FALSE

The claim that humans only use ten percent of their brains is a widely recognized myth with no basis in neuroscience 2 5 8. High-credibility research from institutions like MIT and the Centre for Educational Neuroscience confirms that humans actually use all of our brains all of the time, though not every neuron fires simultaneously 3 5. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows that large areas of the brain—far exceeding 10 percent—are active even during simple tasks or while resting 11. While this neuromyth has been popularized by films such as Lucy and persistent cultural belief, it is 100 percent a myth 5 6 9. Experts note that the entire brain is functional, and there is no vast, untapped 90 percent awaiting discovery 1 7 10.