08/14/2025
🧠💡The “we only use 10% of our brain” claim is a long-standing myth. Neuroscience research using fMRI and PET scans shows that almost all areas of the brain have some activity over the course of a day, even when we’re resting or sleeping.
Here’s why the myth persists:
• Early neurological studies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries showed that some brain regions have specialized functions, leading to misunderstandings that the “unused” parts were inactive.
• Pop culture and motivational speakers repeated the idea as a way to imply untapped human potential.
In reality:
• Different tasks activate different brain regions, so not all parts are firing at the same time, but over time, nearly 100% of the brain gets used.
• Even “quiet” areas are involved in background processes like regulating breathing, posture, sensory filtering, and memory consolidation.
If you want, I can give you a short, fact-checked “Fact vs Myth” version for posting online that busts this 10% brain claim in a catchy way.
References—Verified & Updated
1. Boyd, R. (2008). “Do People Only Use 10 Percent of Their Brains?” Scientific American — This article debunks the myth, noting that neurologist Barry Gordon called it “so wrong it is almost laughable” and explaining that “we use virtually every part of the brain, and … most of the brain is active almost all the time.”  
2. Beyerstein, B. L. (1999). “Whence Cometh the Myth That We Only Use 10 % of Our Brains?” in Mind Myths: Exploring Popular Assumptions About the Mind and Brain — This is indeed the accepted, scholarly source where Barry Beyerstein systematically traced and debunked the myth. 
3. Radford, B. (1999). “The Ten‑Percent Myth.” Skeptical Inquirer — Benjamin Radford also addressed and refuted this myth in his well‑cited article. 
