Myth Busting Monday - Brains

Humans use only 10 percent of their brains

I have often thought about whether or not this one is true. My thought process as been if we only use 10% of our brain what is other the 90% of our brain for? This first quote shows how easy it is to believe that myths like this one is true.

That tired Ten-Percent claim pops up all the time. Last year [1998], national magazine ads for U.S. Satellite Broadcasting showed a drawing of a brain. Under it was the caption, "You only use 11 percent of its potential." Well, they're a little closer than the ten-percent figure, but still off by about 89 percent. In July 1998, ABC television ran promotional spots for "The Secret Lives of Men," one of their offerings for the fall season's lineup. The spot featured a full-screen blurb that read, "Men only use ten percent of their brains."[source]

Thanks to modern technology, scientists have been able to prove that this myth is undeniably false.

This media darling has been around for at least a century. Fortunately, it's just not true. MRI imaging clearly demonstrates--with fancy colors no less--that humans put most of their cerebral cortex [the brain] to good use, even while dozing.[source]

I was able to find a statement that atempts to justify what people are talking about when they say 'we only use 10% of our brain'

Perhaps when people use the 10% brain statement, they mean that only one out of every ten nerve cells is essential or used at any one time? How would such a measurement be made? Even if neurons are not firing action potentials, they may still be receiving signals from other neurons.[soucre]

I know there are some of you out there that think you know someone who proves this myth to be true, but remember just because someone can use most of their brain it doesn't mean that take advantage of it. I know I have moments when I only use 10% of my brain, but my wife quickly knocks some sense reminds me to use more of my brain.

What are your thoughts about this myth, let us know in the comments.

Technorati tags: brain, neurons

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts

Flashback Friday

I thought this article was very fitting with the beginning of December upon us. I haven't started working on Christmas cards yet because I have been baking for 4 days. Today I will get most of the plate delivered and then I can start on Christmas cards. I love receiving picture cards with the update on everyone in the family. I usually keep those. When we get store bought cards with a cheesy note inside, those get thrown away after Christmas. We personally don't send out too many Christmas cards. We don't know too many people and the friends that live near get a goodie plate and they see us all the time so we don't send them cards. Reading this flashback article brought back some great memories of the Christmas party. I am looking forward to going to the Christmas party this year with a new company. I don't know if it will be as fancy as our last company and it is going to be held at a country club, so that is less exciting that a car museum, but it should be a good time! It is fun to be looking back to life a year ago! We don't go on too many baby free dates because we don't mind having her with us. The Christmas party this year will also be a child free event so that will be nice.

Let the Holiday Fun Begin

Well now it's December. You know what that means? It's time for the Christmas cards to start arriving, and Holiday parties to commence! My husband and I recently graduated from college and started "real" life. Now that he is a corporate man working for the man we have our first company holiday party to attend tomorrow evening! I for one am very excited! It is a very formal occasion, luckily for the cruise we just went on I bought a formal dress, so I'm glad to have a second opportunity to wear it. There will be cocktails, dinner and dancing until midnight. Sounds so romantic. This is also be the first real "date" we have been on since having our baby. I look forward to an evening with adults, and adult conversations and being able to stay out past 7 (baby's bedtime). It is at a Car museum, so I'll be sure to take a cool photo or two to share. I'd love to hear about any holiday functions you are attending this year! Merry Christmas!

Now it is your turn, if you would like, to leave a comment leaving a link to your favorite article from a year ago. Let us enjoy your flash back!

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts

Holiday Contest

As we approach the holiday's it is a good time to enter a contest with a chance to win a prize that you can keep for yourself, give to someone else, or use it to help pay for someone else's gift! Starting today and going until Saturday night everyone who makes a quality comment will be entered into a drawing for a Walmart $15 music download gift card. There will be 2 prizes awarded!! The more comments the more entries! I think that this card can also be used at the store to pay for items, but I'm not positive. The walmart website has a huge selection of songs and CD's to download. It is similar to itunes. $15 will get you a lot of great music! On Sunday I will announce the winners and immediately stick the gift cards in the mail Monday morning so it will be guaranteed to arrive way before Christmas. This will be a great way to participate in Random Encounters of We and perhaps earn yourself a gift card! Let the commenting begin!!!

Technorati tags: contest, music downloads, commenting, blog contest

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts

Accepted!

I just received word that my blog has been accepted into rssHuggers data base. You can check out Random Encounters of We rss page and help support us by increasing our views. There are a ton of new blogs being added daily. They have a random blog button which is fun to randomly look at blogs! That of course totally appeals to us here at Random Encounters of We. We also have a random button on our blog but when you click it, it brings up a random post from our archives. It's pretty fun. So check out our rss page and browse some blogs, and join to start increasing your website traffic!

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts

RSS Hugger

Since going to Germany and suffering our page rank loss I am scrambling to quickly improve our blog and increase our traffic. I was just reading an article over at Blog About You Blog about a free RSS feed program that is designed to help increase your traffic called rssHugger. This peeked my interested as a great way to help restore balance to our blog once again. Blog About Your Blog is impressively in the top 100 feeds on rssHugger.

rssHugger is a new website designed to help the blogger promote their blog and to help viewers find new and interesting blogs. I know it can be a challenge to get your blog exposed to a lot of people, so this is another great way to get exposure. They currently have two options for joining rssHugger. In order to prevent spammers and junk blogs from joining you have to either write a quality post about rssHugger, or you can pay $20 and have your listing guaranteed for 10 years (which makes the price $2 per year!). I am excited about this program and to get my rss page up and running. I love to get Random Encounters of We exposed, and I enjoy finding new blogs to read. This site will be a great help with both. If you are looking to expand your website and increase traffic or just want to browse blogs and find some good ones to read, rssHugger is definitely a good place to go.

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts

Myth Busting Monday - Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space

I have always thought this one was true; I thought something that extended for 1500 miles would obviously be viewable from space, but I never realized that other structures could be visible as well.

There are several variations on this folkloric statement, and they're all quantifiably false. Astronauts can spot the Great Wall from low-Earth orbit, along with plenty of other things like the Giza pyramids and even airport runways. But they can't see the Wall from the Moon.[source]

Here is quote from astronaut Jay Apt:

We look for the Great Wall of China. Although we can see things as small as airport runways, the Great Wall seems to be made largely of materials that have the same color as the surrounding soil. Despite persistent stories that it can be seen from the moon, the Great Wall is almost invisible from only 180 miles up![soucre]

And for those of you that have heard the variation of this myth that say you can see the Great Wall from the moon, here is quote from Astronaut Alan Bean:

The only thing you can see from the moon is a beautiful sphere, mostly white (clouds), some blue (ocean), patches of yellow (deserts), and every once in a while some green vegetation. No man-made object is visible on this scale. In fact, when first leaving earth's orbit and only a few thousand miles away, no man-made object is visible at that point either.[soucre]

This myth is busted straight from the horse's astronaut's mouth.

What are your thoughts about this myth, let us know in the comments.

Technorati tags: Great, Wall, of China, outerspace

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts

Extreme Gingerbread House Making!

This is what a six hour gingerbread house project looks like!

Yesterday a friend of mine invited me and a couple of girls over to make gingerbread houses. I should have known that this was going to be a lot more extensive than the typical gingerbread house. This project took 6 hours in total (we did it in two 3 hour segments) It was a lot of fun to make and good bonding time with some friends.

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts

Losing PageRank

When I got home from Germany I noticed my PageRank had been slashed in half. I had no idea what had happened, other than I hadn't blogged for two weeks. I didn't think that was reason enough to cut my page rank. I have felt discouraged because of this because there aren't as many opportunities available to lower page rank blogs. Well I just read that google was going through the system and slashing the page rank of those blogs that participate in payperpost and those sponsored programs. Payperpost has been really slow for me for a couple months, and if my page rank is going to be hurt from participating in their program I will discontinue my use of payperpost. My page rank is more important to me than $5 here and there from payperpost. A lot of people do really well on payperpost, but my blog doesn't. What will be interesting is that when you have a high page rank on payperpost you get really high paying opportunities, but if those people are being punished for using payperpost their page rank will be cut and then they won't be getting those great opportunities anymore. We'll see what happens to payperpost. Maybe they can come to a compromise. All I know is that I won't be participating in payperpost anymore in hopes of returning my page rank to 4 and continue my goals of increasing it. Any comments, suggestions or more information would be welcomed.

If you like this post consider Subscribing to my full feed

Related Posts