There are a lot of myths and misconceptions in society. Moreover, it so happens that they have long been exposed by scientists, but many people still believe in them. This tendency has not bypassed theories regarding the human body and the brain: we still love to calculate which hemisphere of the brain we have, or we say that we use the latter only to a small fraction of its potential, without even knowing that all these opinions are wrong. Here are 4 long-debunked myths about human abilities that many continue to take for truth.
1. A person uses no more than 10% of the brain
This myth is already very many years old, and for quite a long time it was perceived as true. However, in fact, no scientific study has ever been able to prove that a person uses only a tenth of the potential of his brain. In reality, a person can use the full potential of his "thinking organ", just the effectiveness of the latter can vary. This feature has long been taken into account by teachers and methodologists: they must build training in such a way as to use the prevailing areas of the human brain, depending on who perceives information better - with the eyes or by ear.
2. Basic skills must be learned before three years
Another very popular theory concerns the so-called sensitive periods during which knowledge and behavioral skills are best acquired. In fairness, it is worth clarifying that the basic habits are really established in the first three years of a person's life. However, the strategy of "early development", which is actively supported by marketers, which says that you need to teach children as early as possible, is not true. In fact, neuroscientists have long discovered the phenomenon of neuroplasticity, which is the "mobility" of neural connections, and it does not weaken with age. This means that the expression “it is never too late to learn”, in contrast to the aforementioned myth, is just true.
3. "Left hemisphere" and "right hemisphere" people
The notion that some people are dominated by the left hemisphere, while others are dominated by the right hemisphere of the brain, is just as erroneous myths as it is long-lasting. In fact, neuroscientists have never found a physiological basis for this theory. But they managed to prove that both hemispheres are involved in each person in the same way and continuously interact with each other. The essence of the difference lies in the fact that this relationship is very complex and can be built in different ways.
4. Emotional intelligence
Team building for employees of large companies is often structured in such a way that emotional intelligence is trying to embrace and master more than systems thinking or other abilities. However, even its author, the American psychologist Howard Gardner, failed to confirm this theory. Neuroscientists also failed to prove the feasibility of this hypothesis. Therefore, conscientious corporate training planners try to take into account both the development of emotional intelligence and the development of thinking.
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