Have you ever heard that we humans use only ten percent of out brains? This myth holds a certain
appeal because if it were true, then we could instantly become ten times more intelligent
just by firing up that sleepy majority of the brain!
The idea that we use only a small fraction of the brain dates back to animal experiments in the 19th
century. When scientists stimulated a specific part of the brain, the animal moved its leg or tail.
And some scientists assumed that large parts of the brain were simply useless.
Then, in the early 20th century, scientists observed that stimulating certain regions of the brain
had no physical effects, which are called the "silent cortex". Today we know that much of the
"silent cortex" is actually devoted to complex activities like language, learning and imagining.
Actually, when we sleep, many areas of the brain are extremely active. Would you be smarter if your
entire brain constantly worked to maximum capacity? Interestingly enough, the opposite is probably
true. The less brain activity you need to perform a given task, the more the brain as a whole is
capable of doing.