In all the laboratories where I worked, the mention of Luc Besson’s movie “Lucy” (2014) caused a wide range of reactions, most of which ranged from a tired sigh to a poorly concealed tension of the veins on the forehead. And not even everyone watched it! So why was he so disliked? The film itself may well be entertaining, but it continues to promote the myth that we use our brain by only 10% (after increasing the use of the brain to 90%, the heroine Scarlett Johanson learned telepathy, telekinesis and anti-gravity). I am terribly depressed by the sight of how myths about my field of activity are promoted. Therefore, I wanted to expose some tenacious myths about the most amazing thing in the universe (well, I will try without fanaticism).

1) We use only 10% of our brain power.

TL; DR: NO no no NO NO no NO!

It's amazing how tough it is. I suspect that the untwisted media stories about people who began to speak in a new language after a stroke, warm up people's faith that all knowledge of the world is hidden somewhere in the brain. And if they only get them! We would be mathematical geniuses! Polyglot! Unfortunately, it does not work that way. In the waking state, most of the brain is almost always active. First, there is always activity in the lobes of the brain that are responsible for basic functions such as breathing, pulse, body position and balance (they are called the brainstem). Secondly, even the simplest task, like pouring a cup of tea, includes activation in the areas responsible for planning, motor skills, comparing planned actions with perfect ones, memory (what did I want to do? Where is this circle?). Thirdly, even without an upcoming task, when you are resting or dreaming, the network of the passive mode of the brain, which is responsible for self-analysis, a sense of one’s personality, planning, thoughts not related to immediate tasks and much more, is constantly in an active state.
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We definitely use much more than 10% of the brain, but so far we understand that approximately 10% of all this. By the way, speaking in a foreign language is a syndrome of a foreign accent, and it is as confusing as it is little studied. But this is most likely due to damage or restructuring of the linguistic areas of the brain, and not because all the languages ​​of the world are stored in your head. Unfortunately.


The network of the passive mode of the brain - parts of the brain that are constantly working during rest, and are responsible, apparently, for the sense of oneself. 10% say?

2) Different brain hemispheres prevail in different people

TL; DR: some brain functions (language) are mostly processed in a particular hemisphere, but complex cognitive tasks require the work of the entire brain.

In creative people, the left hemisphere is more active, and mathematicians are born with a stronger right hemisphere, right? True? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. In Shakespeare, the left hemisphere was not better developed, and in Feynman, the right hemisphere would not be particularly distinguished for MRI. There is no evidence to support the idea that different styles of thinking depend on certain hemispheres, as well as evidence that there is a link between creativity and the right hemisphere. On the contrary, studies show that people use both hemispheres equally. Both sides of the brain do not differ in terms of connections or actions that are independent of creative or logical abilities.

There are, of course, discoveries and theories that you can try to associate with this myth (I emphasize: you can try!). For example, there is such a thing as lateralization, when some functions are associated with the left or right hemisphere: you must have heard something about the processing of the language in the left hemisphere. But wait, supporters of the opposition of the left and the right, everything is not so simple - apparently, some aspects of the language, such as intonation, are processed in the right hemisphere. Moreover, some hypotheses state that information in different hemispheres is processed differently: the left one specializes in details, and the right one - in global things (carefully examine the fruit found or review the surroundings in search of predators). But I repeat: everything is not so simple. Complex cognitive functions require communication between both hemispheres.

So next time, when someone declares his creativity, thanks to the advanced right hemisphere, frown, shake your head and send it to Google.

3) Listening to Mozart can be smarter

TL; DR: Listening to Mozart, it will be easier to rotate imaginary objects (while the music is playing).

“Mozart for children! Wake up baby creativity! Make it smarter! Give us your money! Buy our junk! ”: A quick search on Amazon reveals many different CDs to increase the intelligence of babies. There is an opinion that listening to classical music (especially Mozart, whence the expression “the effect of Mozart”), you can become smarter and more creative. People believe so strongly in this that some farmer from Italy played Mozart to his cattle so that he would give better milk. If it were that simple, then a lot of problems could be solved by tying Trump to the chair and making him listen to Mozart. So where did this myth come from?

If some effects from listening to Mozart were recorded, they were too exaggerated and generalized. The only effect (which could not even be fully reproduced) was a short-term improvement in spatial thinking (understanding and memorizing the relationships of objects in your environment), which lasted only during the experiment. So there is nothing useful in preparing your baby for a cruel world (although the discovery is interesting). The general intelligence of the participants has not changed at all. Moreover, a similar effect was found when listening to Schubert, the Blur group (the effect of the Britpop! That's what I understand) or even an audio version of Stephen King's novel. Apparently, the important components of the experiment were pleasure and involvement, and not the exact combination of notes heard. So if you do not want to be known as parents - classical snobs, giving only your Mozart to listen to your child, do not expect sonatas to make the children smarter. Better give them a good book.

4) Memory is stored in the brain just as things are in boxes.

TL; DR: memories change over time, are subject to various influences, and are not always reliable.

Some believe that memories are like objects in a box. You put them there, they stay there, not changing, but only covering themselves with dust, and then you take them out and use them, like new ones. But it does not work that way - memories can be manipulated, even without your knowledge. Take the testimony of witnesses. Elizabeth Loftus, an expert in false memories, showed that the use of certain words in questions about what happened changed the memories of witnesses without their knowledge. Imagine that you and a friend saw an accident, and then a policeman asked you if you saw pieces of glass when cars crashed into each other at speed. And he asks your friend if he saw the glass when the cars touched. Interestingly, you are more likely to recall shattered glass than your friend (even if there was no glass at all), because the question hints at the possibility of its presence.



In another experiment, participants were shown fabricated photographs in which they were in childhood along with their parents in a balloon basket, and asked to describe this day (which was not). Half of the participants could describe how they were having fun or scary, or what kind of ice cream they ate. Moral: memory is very fragile and can be broken. So, remember your birthday when you were seven? Was he exactly? Are you sure? Just checking.