Friday, March 13, 2009
The brain is both the most important and most misunderstood organ in the human body. It coordinates all our actions, from our ability to run to our capacity to love. But with its complex function come many misconceptions that permeate popular culture.
One old adage says “you only use 10 percent of your brain.” Often this proverb is accompanied by some inspirational remark on the vastness of human potential. But any reinforcement of humanity’s image gained through this myth is undeserved. All of your brain is important, and all of it gets used for some purpose.
Consider this: the brain may take up only a small portion of your body, but it can use up to 25 percent of the body’s energy. Because evolution is such a conservative force, it seems natural that it would maximize the efficiency of the brain. Using only 10 percent would not only be wasteful — it would jeopardize our survival.
Another popular myth about the brain is the idea of “left-brained versus right-brained.” If you like oil paintings and romantic poetry, you are labeled as “right-brained.” If you spend your evenings working calculus problems and building model bridges, you are “left-brained.” Such a distinction is both inaccurate and misleading. It is true that the brain does have certain functions that are localized to specific hemispheres.
For example, sensory and motor information for the left and right halves of your body are segregated in the brain, and language abilities tend to be contained within the left hemisphere. But complicated mental abilities such as creativity and logic are not isolated in either hemisphere of the brain and certainly require all of the brain to operate effectively. This left-right brain model also incorrectly supports the false stereotype that individuals must be either artistic or mathematical, an idea that stifles potential.
The final myth is the most pervasive and fools even the college-educated: It is the idea that each part of the brain has a specific function. In most introductory psychology courses, the functionality of different parts of the brain is boiled down into easy factoids, such as “the amygdala controls emotion” or “the occipital lobe controls vision.” But this is a gross oversimplification. Most brain structures participate in many activities and functions, and many of those functions are collaborative efforts among different areas of the brain.
For instance, it is true that optical information is relayed to the occipital lobe, but it further spreads to many other areas of the brain for processing. This complex interaction weaves the living picture of the world we see, going beyond just simple visual input. In the brain, there is not always a one-to-one ratio between structure and function.
Properly understanding the brain may seem irrelevant or unnecessary, but the brain defines every person’s desires, beliefs, creativity, and personality. A proper appreciation of the brain helps develop a proper appreciation of oneself. These myths distort the beauty of the biological workings of the mind and oversimplify a wonderfully complex organ.
— Folmsbee is Topeka junior in neurobiology.
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