This morning I listened to an episode of Speaking of Psychology, the podcast from the American Psychological Association, on popular myths and misconceptions about human behavior, psychology, and the brain. I’ll be honest, none of it surprised me. I haven’t believed most of these in a long time, and if you’ve spent any time around the psychological community, you probably haven’t either. But the episode is still worth your time, because the why of these myths, why they spread and why they stick, is more interesting than the myths themselves.
I could share my own opinions on each of these myths, or I could summarize what researchers are saying. The numbers from peer-reviewed journal articles and high-quality secondary sources carry more credibility than the opinions of a random grad student, so I’m going with the research.
In the podcast Speaking of Psychology, the speakers discuss misconceptions about psychology, covering several topics. One challenge of fighting misinformation and other misconceptions is that spreading information about something being wrong can actually reinforce it. The rise of social media allows misinformation to spread rapidly. Students with higher grade point averages tend to be more skeptical when presented with misconceptions, while female students are more likely to endorse them. An example was shared on the dangers of holding these beliefs: a student who thinks they’re only using 10% of their brain may try drugs to unlock their potential, putting themselves at risk of real-world harm. Misinformation should be discussed in more depth in introduction to psychology classes. The strength of beliefs matters, and a new research study that disproves something one believes might not be enough to change a view they have held for a long time. You should consider why you believe something and whether to revise that belief. (American Psychological Association, 2026)
Burgess (2024) reports data from a 2013 survey claiming that 65% of Americans believe humans only use 10% of their brain. They listed a few journal articles and books that led to the myth being popularized. They also stated that there is a belief among scientists (they linked this journal article, but it is unclear if it was being used as a reference) that the fact neurons make up about 10% of brain cells may play a role.
Chew (2018) explains that neuroscientists have technology such as MRI machines and PET scans which can show the parts of the brain that are active. They reference another study by Dekker et al. (2012) claiming 50% of primary and secondary teachers endorse the myth that people only use 10% of their brain. They state the origin of the 10% myth may trace back to an article by William James (1907), which stated “We [p. 323] are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources,” and goes on to explain that the quote was taken completely out of context.
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (2013) reported that 74% of Americans believe the myth that mental ability declines with age. 17% of Americans care about their brain health enough to think about it at least once a day. It is also stated that 95% of Americans believe new technology can lead to medical breakthroughs, but only 31% believe they personally can help to find cures for chronic diseases.
Northwestern Medicine (2018) describes several myths about the brain. These myths included: the 10% myth, brain size affects intelligence, alcohol kills brain cells, classical music exposure makes babies smarter, the left vs right brain myth, the brain declines with age, people have different learning styles, brain games improve your learning and reasoning skills, your IQ stays the same throughout life, and that your brain works better under pressure.
Goldstein (2025) explains that every region of the brain has a specialized function. Individuals engage different regions of the brain at the same time as part of everyday living and to complete specialized tasks. They add that we use every region of the brain (with few exceptions) all of the time that the brain is active.
Owen et al. (2010) report that brain-training games do not improve an individual’s general cognitive abilities. However, participants in the study did get better at the test questions. These improvements do not transfer to broader intelligence.
It’s The Honking Goose again! I hope reading these short snippets from real-world journal articles and high-quality secondary sources helps you gain a stronger understanding of the topics and concepts discussed in the podcast. Consider leaving a comment if you have a question, and I’ll try to find an answer for you!
References
American Psychological Association. (2026). Speaking of psychology: Debunking psychology myths and misconceptions (Episode 378). https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/misconceptions
Burgess, L. (2024, July 17). How much of our brain do we actually use? Brain facts and myths. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321060
Chew, S. L. (2018, August 29). Myth: We only use 10% of our brains. Association for Psychological Science. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/uncategorized/myth-we-only-use-10-of-our-brains.html
Goldstein, S. (2025, May 15). Beyond the myth that we use only 10 percent of our brains. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/common-sense-science/202505/beyond-the-myth-that-we-use-only-10-percent-of-our-brains
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. (2013, September 25). New survey finds Americans care about brain health, but misperceptions abound. https://www.michaeljfox.org/publication/new-survey-finds-americans-care-about-brain-health-misperceptions-abound?id=484&category=7
Northwestern Medicine. (2018, May). 10 surprising facts about your brain. https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/ten-surprising-facts-about-your-brain
Owen, A. M., Hampshire, A., Grahn, J. A., Stenton, R., Dajani, S., Burns, A. S., Howard, R. J., & Ballard, C. G. (2010). Putting brain training to the test. Nature, 465, 775–778. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09042
The Honking Goose 
Leave a comment