In fact, the brain always works as a whole, even if different parts have different functions. The fact that we use only 10% of our brain is a 100 years old fake news.
We often talk about fake news and how they are able to spread with a speed perhaps unknown before the advent of social networks. The fact is that, despite the fact that the English term has recently been adopted by us Italian speakers, what could also be called "hoaxes" are not new in recent years. And not even of this century, to be honest. On the contrary, they turn out to be as old as the very notion of press (if we want to limit ourselves to journalistic news).
The fact that many of us are or have been convinced of the fact that we use only 10% of our brain amply demonstrates the permeability of suggestive concepts, sure, but absolutely false.
What is the (false) thesis that we use only 10% of our brain
What is to all intents and purposes an erroneous belief, although incredibly widespread (1 in 2 Brazilians is convinced), could be dated 1936. That's the year of publication of a manual by Dale Carnegie, who in life was (really) a teacher of how to speak in public. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is the tantalizing title of the essay, which in fact was translated into all languages.
Previously someone wrote that "compared to what we should be, we are only half awake (...). We are using only a small part of our mental and physical resources" (William James, 1907). The concept is similar but it lacks a number - preferably a round number - and a reference to the brain: insert these characteristics into the statement and you have the perfect hoax that resists space and resists time.
How scientists dismantled the hoax of the brain functioning in small part
"People might be excited about this pseudo-scientific thesis because it's very optimistic," said a neuroscientist. "Wouldn't we all like to think that our brains have a giant untapped potential?" Probably so.
In fact, there is no room for doubt about how our brains work, at least with respect to the fact that all parts of them are in operation during various activities, even if each is assigned different functions. These are assumptions obtained by scientists as a result of the study of trauma related to World War II. This kind of knowledge is also essential to the work of neurosurgeons, who must know exactly where to put their hands in order not to damage parts of the brain that are responsible for important functions.
Research with more murky implications concern the microchips applied to the brain.
And if you want to keep your brain working well then it would be a good idea to include these foods in your diet.
Giuseppe Giordano