Why Does This Myth Persist?

[Commodore]

In light of the soon-to-be-released movie "Lucy" in which a woman steadily gains the use of 100% of her brain and develops telekinetic powers, I have to ask: Why does this ridiculous myth that humans only currently use 10% of our brains persist despite having absolutely no scientific evidence to back it up?

In fact, there is even quite a bit of evidence to the contrary and shows that we do, in fact, use 100% of our brains. Are people really just that desperate to believe there is the possibility of becoming something much greater than what they already are?

 

[kramerfan86]

i imagine its a combination of people simply not having much biological experience and confusing the fact that only ___ amount is used at a given time means the rest of it simply isnt used at all ever as opposed to just being inactive at that given moment.

 

[cybrxkhan]

It's something that goes hand in hand with the "Kyou can do anything if you try hard enough!" trope that's been around for a while - the idea that you can accomplish anything, mentally, you just aren't trying hard enough.

 

[Zkribbler]

They said it on TV, ergo, it must be true.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I always thought it was 'the human race only uses ten percent of its brains'.

 

[Kaitzilla]

Link to video.

 

[Light Cleric]

My friend who actually reads manga and watches anime said it sounds a lot like "Elfen Lied". Apparently the character there is even named Lucy. I dunno if this is an All You Need Is Kill/Edge of Tomorrow thing or not but it sounds like it. Then again the little I read about Elfen Lied on wikipedia also made me physically ill so I really don't CARE to find out, either.

 

[Kaitzilla]

My friend who actually reads manga and watches anime said it sounds a lot like "Elfen Lied". Apparently the character there is even named Lucy. I dunno if this is an All You Need Is Kill/Edge of Tomorrow thing or not but it sounds like it. Then again the little I read about Elfen Lied on wikipedia also made me physically ill so I really don't CARE to find out, either.

Elfen Lied is beyond bloody and rather sickening ya

But the opening song is amazin


Link to video.

 

[sophie]

Because the concept is intriguing to people.

 

[Kennigit]

this particular case is just fantasy and/or feels like lazy writing to me (if I remember the trailer right, saw it a while ago). More the latter because it felt as if it was just using this old trope just out of lack to try something better, yet took it seriously.

such as, I dunno, if a horror film had the approach of "*shrug*, GHOSTS oooh spooky"

it's that region between just going ahead and being campy or being more serious about it, as in making a mythology or a spin to it, or subtlety/giving "non-human" feels to the character. If someone has super powers I sure don't expect them to think like a normal person.

 

[Aleksey_aka_al]

What do they mean by a %?

 

[History_Buff]

Because people want to believe that by this one zany trick, you can become 10 times smarter than you are! Scholars hate it!

 

[Aleksey_aka_al]

Why do people believe in IQ tests?

 

[classical_hero]

Hollywood science is 100% accurate.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Why do people believe in IQ tests?

Because they give consistent replicable results?

 

[JollyRoger]

Why does this ridiculous myth that humans only currently use 10% of our brains persist?

Because we don't use enough of our brains to know better.

 

[Antilogic]

Hollywood science is 100% accurate.

This is a fact confirmable by watching The Core.

 

[KevinLancaster]

Don't remember where I got this from (or if it's even accurate) but I think the background behind this myth is that it developed in the early days of neurology, when researchers were learning that certain parts of the brain could be damaged yet the person still function, so therefore those parts of the brain must have been going unused.

 

[Mise]

I think the people who believe this are only using 10% of their brains.

Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_percent_of_brain_myth

 

[Quackers]

This myth always appeared fishy to me. I never bothered to check it. I don't think it has anything to do with any trope or anybody wishing they could be smarter.

It is just a lie which has been perpetuated enough that people started believing it. It is similiar to the "drink 8-10 glasses of water / day" myth which was doing the rounds 10 years ago.