how do they know what percentage of brain is being used?

[MustangSVT]

i've heard that general population usues only 4% of their full brain capacity. How do they know this? And what makes them think that 100% theoretical usage is possible with current brain? just curious.

 

[nd]

They don't know it.. I've seen that fact thrown around all my life, but don't think any scientist/doctor can be 100% sure of its truthfulness.

I've heard 10% more often than 4% I think... I'm sure they just look at some data that could possibly be related and make an interesting-sounding conclusion. To make a statement like that you have to define what "used" means (raw memory or analytical power? or maybe they mean theres no activity at all in 90% of the brain, which seems unlikely to me).

Who knows, maybe someone else has a better answer than me..

 

[Handle]

Statements like, "You only use x% of your brain" are for all intents and purposes, baloney, from a scientific point of view.

They are generally meant only to highlight the seeming unlimited capacity and ability to learn of human beings.

 

[Double Trouble]

<<Statements like, &quot;You only use x% of your brain&quot; are for all intents and purposes, baloney, from a scientific point of view.>>

Complete and total baloney. Those statements (people only use about 10% of their brain) stem from the fact that scientists did not know what parts of the brain were responsible for which functions, and they had no way of properly measuring brain activity.

More up to date research suggests that not only do you use all (or most) of your brain, there is actually a limit as to how much &quot;stuff&quot; (functions, memories etc) can be stored in the brain. Until recently they just didn't know how the parts interrelated. Brain activity monitoring (through electrical activity measurements) have shown conclusively that just about every part of the brain is engaged in some part of our normal existence.

 

[AlphaIVT]

If we're capable of using 100% of our brain, we'd be physic and teleknetic powers.

 

[Killbat]

&quot;If we're capable of using 100% of our brain, we'd be physic and teleknetic powers.&quot;

Can't... stop... laughing...

 

[Russ]

Average: 8%

Conservatives: 12%

Liberals: 1% to 2%, and they have smooth surfaced brains, as well as much less mass.

Russ, NCNE

 

[SSP]

Mah! I've heard its 6%.

I think most of these scientists are full of it. I say we kill em all!

 

[Elita1]

I've also heard that it is 10%. I have also heard that actual amount and/or size of brain and grey matter have nothing to do with intelligence. Oh well...what do I know?

....but it would be SO cool to have telekinetic powers...

 

[Pennstate]

Average: 8%

Conservatives: 12%

Liberals: 1% to 2%, and they have smooth surfaced brains, as well as much less mass.

You forgot:

Religious Extremists that sell computers: 0%

 

[Russ]

<< Religious Extremists that sell computers: 0% >>



I don't know any of those. Was there some kind of point you were trying to make?



<< George W. Bush: The first UNELECTED President of America >>



I guess Penn State doesn't offer History or Polysci.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Czar]

You probably only use 4% of your brain to think, but I think the rest is used to make the body fuction correctly.

 

[beer]

<< Average: 8%

Conservatives: 12%

Liberals: 1% to 2%, and they have smooth surfaced brains, as well as much less mass.

Russ, NCNE >>



You forgot Russ, another special category.

AlphaIVT - i%

And watch him not get that.

 

[ltk007]

You know you can't really have an imaginary percent, but somehow I think in Alpha's case it might just be possible

 

[beer]

Agreed.

 

[BrightRed]

yep, I've heard that when ppl can use the full capacity of the brain, they can do the stuff Dr. Xavier can do.
mindreading, telekinetics, etc...
sounds pretty scary.
i wonder how many % of the brain did Einstein and Gauss used.

 

[Passions]

yes it is true, u know russian mindreaders employed during the cold war, they used up alot of their brain powa. latez.

 

[beer]

Except that, BrightRed, none of that has any scientific proof. In fact now you sound like Alf.

 

[blurredvision]

I've always heard that you only use up 10% of your brain's 'power' at any one time, not necessarily 4 or 10% of it's 'capacity'. I've never heard any statistics regarding memory storage. Mabye it's life's own little 20TB hard drive....

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Try driving around, you'll find that only one driver in 25 is using thier brain. That makes for an average of 4%

 

[Eeks]

Did anyone see Defending your life? It went on about great length as to how much of their brain a person, and it linked it to weather a person would go to heaven. Good stuff, and more importantly funny.

 

[SirFshAlot]

how would they measure a percentage of brain usage????

the real power of the brain is dependent on the connections, not just the number of brain cells, or neurons.

it's how they are linked in synapses that really diferentiates the smart folks from the idiots


and what makes people think that more &quot;brain usage&quot; would open up supernatural powers?

 

[StageLeft]

This &quot;10% of your brain&quot; is such a load of sh*t. Why is it that our brains have evolved into larger sizes than they were with, say, homo erectus? They would not have gotten bigger unless the added size benefited it - there is no wasted size in a person's brain. If this 10% thing was true you could theoretically tap the brains in a neanderthal and he'd still have enough brain size to humble even a human genius. Just because 10% may go towards active conscious thinking doesn't mean the other 90% is wasted - its running the body.

And even if the 10% wasn't BS, its a pointless thing to say because nobody in the world has figured out how to tap into this other 90% have they?

 

[Cable God]

no idea

 

[DABANSHEE]

&quot;Average: 8%

Conservatives: 12%

Liberals: 1% to 2%, and they have smooth surfaced brains, as well as much less mass.

Russ, NCNE&quot;

Ah, but Russ, when it comes to alcoholics (&amp; that would include recovering alcos &amp; dry drunks), even when they utilise 100% of what's left of their brain cells, it would work out to be less, than the !% or 2% that you claim liberals use.