FACT CHECK #_YF_IOO1

WHAT WE FOUND

The claim that humans only use ten percent of their brains is a scientifically debunked myth 1 5 10. High credibility sources from institutions such as Harvard, MIT, and Nature confirm that humans actually use virtually every part of the brain throughout a typical day 3 5 6. While it is true that not all neurons fire at the same time, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows that nearly all brain regions are active even during simple tasks 3 4. Experts note that the myth may have originated in the early 20th century and has been reinforced by pop culture and movies such as Lucy 2 8. In reality, the brain is a metabolically expensive organ, and evolution would not permit 90 percent of its capacity to remain untapped or wasted 5 7 12.

SOURCES

1. 1 · snopes.comFACT-CHECKER
   Do We Only Use 10% of our Brains? - Snopes.com

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2. 2 · psychologicalscience.orgACADEMIC
   Myth: We Only Use 10% of Our Brains

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3. 3 · educationalneuroscience.org.ukACADEMIC
   We only use 10% of our brains | Centre for Educational Neuroscience

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4. 4 · health.harvard.eduACADEMIC
   You don't say? Brain space - Harvard Health

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5. 5 · mcgovern.mit.eduACADEMIC
   Do we only use 10 percent of our brain? - MIT McGovern Institute

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6. 6 · nature.comACADEMIC
   "Lucy" is Wrong; We Use Way More Than 10% of Our Brains - Nature

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7. 7 · psychologytoday.comACADEMIC
   Beyond the Myth That We Use Only 10 Percent of Our Brains

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8. 8 · sociostudies.orgACADEMIC
   [PDF] Evolution of the Human Brain and the Myth of its Ten-Percent Use

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9. 9 · bbc.comNEWS
   Do we only use 10% of our brains? - BBC

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10. 10 · en.wikipedia.orgWEB
    Ten-percent-of-the-brain myth - Wikipedia

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11. 11 · medicalnewstoday.comWEB
    How much of our brain do we actually use? Brain facts and myths

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12. 12 · uamshealth.comWEB
    Do People Only Use 10 Percent of our Brains? - UAMS Health

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THE READING