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).
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.