Do You Actually Use Only 10% Of Your Brain?

Do you really only use 10% of your brain's power? It's the myth that just will not die (Lucy, you're not helping). Thankfully, SciShow and Hank Green are here to clear it up once and for all in their new video.

And, the answer is: no. No, we don't only use 10% of our gray matter; in fact, we're using most of our brain most of the time. How do we know? First, neural imaging techniques let us see indirectly that the brain is active all the time — even when you're doing routine tasks, or nothing at all. Also, if we didn't use all of our brain, then it wouldn't be such a huge deal when we injure or lose a part of it. But, it's absolutely a huge deal. And, perhaps our least glamorous piece of evidence that our brains are so active is that we have to keep them fed with hundreds of calories every day, just to keep them functioning.

So, while it's tempting to believe you have a Limitless potential left to unlock, it's probably not hiding within that bundle of neurons in your skull. Luckily, there's a multitude of easy ways to improve your life — without increasing brainpower.