As we only use 10%. False. The brain is an organ from an energy-consuming and evolutionary point of view: it would not make sense to have such a surplus of unused nerve cells.
The myth originates in the declarations of the writer and American psychologist William James, according to which we use only a small part of our mental resources. The brain imaging techniques have denied it, showing that much of the brain is also involved in the simplest activities, like sleeping. The percentage only makes sense if you think about the nature of brain cells, constituted for 90% by glial cells, with the function of nourishment, in support of a 10% of neurons.
Under pressure it works better. False. Maybe you sometimes think after you have completed successfully a deadline that seemed insurmountable. But the fact that they succeeded in does not mean having done a quality job. Stress is an effective stimulus that pushes to speed up and stop procrastinating. But the hormones released in the frantic moments are only effective in the short term emergency situations: in the long run, end up interfering with the brain's ability to assimilate knowledge. Under pressure it is easier to make errors of omission and complete the task briskly. Not to mention that great ideas come when the mind is left free to wander.
Left Hemisphere, order; Right, creativity. Not really. The myth has its roots in the early observations of the effects of brain injury made nell''800, when it was discovered that damage in one or the other hemisphere caused the loss of specific skills. But subsequent studies and modern brain imaging techniques have shown that the left and right brain are highly interconnected, and that both the strategic tasks, verbal and math, both creative and related activities involve the imagination throughout the brain, not only in one of the two parts.
The Mozart effect works. Listen a nice piece of music increases the level of dopamine (a neurotransmitter that lifts the mood) in the brain, a factor that will most likely improve cognitive performance. But this not only happens with classical music would work with Justin Bieber (if you like), or biting into a chocolate bar. The myth originates from a study of the University of California at Irvine in 1993, where it was argued that listening to 10 minutes of Mozart's Sonata had improved some cognitive functions of a group of subjects. The research was then denied by subsequent analysis.
Alcohol burns the neurons. Not exactly. A sound drunk has obvious effects on the reasoning of those who have been drinking. But it is not correct to say that alcohol "kills" the brain cells. Rather, it can damage the terminal parts of the neuron, the dendrites, altering the nerve signal transmission (and with it the way in which neurons communicate). It is mostly a transient effect. But the hardened drinkers can develop the so-called Korsakoff syndrome, an associated memory deficits in neuronal degeneration. It is not directly due to alcohol, but the lack of thiamin, a vitamin whose absorption is hindered from taking alcohol.
After 40 it is all downhill. Fortunately no. Some cognitive abilities get worse with age, it is true, but others undergo a marked improvement. From youth it will be easier to learn languages, perform several tasks at the same time, keep in mind a phone number just dictated or focus only on the stimulus really useful in a distracting environment. With age, however, (in normal aging conditions, and not pathological) reach a significant improvement of language functions - experiential - improved skills in smoothing the social conflicts and in judging people, and the ability to adjust more easily their emotions.
The memory can be trained. No, the puzzle games do not make you better able to remember (nor the most intelligent). Memory is not a muscle that can increase with repeated exercises: namely, a generic training disconnected from precise contents will not improve your overall cognitive performance. The situation is different for those who must deal with a specific task (such as an exam, or a public speech). In that case, the time spent in training will be directly proportional to the final results. Of course, maintaining a lifestyle active, curious and interested to external stimuli (reading newspapers, exhibitions, travel, meetings with friends) still serve as a protective factor against cognitive decline, especially in old age.
From Focus