A person’s brain capacity is a frequently discussed topic, since this organ is primarily responsible for our cognitive abilities and our logical thinking.
Parallel to this interest, several popular theories or beliefs emerged about the maximum potential of the human brain. What does science say about this? And what percentage of the brain do we actually use? Check it out below.
Learn more about the capacity of the human brain
The largest organ in the human body
Despite being one of mankind’s main research objects, fully understanding the human brain is still a mystery to science. This organ is the main component of the central nervous system and is made up of transmission cells called neurons and supporting cells called glial cells.
It is responsible for our logical skills, our response to stimuli, our thinking and basically everything that distinguishes humans from other organisms. Therefore, given the importance of this organ, doubts and speculations about its functioning are common.
10, 20, 35… 100%
Among the doubts, the most common is about the percentage of the brain that we humans use. In general, the answer is: 10%.
However, this information is false, despite being fueled by popular fantasy in movies like Lucy, where we see the protagonist ingest a substance that unlocks 90% of her dormant brain and grants her a range of powers.
How much do we really use?
In fact, humans have the ability to use 100% of their brain even though not all regions are active at the same time.
Therefore, the percentage the brain uses depends on the activity being performed, as more complex tasks require different regions to work together. This means that the brain is not a single organ, but consists of different cells with different functions.
Identification of these regions and correlation with various activities is only possible thanks to the development of modern equipment such as tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.