Is it true that we only use 30% of our brain's total capacity? if so, what is the use of the remaining 70%

my deepest apology about this question. i thought of asking this because i want to know if it's true that we only use 30% of our brain. i happened to watch this animated movie and based from the movie, we only use 30% of our brain's total capacity and that the remaining 70% is believed contain hidden ';amazing powers'; that human possess. i really want to know the answer about this matter that bothered me. thanks.. :)Is it true that we only use 30% of our brain's total capacity? if so, what is the use of the remaining 70%
No, we use 30% at ONE TIME. If we use more, it's called an epileptic fit. The amount we use is calculated by the amount that is active (lit up) on the scanner at any one time. We only have enough energy and attention to run about 30% at one time. This is normal and natural. We use all of our brain at different times at different tasks, just not all at the same time. We don't have enough blood for a start (brain activation takes a lot of energy)





The only using 30% myth was promoted heavily, especially by people hoping to sell books about optimising brain efficiency, amazing human powers, etc. It's a misrepresentation of what people actually meant by that statistic that people keep repeating





EDIT: The point about PET and fMRI and so on is they show us which parts of the brain *are* active, and which are at baseline activity (technically *not* active). We don't use 100% of our brains all the time, when we do it causes a seizure (abnormal synchronisation of neuronal activity). Neither are we aware of all the activition that is occuring.Is it true that we only use 30% of our brain's total capacity? if so, what is the use of the remaining 70%
I believe that scientists at Cornell


http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/ed鈥?/a> and Johns Hopkins


http://www.sciam.com/article.c鈥?/a> disagree.

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I also agree. This needs to be removed as a top answer, it is misleading.

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we dont use our total brains. not sure what the ratio is now though. there are sections located for thinking, emotions, and other things. however, we are gaining more information through EEGs, EKGs, and other tests.
It is not true and a common misconception. You may be consciously aware of only 30% of your brain activity, but the other 70% is always working. Think of all the activity your brain has to mediate....sensation, perception, thoughts, movement, your circulatory system, your circadian rhythm....and that's just the tip of the iceberg.


Almost every nerve cell in our brains is active most of the time. Scientists can detect this activity by measuring the electrical currents of nerve cells near the surface of the brain. More complex tests like PET (Positron Emission Tomography) can detect oxygen consumption, blood flow or glucose consumption (the sugar that is the brain fuel) by active neurons in all areas of the brain, not just the surface. Just about ALL of the human brain is busy all the time鈥攅ven when we're sound asleep.
No, that's an old myth. We use 100% of our brain.
i saw video about a child who lost half brain in an accident. Now her half skull is empty, but she is almost normal, going to school and doing normal work. I dont know how it works.
It is true to a certain extent - we use 30% of our brain consciously, the remaining 70 % is under work unconsciously- one of its task is to keep that 30% functioning. 'Amazing powers'? Well it depends on how do you perceive 'powers'. Even making a child smile is also a power if one perceives it that way. The answer to it and the gateway to the 70% is through our soul, which we tend to neglect in our rigmarole of daily routine life.
Well I really don't believe as to how we can actually ';measure'; the amount of brain used.





However, latest research also hints at brain becoming a useless organ in the human, like the tonsils and appendix.

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