There are quite a few “absolute truths” everybody knows when it comes to our brains – the 10% usage issue, alcohol being bad for it and others pearls of wisdom. Guess what? These are myths, not truths.
We Don’t Use Just 10% of Our Brain
In a 24-hour period, you actually use most of it. The legend about tapping into some unused potential is nothing but a myth.
There’s No Such Things as a Left/Right Brain
Certain regions of each hemisphere are specialized for particular functions, that’s true. However, an individual person does not use one half more than the other.
The Difference Between Men and Women
There are physiological differences between the genders and their brains, but nothing suggest that it’s a “hard-wired” difference, and there’s no clear understanding how these differences have to do with behavior.
Drinking Doesn’t Always Kill Brain Cells
Binge drinking or years of chronic abuse are obviously bad for your brain, but moderate drinking does not kill your neurons.
Adults Can Grow New Brain Cells
Although we do lose brain cells as we grow old, but recent discoveries have revealed that adults can grow new brain cells.
Brains Aren’t “hard-wired” to Make You Behave a Certain Way
Recent studies have proven the brain has a massive capacity to change, something known as plasticity. Differences between brains are probably the result of upbringing and socialisation rather than being down to predestined biology.
Brain Size Means Nothing
What determines how intelligent you are isn’t the size of your brain, but how many neurons you have and how complex the activity is at the connections between your brain cells.
For a bit more about our brains, check out 10 Unforgettable Facts About Our Brains & Memories.
