The claim that we use only 10% of our brain capacity is a well-known myth. But if we actually use considerably more than 10%, is it possible to get close to maximum capacity? In other words: Is there a point where I have to say, “If I want to lean a new fact, I have to forget an old one to make room for it”?
In: Biology
You’re asking multiple questions here.
The brain is like a house. Things are compartmentalised by senses and functions. For example, if you’re not imagining or seeing anything, there’s no reason for the visual cortex, the ‘seeing’ part of your brain, to do anything. It’s like running your washing machine with no clothes in it.
You generally use multiple parts of your brain at once, depending on their function, to coordinate together to do something. If you’re throwing a ball, you might use your touch + visual areas + motor areas to coordinate throwing it. But you won’t be using olfaction (smell).
Memory is a little special. You can divide memories into procedural and declarative. Procedural memories are pretty much never forgotten. They’re ‘motor’ memories or the memory to do something like riding a bike. Declarative memories are more like ‘use it or lose it’. You don’t forget something when you try to learn something new. You likely have already forgotten most aspects of it and need to ‘relearn it’.
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