands because
there’s a reported traffic jam. When there’s a justifiable reason to not
do something that you don’t want to do, you feel content and cozy about not doing
it, right? Thus, some people might like the 10% brain
idea because it gives them an excuse to be imperfect. It may also provide us with a satisfying explanation
for humanity’s shortcomings and the odd eccentricities of behavior from other people. Thus, we think, “well, we are a higher species,
we just can’t access our full potential because we only use 10% of our brains,”
and having an explanation that simultaneously compliments what we are while giving us an
excuse not to be that way makes us feel satisfied. Well, we hate to burst your bubble, but the
idea that we only use 10% brain of our brain capacity has largely been debunked as a myth. Modern brain scans show that there is activity
throughout the entire brain, even at moments when we are resting. This means, that you already utilize the full
organ. Now, we know that this piece of information
must be incredibly disappointing for you if you were an avid believer of the idea. And you wouldn’t be alone. A survey of schoolteachers taken in Britain
and The Netherlands found that as many as 48% and 46%, respectively, endorsed this myth. In the U.S., 65% of people were found to believe
it. We’re sorry to have to inform you that you
don’t possess the capacity to display any Lucy-like superhuman abilities that we know
of. Some people continuously use this claim to
explain their psychic abilities. Don’t fall for it though because, more often
than not, it’s probably a hoax or a scheme to obtain your money for sham psychic services. Still, Hollywood endorses this myth as truth
with their premises and story ideas for films, feeding it into the minds of viewers. But biologists make the argument that we would
not have evolved such large brains if we only tapped into such a tiny portion of them. Think of it this way, if the 10% brain myth
were based on fact, then that would imply that most of the brain is unnecessary or unimportant. In actuality, the brain, as an organ, is pretty
amazing and is actually quite resourceful. There are no unused parts. Additionally, if we only used 10% of our brains,
then minor brain damage wouldn’t be as devastating as it is with so much spare capacity. According to Dr. Scott Lilienfeld, quoted
by livescience.com, “even simple tasks generally require contributions of processing areas
spread throughout virtually the whole brain.” Though there aren’t any drugs that help
you use 100% of your brain like Limitless because, well, you already do that, there
does exist chemicals and drugs that can boost the brain’s ability to remember, process
information, or be alert – like with coffee for example. A moderate amount of coffee makes us feel
energized and ready to take on the day. It helps us complete homework assignments,
stay on task, and study for that dreaded final exam or write that term paper. Need to get through that boring 3-hour meeting,
coffee can help with this too. For most of us, it is a lot harder to focus
on these types of daunting mental tasks without the energy boost from coffee. So, would drinking more coffee lead to using
greater mental capacity? Could this useful beverage turn you into a
productive superhero of sorts? Well, not really. Too much of anything is never a good thing. This includes heightened alertness. The caffeine in coffee stimulates adrenal
glands that release adrenaline through your body. This, in turn, can make you feel on edge. This is especially bad if you already have
anxiety because it can make this feeling even worse. Adrenaline from caffeine increases your heartrate
and heightens the “flight or fight” response. So, you may react with panic at something
small, such as your cat sneaking up on you while you’re working at your desktop computer
at home. Adderall is another brain-altering substance
that tends to be used to assist people with ADHD who have trouble concentrating. It stimulates the nervous system, which increases
one’s ability to focus and control behavior. It does this by increasing activity of the
brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. Like caffeine, however, this drug triggers
the body’s “fight or flight” response. Thus, too much Adderall can lead to some very
unpleasant side effects including nervousness, restlessness, difficulty falling asleep, shortness
of breath, tremors, changes in sex drive, shakiness, or loss of appetite, just to name
a few. With substances such as coffee and Adderall,
we suppose it is possible to have a mental superpower of sorts. But only if your power is super anxiety. We imagine that a heroic figure named Anxiety
Man, running around fighting crime with his heightened sense of focus at the speed of
panic, would be pretty amusing to say the least. Though it’s fun to think about, a hero like
this would probably not be a good role model for kids because he would teach the value
of dependence on substances. “Remember kids to drink a cup of coffee
or two, or three per day. Also don’t forget your daily dose or dosages
of Adderall to go with it, if you want to be super hyped up like me!” Yeah, we don’t think that would go over
too well with their parents. Now you may be thinking that, since you already
use 100% of your brain, there’s not much else you can do aside from taking drugs to
boost its functioning – which, we wouldn’t recommend without consulting a doctor. But there are always ways to improve yourself
and your mental abilities. So how can you unlock your full potential? Well, for one, you can read more. This might not be what you were hoping to
hear. Heck, you might now be thinking that this
episode of the Infographics show has taken a very boring turn. Yet aside from expanding your mind with knowledge,
reading has also been shown to improve cognitive functioning. It forces your brain to work, which makes
your thinking sharper. So, maybe you should actually read the chapters
of that book that was assigned to you in your English class. We know you probably don’t get Shakespeare
– a lot of us modern-day-dwellers don’t – but we would commend you for trying anyway. Maybe you’ll come up with an interesting
Infographics Show topic in the process and send your idea to us. Like, “what’s the deal with the Montagues
and Capulets and why can’t they just get a grip?” We’ll leave it up to you. Reading isn’t the only way to improve brain
functioning. Arguably even more boring is solving arithmetic
problems. Okay, seriously? You’re probably slamming your head against
the wall right now with how dull this episode has gotten. If you’re shaking your head, thinking, “yeah,
right!” we don’t blame you! A lot of people would choose not to do any
of these things if they can help it. But solving arithmetic problems has a lot
of benefits which include stopping your brain from deteriorating too much as you grow older. Our suggestions won’t grant you cool mental
superpowers like Lucy. But they will help you have the upper hand
when tasked with challenges that force you to stretch your brain’s cognitive muscles. If your teacher calls on you in class to answer
a question, you’ll look like the smartest guy there as you immediately come up with
an answer. Other kids will either think this is cool
or just pick on you for being a “nerd.” This leads to our other superpower, aside
from super anxiety, which is super nerdom. If you combine super anxiety with super nerdom,
you’ll have a person who is always on time, always completing tasks and assignments, always
doing all the readings, always possessing the answer to every question, and never getting
the girl. This individual would also be high on neuroticism. Some people also believe that you can access
your full potential by simply being your best self and helping others. This is another way of improving yourself
by being moral and ethical. Now we’ve stooped to a new low. If you’re still watching this, you might
be thinking, “okay, c’mon. You talked about medicine, then reading, then
math, and now you’re saying we should go volunteer. I watch this show to get away from all that
stuff!” But there is an abundance of research on the
effects of altruism on the brain, which shows the activation of dopamine upon helping others. In essence, helping others makes you feel
good. Now, this doesn’t mean that we expect you
to drop everything and go volunteer at a homeless shelter or risk your life resuscitating a
bunch of orphaned, injured puppies from a bus accident while treating their cancer with
hugs like the guy she told you not to worry about. Instead, you can do small things like hold
open the door for other people or stop to pay someone a compliment. In this way, you can make someone’s day,
which makes you feel like your best self. This leads to our third real-life superpower,
super helpfulness. The super helpful guy makes friends everywhere
he goes. People always remember him for being a good
Samaritan, positive role model and friend to the community. A hero with super anxiety, nerdom and helpfulness
combined together shines like a beacon of light. He stands tall and proud with his cape flapping
with the wind behind him. When the wind picks up, he jolts out of his
skin from the heightened sound while proceeding to tremble in an isolated corner in fetal
position to get over the scare. Then he panics about being late for his new
job while offering to work more overtime hours to make up for it. We admit that real-life superpowers aren’t
as intriguing as action-packed, fictional superpowers in movies. So, we’ll go ahead and wrap up this episode
so you can watch an exciting marvel or DC movie. Chances are though, we’ve taken away the
believability of these films by shedding an all-too-realistic light on the nature of what
it really means to be super powerful. Now that the secret is out and you know that
you already use 100% of your brain capacity, you’re probably going to sulk in your chair
for a while pondering the meaning of your boring existence in this flat, non-exciting
world. For this, we recommend that you try watching
our other video “Why Do You Even Exist?” Maybe you’ll derive some insight from it. How would you improve the extent of your mental
potential? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to check out our other video
Weirdest Brain Disorders! Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t
forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time!
