The “Ten Percent” Myth

What accounts for widespread differences in intelligence from person to  person? Noted 19th century psychologist William James proposed that there must  be some underused mental potential in everyone. Ever since, James’ research and  quasi-metaphysical speculations have been misinterpreted and  misquoted, and even wrongly attributed to credible scientific figures such as Albert  Einstein (Robynne Boyd. “Do People Only Use Ten Percent of Their Brains?,” Scientific  American, February 7, 2008).

Missing  in Action?

The  truth is that we “pretty much use 100 percent of our brains,” according to  Ph.Ds Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt, Princeton neurologists and co-authors of Welcome to Your Brain (2009). They reason, based on their extensive research, that there are no  “unused parts,” and that the functioning  human brain is basically complete.

If any part of your brain went “missing in action,” says Dr. Wang, “you  would notice—and you would be sorry… or, depending on which part, you might  not be sorry!” Consider also that any  cells or muscles our bodies do not use tend to atrophy and die, yet the entire brain  is an active organ, using about one-fifth of all the energy your body produces.

Yes, it is true—under normal  circumstances, we use all of the “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) brain God gave us. However, many of the brain’s  processes are unconscious and work best without our awareness—they do not require  what we usually think of as “high intelligence.” In fact, abnormally high  intelligence often comes with a  price, as seen in some cases of autism and similar neurological disorders.  Disabilities can occur when some parts of the  brain are too active, or work without needed inhibition.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *