Category: Myths about the brain series
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Myths about the brain no. 7: You can train your brain via games to increase overall intelligence
This is another huge money-making industry based on dubious science. You will probably have seen them advertised (“Luminosity” on various YouTube videos is the one that springs to mind for me) or have at least heard about them. They are generally based on the principle that improving your ability to complete various tasks (usually basic…
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Myths about the brain no. 6: Listening to Mozart will make you smarter.
The idea of increasing your IQ by doing the simple act of listening to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been around since the 1950’s and has grown into a full blow industry, with endless books, CD’s and DVD’s. Despite it being highly lucrative and popular, there’s absolutely no evidence to suggest it is…
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Myths about the brain no. 5: Drug use creates holes in the brain
This article isn’t looking at what effects different drugs have on the brain (though I’ll discuss that in another article as it’s a controversial topic) but about the myth that any form of drug use will create physical holes in your brain. Different drugs have different effects (obviously…) and abusing them can cause serious damage…
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Myths about the brain no. 4: A person’s memory of an event is very accurate
The idea that some people have better memories than others isn’t a new or groundbreaking idea. But most people will feel they have a good memory with regards to events that have just happened or with events that have a personal meaning e.g. one of your birthday parties. This idea is the implicit assumption behind…
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Myths about the brain no. 3: Brain damage is always permanent
The idea that “brain damage is permanent” has been floating around for a while. It’s based on the idea that the brain has a finite number of cells at birth and once you lose them, you can never get them back.Now, this is partially true. Neurons that are damaged do not regenerate (hence why severe…
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Myths about the brain no. 2: We only use 10% of our brain
This idea has been floating around for a while and the most recent example I can think of is the main premise of the film “Limitless” with Bradley Cooper (which I thought was a good film. Unsatisfying end though but anyway). The main idea is that if you somehow unlock the ability to use the…
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Myths about the brain no. 1: The left-brain right-brain divide
This myth is generally used to explain how some people tend to be creative compared to those who are more analytic.“Well I’m very intuitive and good at art because my right hemisphere is dominant”.“I’m left-hemisphere dominant so I’m better with numbers and more logical”.We associate various skills with a certain hemisphere of the brain and…
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A series on “Myths about the Brain”
I’m going to be writing a series of articles about some of the most common myths regarding the brain and why they are all rubbish. These will be:1) Left-brain right-brain split2) We only use 10% of our brain3) Brain damage is always permanent4) A person’s memory of an event is very accurate5) Drug use creates…
PsychBrief 