More or Less

What percentage of our brain do we actually use?


Listen Later

On this week’s episode of More or Less we interrogate a widely circulated myth relating to how much of our brain power we can access and engage. Ever heard someone say, “You know we can only use 10% of our brains, right?”. Well, they’re wrong. It’s the stuff of make believe and far-fetched movie plots. Science and evidence based research tells us so - and has, it turns out, been telling us so for decades…politely, if impatiently. So, then, if not 10%…what percentage of our brain do we actually use? From dark matter neurons to super-highway synapse and ghost cells that serve as inert echoes of our evolutionary past - with the help of two leading experts in the field, we crack open the figurative cranium of this debate and rummage around for the definitive truth.

Presenter: Paul Connolly

Producers: Jon Bithrey, Natasha Fernandes
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

(Artificial intelligence brain network/Getty)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

More or LessBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

772 ratings


More shows like More or Less

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,774 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

370 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

527 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,062 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

297 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,513 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,114 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,967 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

36 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

390 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

409 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

415 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

771 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

240 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

61 Listeners

Newscast by BBC News

Newscast

690 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

354 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

234 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

161 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

330 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,215 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

772 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

71 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

689 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,536 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

579 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

786 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

626 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

371 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

246 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

57 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

79 Listeners

The History Bureau by BBC

The History Bureau

111 Listeners