Seven Myths and Misconceptions About Your Brain

Can you tell fact from fiction?

The brain is the big, wrinkly organ in your head that is responsible for many vital functions. Scientists have tinkered with various models, psychological experiments and brain imaging machines to figure out exactly how it works. It is composed of a dynamic network of cells that communicate through chemical signals and electrical impulses. Somehow these signals and impulses give rise to various coordinated actions and thoughts. It is responsible for brewing coffee in the mornings. It is responsible for overthinking in the shower. For anxiety. For happiness. For pleasure.

However, the brain is irrational, often relying on a set of cognitive rules as shortcuts. When oversaturated with data, it is particularly susceptible to misinformation. Worse yet, this misinformation can anchor our ideas of a specific topic, even influencing how we think about it when presented with new evidence. Did you grow up thinking that we swallowed eight spiders a year in our sleep? I did. This titillating tidbit about the world is downright false, but it hasn’t stopped the myth or variations of it from propagating through our culture. A writer in a magazine fabricated the spider swallowing fact to show how easily false information spreads.

The disinformation and myths I dislike most involve the brain. To me, it is the most fascinating aspect of our biology. I admit that my bias is due in no small part to the brain being responsible for writing this article. There are enough incredible facts about the brain as it stands. We don’t need any misconceptions or misinformation clouding our perception. Let us journey on to debunk these myths that simplify and misinterpret the brain, psychology and cognition.

Common Learning Myths

Myth #1: Speaking a New Language Fluently After a Brain Injury

Many outrageous claims in news media popularized the myth of miraculous language acquisition. In general, a person suffers a brain injury and when they awaken at the hospital, they are completely fluent in a new language. Some versions of the myth claim that the person never spoke this language before or was only beginning to learn it. We might think that this makes sense because we constantly overhear words in different languages. Perhaps a brain injury unlocked some latent savant ability?

Many of these cases are over-exaggerated and over-represented. When digging deep into individual cases, often there isn’t a lot of evidence for sudden language acquisition. In rare cases, people may develop Foreign Language Syndrome. If they are already bilingual, their injury may disrupt or damage the part of the brain responsible for speaking their native language. As a result, they must compensate by speaking another language. Interestingly, this suggests that non-native languages may occupy or involve different areas of the brain than our native languages. Nonetheless, there is no reputable evidence of someone gaining any miraculous language abilities.

Myth #2: Learning Styles

What is your specific learning style? Do you learn best when you can move about or participate in activities that explain an idea? Maybe you need to listen to someone explain a concept before it is crystal clear? Perhaps you need someone to draw a diagram? Chances are you have taken an assessment early in school to identify if you are a kinesthetic, aural or visual learner.

No one’s sure exactly where this myth originated. It gained traction through the 1980s and 1990s. It turns out that these assessments aren’t very good at helping students self-identify their learning style, and using that learning style does not help them perform better on tests. Evidence suggests that students use a mix of different techniques to learn best. Another study also reported downsides in believing these myths:

Many parents and educators may be wasting time and money on products, services and teaching methods that are geared toward learning styles.

The truth is that we are more complex than a set of specific categories. While there are inter-individual differences, there is no evidence that these learning styles are anything but a marketing ploy.

Myth #3: If You Are Left-Brained, You Are Creative. If You Are Right Brained, You Are Logical.

In line with the myth about learning styles, many think that different brain hemispheres may determine your thinking style. More creative people would use their left hemisphere more often, flourishing into musicians, poets or artists. Meanwhile, the right-brained folks would focus on mathematics or logic, becoming scientists and engineers. Thus, perhaps tailoring your learning to your dominant hemisphere will help you succeed.

This myth generates a false dichotomy, suggesting that certain occupations only involve creativity or logic. Many mathematical proofs require both creativity and logic to solve. Science would be nothing without creativity and curiosity combined with a logical inquiry. It also suggests that certain brain functions are dominant within a specific hemisphere. We can use brain imaging studies to understand if this is true. Functional brain imaging looks at which brain areas are active while we perform specific tasks. With this method, scientists find that there is no hemisphere where these aspects of cognition dominate.

Brain Health and Intelligence

Myth #4: Brain Supplements Can Make You Smarter and Help You Focus

Internet ads, forum posts and many websites tout different supplements which supposedly keep the brain sharp and working. These expensive, unregulated supplements are called nootropics. In the movie Limitless, Bradley Cooper’s character uses a nootropic pill to become rich and smart. The reality is that these under-regulated, expensive supplements lack adequate evidence of efficacy. Some of them even use dangerous ingredients, banned by the FDA. A recent study found that a lot of these supplements contained banned and unlabelled ingredients. These ingredients could send you to the hospital or interact with any medication you are currently taking.

In order to test whether something works, scientists run a double-blinded randomized control trial. Half of the individuals receive the test supplement and the other half receive a sugar pill. The scientists themselves are also blinded to which group each participant belongs to. The issue with many nootropics is that they don’t run proper studies, and since they fall under the broad umbrella of supplements, they don’t need to prove anything.

Briefly, here are some commonly peddled supplements without sufficient evidence that they boost cognitive function in healthy individuals: L-Carnatine, Ginseng, Ginko Biloba, Acetylcholineesterase Inhibitors, Mementine. In short, while future studies may indeed find a brain-boosting drug, there is no evidence supporting the use of these substances. However, lax regulations allow their marketing and sales to continue thriving for now.

Myth #5: Humans are Great at Multitasking

Our brain, like a computer, has finite working memory. Could we focus on two separate tasks, like a computer? Can we complete two concurrent tasks better than doing them subsequently? With our attention divided between podcasts, cat videos, texting and emails, it is comforting to think that we can manage all of these tasks effectively. However, like an old computer running 47 tabs on Google Chrome, Zoom, Slack and Microsoft Teams, multitasking negatively impacts performance.

Unfortunately, only 1 in 50 people manage to multitask without impacting their performance. Focusing on one thing at a time and shutting out any distractions will help with whatever you’re doing. People who multitask often have more trouble filtering out irrelevant information and suffer many other deficits as a result. Multitasking is problematic when we drive with multiple screens in our cars or even talk on the phone. We are inattentive to our inattention, which causes a lot of traffic accidents. Chances are, you cannot multitask.

Myth #6: Brain Games Make You Smarter

Even while we age, the brain retains some of its miraculous abilities. Parts of our brain can rewire themselves through a process of neuroplasticity. Some connections might form or strengthen, while others might be refined, modified or removed. This idea is central to brain-training games. Companies marketed many of these games towards ageing consumers, with the promise of rejuvenating cognitive abilities. By gamifying brain exercises, people would improve their memory and retain their cognitive functions for much longer. Intuitively, the idea of brain games makes sense. However, their impact on cognition is unproven.

When analyzing many studies together, different researchers often come up with conflicting conclusions. Unfortunately, many studies lack an adequate control group, sample size or follow-up period to answer these questions. It is also unclear how skills learned within a game translate to similar skills in real life. It is entirely possible that in-game improvements in attention, for example, do not enhance your attention in real life situations.

Fortunately, there is a much more effective way to stay spry longer, exercise. Exercise may promote the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus of your brain. Additionally, it ensures proper blood flow to the brain, which is associated with improved cognitive performance. If you remain unconvinced, exercise also improves every other aspect of your physical health. It is a free effective alternative to questionable, pricey brain games.

Myth #7: Cell Phones Cause Brain Damage and Cancer

When new technologies are developed, they often receive unjust criticism. A combination of anxiety over new technology and distrust of corporations often manifests in fearmongering claims.

Despite many claims otherwise, there is no evidence that cell phones damage the brain or cause cancer. The electromagnetic waves emitted by cell-phones are non-ionizing, meaning they cannot cause physiological damage. The radiation is not sufficient to cause mutations in our DNA because it is far too weak to knock an electron off its orbit in an atom/molecule. Similar claims are occasionally made about power lines. The electromagnetic frequencies emitted by these power lines are also non-ionizing. Even holding cell phones to our ears while we speak will not damage our brain cells.

There are so many fascinating processes going on in our brain. Cells that act like Pac Man, ingesting debris and pathogens while also refining brain connections during development. The miraculous ways the brain rewires in response to damage, using new pathways to compensate for damaged cells. Star-shaped cells with diverse functions ranging from immunity to recycling signalling molecules. There are more than enough sources of intrigue to keep you enticed and curious that are far more interesting than these myths and misconceptions.