The 10 Percent Myth

Ever heard this claim?
"We only use ten percent of our brains."

This might be true if you are in a coma, showbiz or politics ; otherwise it's pure bullshit.
It is the kind of bad science you might find on the internet-on this site, even -yet it's been widely held to be true for decades.
It's not true.
The truth? We pretty much use our whole brain, just not all of it at once.

Right here is where the obligatory hyper-link to some 'legitimate' website making my case should be inserted- but if we let ourselves fall into the habit of shaping our critical thought by chasing weblinks, then the old 10% brain usage myth will soon become reality.

Hmmm...no link. Well, I guess you could sit here patiently and wait for one to appear, thus using about 0.7% of your brain...

- or -

You could hop on Google and take your chances; this probably uses 3-5% of your brain...

-or-

You could stroll down to your local library.
Juggle tennis balls while you walk.If you can't juggle, just use one ball and toss it up and down- the idea is to create a little hand-eye coordination.
It doesn't have to be fancy.
If you can't even juggle one fucking tennis ball, try counting your fingers over and over again.
Do it backwards a few times if you start getting bored.

Search the library's non-fiction section for books that might prove or disprove this 10% brain usage assertion. Do some cross-referencing to help weed out the crackpots.
If you were born after roughly 1990 or so, you may not be familiar with the process of looking for books on shelves- ask the librarian for help.

If this is your first visit to a public library, the librarian is the person who is standing where the cashier would be in a store, except there isn't a cash register because everything's free.
Free to borrow, anyway.
Be polite and quiet when you ask for help. People are trying to read.

However, the above is unlikely to apply to you, the reader.
Like most blog-types, you probably already have a well-used library card. You will also probably see someone you recognize at the library. Exchange a few hushed pleasantries with this person.

In any case, make sure you have a few moments of verbal communication with another sentient being before you go home.

When you check out your books, ask how many days until they are due back. Calculate the exact due date in your head, without consulting a calendar.
C'mon, it's not that freekin' hard...

On the way home , stop and have a tasty treat- an ice cream or a nice meal, depending on time, mood and sensitivity to lactose.

Taste that? Good , isn't it?
-Pleasure.
Ow! That tooth is kinda sensitive to cold. Worry about the dentist, but keep eating.
-Pain.
Savor them both.

As you indulge yourself, the ice cream might remind you of something pleasant from your past. If it does, think about that thing for a few moments.
Perhaps you lost your entire family when the plane they were on crashed into the ice cream factory and exploded -in which case you have my deepest condolences- if this happened, you should concentrate on not remembering the past.
The point is to get a little mnemonic activity going. Look up 'mnemonic' in a paper dictionary if you can't remember what it means.

When you get home read for awhile. Read the news. Some articles will make you angry.
Read the cartoons- perhaps you will laugh- or at least chuckle.
Think about someone you love who is dead now.
Be maudlin and sentimental for a short while and then send a silly email to someone you haven't written to for some time.
Giggle with someone you love who isn't dead.
Cry if you have to. There's no shame in it, but it can help you if you let it.
Do something you don't like, such as the dishes. You'll feel better when you are done.

Feel these different emotions and think about how you deal with them. Make a plan to change the things you do not like.

Feed the pets and play with the kids if you got em.

Have sex or masturbate. In either case, be imaginative.

Sleep and dream.

Pretty much a normal day, huh?
Well, look back at all that stuff your mind did. Your mind is complicated and versatile, you are experiencing an enormous amount of both conscious and autonomic brain functions all the time, every day- it's just that you've been thinking and doing stuff for so long that it's become easy for you.
If it's not easy, you've likely found some way, good or bad, to overcome or conceal this difficulty.

Think of all the complex tasks you do that you take for granted today that once seemed almost impossible. Those actions haven't become simpler- you have become more complex.

Look back at all the things you did today.
Yesterday.
Ten years ago.
Anyone who tells you that you did all that with only 10% of your mind is probably also telling you that they use the other 90% of their brain to bend spoons and predict your future for $4.95 a minute - additional toll charges may apply.

If you think I'm wrong, read books by doctors who aren't named Phil.