Summary

The first section of the book debunked the popular myth that people only use ten percent of their
brains. This myth came about after William James, a psychologist in the late 19th century, wrote
that average people will never achieve more than ten percent of their intellectual potential.
People soon mistook this to mean that people will never be able to use more than ten percent of
their brains. Additionally, scientists did not understand all of the brain and its functions at the
time. They did not understand what ninety percent of the brain did, so they assumed it did
nothing. However, psychologists today understand this fact to be false. To understand this, it is
easy to start with the physical characteristics of the brain. First, the brain was shaped by natural
evolution. Therefore, the size and shape of our brains are optimal for survival. Additionally, the
brain is about three percent of our body weight, yet it uses twenty percent of our body’s oxygen
intake. Neuroscientists have also studied the effects of various head injuries. They found that
losing far less than ninety percent of your brain would have catastrophic impacts. Also, by using
electrical stimulants, they were able to conclude that there were no silent areas of the brain.
Lastly, scientists have found that completing simple tasks requires the whole brain and the
connections between various parts of the brain. Thus, it is impossible that people only use ten
percent of their brains. Not only do people require the use of their whole brain, but the
connections between the left and right hemispheres are extremely important. The second section
examines the idea of the left brain vs. the right brain. Both of the brain’s hemispheres work
together to complete various tasks in day-to-day life. The left and the right brain can process all
of the same information, the major difference lies in how they process the information, not what
information they process. This is because one hemisphere can perform certain tasks much more
efficiently and much faster. The two halves of the brain are in constant communication with each
other. Experiments performed on people who had previously had a split brain procedure, a rare
procedure in which the connection between the left and right hemispheres is cut, demonstrated
the importance of the connection between each hemisphere. They found that while they could
still function in day-to-day life, they were not always aware of what they were doing. For
example, a person would be able to stack blocks using their right hand according to a pattern but
were oblivious to their left hand following behind undoing all of the work. These experiments
proved how both halves of our brains work together to perform tasks. As it turns out, the two
hemispheres of our brain are more similar than different.

Reflections:

Section one focused primarily on why it is impractical that people would only use ten percent of
their brains. What was most surprising to me was that there are many psychology students and
even neuroscientists who believe the ten percent myth despite all of the contradictory evidence.
This myth is a popular thing for many kids to believe. When I was informed that this was, in fact,
false, I was quite upset. It’s easy to believe this myth, especially as a kid, because people will
always say that if you can “unlock” other parts of your brain, you will have psychic abilities or
be able to move things with your mind. Having these “magic” powers sounded cool, so it was
disappointing to learn that this fact was false. Additionally, it is interesting how companies use
the ten percent myth to advertise to consumers. This was slightly unfair. Essentially, advertising
companies would be using false information to influence consumers’ opinions. Because popular
scientists, such as Einstein, explained intelligence by referencing this popular myth, many people
believe it to be true. Advertising companies exploit people’s lack of knowledge to make a profit,
In the second section, I found the idea of the split-brain procedure fascinating. The brain is so
complex and has infinite connections to process different kinds of information and then act upon
it. Both hemispheres, each having slightly different functions, must work together to accurately,
and efficiently, act upon receiving stimuli. People who have undergone the split-brain procedure
cannot make connections across the hemispheres of their brains. Additionally, it is important to
remember that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. Thus, someone who
has had a split brain procedure might move their left arm, and their left brain would not be able
to understand why. Additionally, people who have had this procedure might try to put on a pair
of pants, however, with one hand they might be pulling them up while they will be pulling them
down with the other. I am curious about this connection in the brain, and why people who have
had this procedure seem not always to have the same control over some of their motor functions.