on the 'ten percent of the brain' myth
I watched a movie called Lucy , with Scarlett Johanssen and Morgan Freeman, last night. Nice science fiction flick. The first twenty minutes were particularly brilliant, but then I was sadly disappointed to hear that they made Morgan Freeman repeat that old chestnut about humans only using ten percent of their brains. I mean, come on, the man deserves more respect than that. At least he was getting paid bloody well, I suppose. I'm surprised that this myth has lasted so far into this day and age of MRI technology, but it is still a very popular idea, and not just in the realm of Hollywood fiction. Why is that? Why do people just accept a statement like that with no evidence, let alone common sense, attached, and go on to repeat it as truth? Is it just because it sounds catchy and profound? Apparently that is enough for many a human brain. But this is not because we only use ten percent of them. Firstly - where did this myth come from? There are a few different theories about...