How developed is the human brain? How many percent of their brain do people use? What percentage does the human brain work at?

There are many myths and pseudoscientific statements about the functioning of the brain, but the most common information is that a person uses only 3–10% of the potential of his brain. You can read more about this and other erroneous judgments about the brain in the article “”.

The exact origin of this myth is unknown. Some attribute its creation to the famous scientist Albert Einstein. According to other sources, the progenitors of the theory are considered to be scientists James and Sidis, who conducted experiments related to the level of intelligence. This idea was also attributed to the neurosurgeon Penfield.

Refutation of the theory

Modern scientists, in particular, neuroscientist B. Gordon, have provided several arguments that completely refute the myth of 10% brain use. These include:

• During natural selection and the passage of stages of evolution, only the characteristics that were significant for a particular species were selected. If 90% of the brain did not perform any functions, then, accordingly, in the process of evolution, these parts of the central nervous system would disappear.
• Modern research methods, that is, various scans, make it possible to determine the absence of blind spots in brain activity. The appearance of inactive areas is observed only in individuals who have some kind of brain damage.
• It has been experimentally proven that each part of the brain is responsible for a specific function. If a part of the brain is damaged, in any case, some kind of disturbance in central nervous activity will occur.
• It has been proven that every single brain cell is functionally active.
• In the course of research, it turned out that non-use of any part of the human body (part of an organ or even a limb) leads to its atrophy, and in some cases to replacement with connective tissue. If there were inactive areas in the brain, they would atrophy or degenerate.

One interesting fact about the functioning of the brain is its increased activity during sleep. Some scientists even have the opinion that this is why a person needs sleep, so that the brain has time to process the information received and sort it out.

All this evidence only shows that neither side understands each other. Because brain potential and the use of certain parts of the organ are different concepts.

How developed is the human brain?

There is still no exact data on how actively a person uses his brain. All that remains is to speculate and build theories. To make it clear how individual the brain activity of each person is in a certain situation, an example should be given. If a second grade student and a high school student are asked to add a two-digit and a single-digit number, then, naturally, the high school student will do it faster. However, it is the primary school student who will use the brain’s potential more actively, since it requires more effort to solve the problem. Based on this example, we can conclude that the development of the human brain does not consist of an increase in the number of cells or their size, but in an increase in the number of connections between them.

Another example is the behavior and perception of a person in an emergency situation, when the person's brain is activated much more than in everyday life. Eyewitnesses who survived the disaster claim that the world around them seemed to freeze or slow down so much that they had time to escape. If the brain were so active every day, it would require several times more energy, and therefore nutrients.

For normal functioning, the brain requires about 100–120 grams of glucose daily. For people whose profession involves mental work, a larger amount may be required.

The only thing that can be said for sure about the work of our brain is that not a single person has yet reached the limit of its development. Initially, at birth (in the absence of deviations), everyone has approximately the same developed brain. In the process of life, its further development will depend on individual characteristics:

• The social sphere in which a person is located;
• The opportunities provided to him;
• Incentives for development and so on.

It follows from this that the smarter a person is, the higher the potential of his brain and the less activity he shows to solve basic problems.

Together with Rostov scientists, the site debunks common misconceptions and scientific myths. Should we be afraid of GMOs? Do we really only use 10% of our brain? What is the difference between black holes and cosmic wormholes? We ask these and other questions to specialists from Rostov universities and research organizations. The first conversation was devoted to the topic of radiation. This time we decided to talk about the human brain. We decided to ask Alexey Perekhov, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Narcology at Rostov State Medical University, about him.

Mysterious and beautiful

The human brain is one of the most important and at the same time the most mysterious parts of our body. It is the highly developed brain that is considered the most important difference between humans and animals. However, despite all the efforts of scientists, it has still not been fully studied. Its mystery has become rich soil for many myths. Some of them even formed the basis of feature films and became very popular.

Myth #1: The brain is made up of “gray matter.” This is what distinguishes humans from animals

– In fact, the human brain consists of many different components. Gray matter is just its cortex. In addition, the brain contains, for example, the so-called white matter - the subcortical layer. It takes up no less space than gray matter. There are also many substances that are neither gray nor white matter.

Gray matter is also present in animals. Monkeys, dolphins, even domestic dogs have it. The difference lies not in the presence of gray matter itself, but in the features of its development, its volume and capabilities.

– Is it true that a person’s intelligence depends on the amount of gray matter in the brain?

– This myth most likely comes from the idea that the larger the brain, the smarter the person. However, this is not quite true. At some point, brain size is no longer critical. Of course, there are cases where the brain is very small. So much so that it cannot perform its functions. Then this is really a problem, a pathology, such people become severe oligophrenic. However, in the case of a normally functioning brain, size is not what matters.

The weight of a normal human brain ranges from about 1 to 1.5 kilograms. With this logic, we would have to conclude that people whose brains weigh 1.5 kilograms are significantly smarter than those who have only 1 kilogram. However, studies of the brains of geniuses over the years show that among them there were people with both large and small brains.

– What then is crucial for the formation of intelligence?

– The way the brain is structured is of great importance, in particular the structure of neurotransmitter networks connecting tens of billions of brain cells.

Myth No. 2: Convolutions affect a person’s memorization of information. With the acquisition of new knowledge, new convolutions are formed

– This is outdated information. Now, in modern science, no one is studying how many convolutions a person has and what they are like. With the help of positron tomography, we were able to penetrate into the brain cells themselves. It doesn’t matter at all to the brain how many convolutions it has. What is more important is the number of connections between neurons, the system of their organization, the speed of data transfer, the work of special neurotransmitter substances that ensure the “opening” and “closing” of the nerve cell. With the acquisition of new knowledge, new neural connections are formed, but not convolutions.

Myth No. 3. The human brain operates at only 10% of its capacity. This indicator can be increased using various techniques and/or special preparations

– The fact that something in a healthy human body does not work 100% is fiction. In nature, everything always works 100%; it cannot be any other way. Another question is how much of the brain's work are we aware of? Answer: very small. If we were aware of all the processes of the brain, we would not have the subconscious and unconscious. This question, by the way, is now often asked by cybernetics. After all, true artificial intelligence will control all processes occurring in its brain 100%. This will deprive him of human emotions and feelings.

– Is it possible to somehow stimulate the brain?

– Yes, in certain cases the “efficiency factor” of the brain can increase. For brilliant people this happens due to insights, for ordinary people - under certain physical conditions, for example, with a sharp surge of adrenaline. But it will not rise to one hundred percent. In addition, special drugs - psychostimulants - can stimulate brain function. However, taking them for a long time is dangerous for your health. And you most likely won’t be able to become a genius this way, not to mention the purely mythical “hidden capabilities” of the brain that often appear in science fiction films. Geniuses, unfortunately, are born, not made. There is no point in fighting nature.

Myth No. 4. Brain cells do not recover, and any damage to the brain inevitably leads to serious problems with development and thinking

– This myth has a basis in reality. If the brain is damaged to a certain extent - for example, due to a stroke - it will not recover. It's the same as cutting off a person's finger. It obviously won't grow back. With the brain, the situation is the same, except for one point - nervous tissue is very plastic. The peculiarity of the human brain is that the functions that were performed by dead cells can be taken over by other parts of the brain. This process was discovered quite recently. Before this, it was believed that the brain was very strictly divided into various sections: the hearing center, the music perception center, and so on. It was assumed that if a certain department dies, the brain loses its function. It is now known that through plasticity it is possible to restore almost any lost function. Only the speech function cannot be restored. The fact is that the speech center of the brain is a very young structure. All other functions exist in the brain for several hundred thousand, if not millions, of years. The speech function appeared only about 40 million years ago. Our brain has not yet learned to compensate for its loss.

– How much loss of cells in the brain can be compensated for in this way?

– In some cases, it is possible to successfully compensate for huge losses. There are very severe forms of epilepsy in which a person needs to have half of their brain removed. This operation is performed in childhood. It would seem that such a person should become a “vegetable” for the rest of his life, bedridden. But with proper further development, the remaining parts of the brain take over the functions of the lost part. As a result, such people are able to lead a full life. Communicating with them, you would never guess that these people do not have half a brain.

The human brain and its capabilities have interested people since ancient times. Until now, scientists are discovering new abilities of this organ, amazed at what it is capable of. People not involved in science have little idea about it. However, almost everyone has heard and believes that we are using only 10% of its capabilities. There is even a rumor among people that by activating it 100%, you can become a genius. Let's try to figure out what percentage of the human brain works .

When I was still at school, my mother often bought me various encyclopedias for independent study. One day I came across an article about the human brain. It revealed many features of this important organ, and since I was an inquisitive child, I wanted to know more. In my searches, I came across information that we use only 10% of what the brain is capable of. Then the question arose in my head, what will happen if we activate everything 100%? Then I didn’t find the answer, so I decided to try to develop my mind on my own. I solved logical and mathematical problems and read. My lifestyle has been completely changed in order to achieve 100%.

Having grown up, I gave up the habit of doing exercises and forgot about my goal. But one day I came across that same article from childhood, and I again decided to find the answer to my question. Even when I found out that in fact we always use 100%, it didn't upset me at all. After all, during all this time I was able to develop my mental activity to the maximum, which turned out to be useful in my field of work.

Rules of operation and capabilities of the human brain

It is not for nothing that it is believed that this is one of the most important systems, without which it is impossible to live. It performs a lot of functions that support human life. Thanks to it, people easily adapt to environmental conditions, hear, speak, feel. The possibilities of the human brain can be listed endlessly. The way the brain works is an interesting and complex process, on the correct functioning of which the entire internal system of the human body depends. It has the following tasks:

• analysis of incoming information provided by the senses;
• coordination of movements;
• monitoring the functioning of systems, organs and cells;
• control of feelings and emotions;
• the presence of an internal clock that regulates sleep rhythms;
• reaction to viruses or infection, sending a signal to a person in the form of an increase in temperature or other reflexes;
• the answer to imagination, creativity.

Unlike animals, reason gives people the ability to think and operate with moral and moral categories. Mental activity is carried out by two hemispheres - left and right. The left is responsible for logical and technical thinking.

Right - promotes creative work and visualization, that is, it is aimed at humanitarian development. And no matter how strange it may be, the left part is responsible for the movements of the right side of the body, while the right controls the opposite. Try to use both hemispheres together and you will see that your ability to remember information has increased many times over.

The greatest events in the world are those that take place in the human brain.

Oscar Wilde

Our mind is generally capable of remembering more than the most advanced technology. Research by scientists has shown that it can hold from 3 to 1000 terabytes. That is why many call it the most powerful “natural computer”. Another amazing ability of the human brain is self-healing - new neurons and nerve tissue are constantly regenerated throughout our lives. Even after such a serious illness as a stroke, the organ can replace damaged areas with new ones.

How do emotions control the brain?

Emotions are strongly connected to the mind, so they can sometimes pose a strong threat to it. This is especially true for stress. The functioning of the organ is disrupted when a person begins to think negatively and beat himself up. Active development occurs in the period from 2 to 10 years, then the processes of building up neural connections become slower. However, there are many ways to help develop the organ and open up new possibilities.

The idea that only 10 percent of the brain is used is a myth. This expression has been attributed to many people, but in the end, today it is difficult to say who exactly misled so many people. Ultimately, recent research has shown that this is not true. The information that using 100% will give a person supernatural abilities is also very doubtful.

The fact is that it is always active due to the constant work of neurons and cells. Nobody says that any other organ is used only 5 or 10%. Even if we only use hearing or vision, this does not mean that the rest of the organ is resting. No, even so, it is 100% active, according to Joe Ice, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University.

Human brain: interesting facts

This is an amazing system whose capabilities never cease to amaze. We have already written above about its main functions, which many have definitely heard about. However, there are also facts about our brain that few people know about.

He doesn't see the difference between reality and fantasy

When we think about something, all this information comes to the organ, after which it processes it. But at the same time, he does not understand whether this thought is connected with reality or is a figment of the imagination. Surely many have heard the expression “rose-colored glasses”. And people who wear them really feel happier. So it cannot be said that this quality harms a person. The main thing is that we ourselves learn to distinguish reality from fiction.

Human memory can only hold 7 different objects.

A person is endowed with three types of memory: sensory, long-term and short-term. And the latter can simultaneously hold about 5-9 different objects. For most people, this figure is 7. Of course, there are geniuses who are able to remember much more, but that’s a different story.

Yellow-green color is best perceived

In general, this shade is called chartreuse, but it is more common to say yellow-green. As you know, eye receptors react only to red, blue and green colors. The mind works in such a way that it does not perceive color specifically, only information about the different gradations of dark and light and data about the difference in shades. In the table of colors available for perception, yellow-green is approximately in the middle. As a result, the shade is easily recognized. Many artists and psychologists often use this shade in their work, as it is quite noticeable and relaxing.

The subconscious is smarter than us

It is a powerful system on which many body processes depend. And, as a rule, all these processes occur in the background, without the participation of consciousness. However, it can still influence the work of the subconscious, selecting priorities and influencing the completion of tasks.

Work without interruption and without fatigue

Morning, afternoon and evening - all this time our main organ does not stop working. In addition, it works most actively in a dream. Usually all the strength is taken away by emotional overstrain. But intellectual activity does not tire you at all.

Fast work and relaxation

Often he works so quickly that the muscles cannot always keep up with him. So if you have bad handwriting, don't be discouraged, it indicates that the organ works faster than the hands. With the help of meditation, people learn to perceive information differently; subsequently, this process occurs without the participation of mental processes.

After waking up, it does not immediately start working

Many people feel sluggish after sleep and have difficulty thinking. This is associated with a temporary decrease in intelligence. Although scientists note that it is more noticeably higher after long periods of insomnia or when slightly intoxicated. To quickly return it to normal, it is useful to perform a couple of exercises, both physical and logical. A full breakfast won't hurt either.

Need for training

Like any other muscle, it needs training. Both physical and intellectual activities are suitable. Healthy eating, sleep and walks in the fresh air will also benefit.

Organ volume does not depend on intelligence

Does brain size affect mental ability? Of course not. This has been proven in numerous studies. Scientists believe that size determines survival skills rather than intelligence.

Certain thoughts tune into what we think about

Everything that has ever flashed in your head will one day come true. For example, if you often think about buying a house, you will soon begin to notice reminders about it. Therefore, it is best to always think only about the good.

We perceive men's voices more easily

The range of the female voice is somewhat wider, it is higher than the male one. In this regard, consciousness has to attract more resources in order to grasp the essence of what the woman said. It is interesting that often people suffering from auditory hallucinations hear the voice of a man.

What is good for mental activity?

Have you ever wondered how much energy the brain uses? It needs it more than other organs, therefore the amount of energy consumed is greater - approximately 20%. Due to this, normal mental activity and the creation of nerve impulses are ensured. To ensure that this energy is always present, it is important to perform the following useful actions:

1. Speed ​​reading - try to practice for 3-4 months. Think about the text you read, choose different genres. This will help develop your thinking.
2. Sports – during physical exercise, the hormone endorphin is produced, which increases mental activity.
3. Daytime rest - in order for information to be absorbed better, it is important to take a break.
4. Quality sleep is especially good for memory formation and the ability to concentrate.
5. Give up alcohol and cigarettes - due to prolonged use of alcohol or tobacco products, cells gradually begin to die.
6. The hormone estrogen is actively produced during sex; its benefit is that it effectively helps cope with nervous overload and stress.
7. Balanced and nutritious nutrition - the body will not tolerate either starvation or overeating, which results in mental deficiency.
8. Diet – mental activity is achieved through a properly dosed load on the digestive system.
9. Communicate – this helps improve cognitive functions.

Forward to development!

Anyone can change their mind for the better. You shouldn’t think that since he works 100%, he doesn’t need to develop. Don't set limits for yourself, always strive to become better. Plus, there are so many affordable ways to take your mental performance to the next level. Choose any of them and get to work. Pay attention to other articles on our website. All of them were created with the goal of helping the reader develop and become a better person.

Humanity began to explore the brain and think about its purpose long before the advent of science in its modern form. Archaeological finds indicate that in 3000-2000 BC, people were already actively practicing craniotomy, apparently as a way to prevent headaches, epilepsy and mental disorders. The ancient Greek doctors and anatomists Herophilus and Erasistratus not only called the brain the center of the nervous system, but also believed that intelligence “emerges” in the cerebellum. In the Middle Ages, the Italian surgeon Mondino de Luzzi proposed that the brain consists of three sections - or “vesicles”: the front one is responsible for feelings, the middle one is for imagination, and the back one stores memories.

It was not only scientists who contributed to this process. In 1848, American builder Phineas Gage, while working on a railroad, received a terrible injury: a metal pin entered his skull under his eye socket and came out at the border of the frontal and parietal bones. However, the man lived relatively safely for more than ten years. True, acquaintances claimed that as a result of the incident he changed - for example, he seemed to become more hot-tempered. And although there are many blind spots in this story, at one time it sparked a heated discussion about the functions of different areas of the brain.

Nowadays, the study of the brain is the domain of not one, but many branches of science. Neurobiology deals with issues related to the functioning of receptors. Neurophysiology - features of the course of physiological processes in the brain. Psychophysiology - the relationship between the brain and psyche. Neuropharmacology - the effect of drugs on the nervous system, including the brain. There is even a relatively young direction - neuroeconomics: it studies the processes of choice and decision-making. More fundamental cognitive neurosciences focus on the study of different types of perception, complex mental processes and related phenomena that relate to speech, listening to music, watching movies, etc.

Why is this being done?

It is logical to assume that any organ of the human body is studied primarily in order to learn how to effectively treat it if necessary. But the brain is too complex and interesting a system to be limited to a utilitarian approach. There are hundreds of laboratories in universities around the world that study completely different aspects of brain activity. Some focus on specific types of mental disorders—for example, schizophrenia. Others are asleep. Still others are based on emotions. Still others want to find out what happens to the brain when a person experiences stress or drinks alcohol: this is also done by the psychophysiology laboratory of the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

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The result of such research is not always a method for solving a specific problem related to brain activity. Neuroscientists often obtain information that mainly helps us better understand the specifics of relationships between people and find out, for example, by what criteria we rank others as “us” and “stranger”. What to do next with this knowledge, how to apply it in practice is a good question.

On the other hand, experiments with the “standard” human brain and naturalistic stimuli give scientists a chance to understand why someone's brain works differently. At the Finnish Aalto University, experiments are being carried out with the participation of people with Asperger's syndrome. As a rule, this developmental feature greatly affects emotional functions and the ability to social interaction. Experiments show that when an “ordinary” person watches other people communicate, there is a high level of synchronization in the sensory areas of the brain, in areas involved in the processing of social information and the processes of forming emotions. But in a person with Asperger's syndrome, such synchronization is much less pronounced. Scientists hope to eventually figure out how to help those who initially find it more difficult to adapt to society.

There are laboratories that engage in both applied and fundamental research. In 2012, scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem created a device that allows blind people to “see” through hearing. It consisted of glasses and a small camera that recorded visual information, and a special program converted it into sound signals. Thus, a person deprived of vision could recognize nearby household objects, other people, and even large letters. At the same time, the developers of the device discovered that in the brain of someone who learns to “see” with the help of hearing, the same streams are activated as in someone who sees in the traditional way - with the eyes. Thus, the scientific world is faced with a fundamentally important, fundamental problem: is the visual cortex of the brain really responsible for vision in the usual sense? And what is vision anyway?

It is also assumed that one of the results of a scrupulous, comprehensive study of the brain will be the possibility of creating artificial intelligence. In 2005, the famous multi-billion dollar Blue Brain Project was launched, the goal of which was to make a computer model of the human brain and simulate consciousness. So far things are still there, but many representatives of the scientific world are quite skeptical - if only because we do not know exactly what consciousness is. There are also technical limitations: in order to simulate a cat's brain at the most basic level, one of the largest supercomputers in the world was needed. The human brain, of course, is much more complex.

Methods and experiments

Current brain research methods can be ranked based on two criteria. The first is the frequency of information collection: it varies from milliseconds to several seconds. The second is spatial resolution: how much detail we can see in the brain itself. Thus, electroencephalography is capable of collecting data at a very high frequency. But fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) allows you to cover square millimeters of the brain, and this is quite a lot, since there are about 100,000 neurons in one square millimeter.

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There are also magnetic encephalography, positron emission tomography, transcranial magnetic stimulation. Methods are usually improved towards non-invasiveness: we want to learn as much as possible about the brain of a living person with minimal consequences for his health and psychological state. Moreover, it was with the advent of fMRI that scientists began to study literally all aspects of brain activity. We can take almost any type of behavior and be sure that there will definitely be a laboratory in the world that studies it using fMRI.

You can understand how scientists do this using the example of a very basic experiment. Let's say we want to know whether a person's brain activity differs when they look at other people's faces and when they look at houses. A variety of pictures are selected, depicting a wide variety of houses and a variety of faces. They are shuffled and their order is randomized. It is necessary that there are no patterns in the sequence: if, for example, after three houses a face always appears, the question will arise about the reliability of the results of the experiment.

Before placing the subject in the fMRI scanner, he must be removed from all metal jewelry and warned not to put his hands in a ring. During scanning, a rapid change in the magnetic field occurs, which, according to the laws of physics, induces an electric current in a closed loop. The sensations are not mortally unpleasant, but those who have tried usually do not want to repeat them. For thirty to forty minutes, a person lies in the scanner and looks at images of houses and faces appearing on the screen. It is important that he does not fall asleep during the process: going through such experiments is often quite boring. But they offer a reward - say, a couple of free movie tickets.

This is where the more or less interesting part ends and the difficult and thankless part begins: the scientist will have to process the information received using various statistical methods so that the result can be compiled into an article and published in a scientific journal. The main catch here is that there are tens of thousands of ways to combine different stages of data transformation, so achieving a false positive result is not that difficult.

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In 2009, an experiment was conducted in San Francisco that later became legendary. Scientists put dead Atlantic salmon into an fMRI scanner and showed it photographs of people in various social situations. When the data were calculated, it turned out that the salmon's brain did not just react to stimuli: the fish experienced emotions. Of course, dead salmon are not actually capable of empathy, but due to the margin of error - or so-called statistical noise - that arises when analyzing data collected using fMRI, we can get a significant effect. Who seeks will always find.

Until recently, the problem was aggravated by the fact that Western journals accepted articles describing mainly only the positive results of experiments. If the laboratory's hypothesis was not confirmed, the data obtained were essentially thrown into the trash. Now imagine: one hundred laboratories performed the same experiment. Purely statistically, five of them may well have positive results. An article written by representatives of such a laboratory will be published, even if the remaining 95 experiments showed a negative result. To combat such distortions, an important option has now appeared: now a study can be re-registered with a guarantee of publication regardless of the result - the main thing is that everything is carried out strictly according to plan.

The specificity of a scientist’s work is that he must know a lot, even if only within his field. However, the more you know, the more you doubt. And the higher the likelihood that sooner or later you will encounter something that fundamentally contradicts your beliefs. Therefore, when communicating with the media, scientists almost never use the word “unambiguously.” Instead they say: “most likely”, “probably”, “we can guess”.

For journalists and readers, such formulations do not sound very tempting, to put it mildly. The human psyche is designed in such a way that he wants to know exactly what his body is made of, including his brain. The probabilities either do not interest him or cause him anxiety. Moreover, many people generally do not read the news beyond the headline. As a result, information about the latest scientific research often reaches us in a distorted form, partly because the media wants to attract more views, but are afraid of scaring off the audience with too vague wording.

In 2007, a wave of articles spread across the Russian media about scientists from University College London who found that alcohol improves brain function. Upon closer examination, it turned out that since alcohol improves blood flow to the brain, which, in turn, does correlate with improved mental abilities, there may be a positive effect, but the negative consequences of excessive alcohol consumption clearly outweigh it.

Just a few years ago, the Western press widely covered the No More Woof project, the creators of which proposed using a tool based on electroencephalography to read the thoughts of dogs and “translate” them into human language. But, firstly, EEG is far from the most accurate method of collecting data. Secondly, how can we know how dogs' thoughts should be conveyed through English speech? Thirdly, there are no studies that would prove that all animals, including humans and dogs, speak different dialects of the same global language. But the media chanted: hurray, we will finally learn to understand our Balls and Bobbies!

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Secondly, beware of categorical statements. Let’s say that if the material says that scientists have found a “love zone” in the brain, keep in mind that one of the modern trends is to study the brain not as a constructor made up of completely autonomous elements, but as a complex network. And “love” is too ambiguous a concept to derive some kind of universal definition for it.

Third, pay attention to the source. Journalists often link not to the original article in a scientific journal, but to a publication on another Internet news portal or even a blog. To an inquiring mind such a reference must seem unconvincing.

Fourth, ask the Internet the question: “Who are all these people?” Under the label “scientists,” both genuine employees of well-known laboratories and amateur enthusiasts raising money for their “revolutionary” discovery using crowdfunding platforms can appear in the media.

Fifthly, find the original. From the abstract (a brief summary of the essence of the article) it is often clear what exactly the scientists proved and by what methods. Yes, subscription to many magazines is paid. But there are sites PubMed and Google Scholar that allow you to search the texts of scientific publications.

Contrary to stereotypes, science cannot give us a 100% guarantee of anything. It cannot separate the truth from everything else with a thick, indelible line. But it can get as close as possible to the truth through many repeated experiments carried out in different parts of the globe, the results of which will gradually converge at one point. Approximately. With a certain probability.

Shoshina Vera Nikolaevna

Therapist, education: Northern Medical University. Work experience 10 years.

Articles written

There are many legends and pseudoscientific theories about how the most important organ of the human body, the brain, works. The most common statement is that according to research, it wastes no more than ten percent of its potential. Is it true? What percentage of the human brain actually works?

How does the human brain work?

The brain is the most complex organ of all living beings. Every moment he needs to process a huge amount of information and transmit signals to other systems of the body. Scientists have not yet been able to fully study its structure and functional features. In humans, the organ is responsible for such processes as: consciousness, speech functions, coordination, emotions, reflex functions.

The central nervous system of a normal person consists of the spinal cord and the brain. These organs include 2 types of cells: neurons (information carriers) and gliocytes (cells that act as a framework).

The entire human body is penetrated by a network of nerves that are a continuation of the central nervous system. Through neurons, information from the brain disperses throughout the body and comes back for processing. All nerve cells create a single information network with it.

The Myth of Using 10% of the Brain

There is no reliable data on where the “Ten Percent” theory came from; presumably it all happened like this:

1. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, two researchers, Sidis and James, studied the abilities of children, testing the theory of accelerated human development, and came to the conclusion that the human brain has enormous potential that is not fully used. Later, Thomas, another famous scientist, when writing the preface to Carnegie's work, recalled this theory and suggested that the human brain actually works at only ten percent of its potential.
2. A group of scientists, conducting research in neurobiology, studying the cortex of its hemispheres, concluded that at every second it is activated by ten percent. Later, to the question of what percentage of a person’s brain works, books and television programs began to give a truncated answer.

Thus, a common myth turned into reality. The legend that the average person uses only a tenth of their potential has gained great popularity. It is constantly discussed in fiction and cinema; many books and films have been created on its basis.

Unscrupulous psychotherapists and various kinds of psychics profit well from the existing myth, offering training programs, conducting expensive courses, where a person:

• they promise to train the brain until it achieves one hundred percent of its potential;

• guarantee that every smart child will become a genius using the proposed methods;
• propose to find and reveal hidden paranormal abilities that supposedly lie dormant in every person.

What really

But in reality, how much does the brain work and how can you check whether a person is using his full potential?

Reasoning for full use of the brain:

• You should not rely on the conclusions of scientists made at the end of the nineteenth century. At that time, there was simply no technical ability to calculate the percentage of neurons involved in the work.

• Many years of experiments, tests and studies have shown that when performing a simple action (communication, reading, etc.) all parts of the organ are activated. Therefore, it works not at 10, but at 100 percent.
• Severe often leads to serious disruptions in the functioning of the body, loss of many functions. Using a tenth of brain activity, a person would not notice a difference; the organ could compensate for the injury and use the rest of its potential.
• Nature is economical, because about twenty percent of energy is spent on brain processes occurring in the human body. It is unlikely that so much energy would be spent on an organ that is partially used.
• The size of the brain also indicates that it uses a much larger percentage of the substance. All organs of the human body are directly proportional to their functions. A brain that used only a tenth of its potential would weigh as much as a sheep's.
• Acceleration of thought processes in the brain occurs if the correct training methods and hard work are used, and if non-working areas are activated with the help of expensive courses.

Mystical abilities

A person in a critical situation may simply feel that he has mystical abilities to solve the problem. There are cases when people, in moments of danger, lifted enormous weights, made the necessary decisions in short fractions of a second, and increased the speed of perception of information.

What happens in such cases: mobilization of the body and the release of adrenaline into the blood or awakening of the rest of the organ? It is reliably known that after experiencing an extreme situation, a person feels extremely tired, because the body has expended a large amount of energy on actions. Consequently, the point is not in the mystical abilities that lie dormant in the brain, but in the mobilization of the organ to solve an important task.