Separating Fact from Fiction Regarding our Brains

Neuroscientist, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is schooling people on how our brains actually work, and at the same time, dispels many myths surrounding them. Along with being a distinguished professor of psychology at Northeastern University, with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, she is the author of several books including Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain.   

One of the things we have heard that is incorrect is that one side of our brain controls creative thinking and the other side controls quantitative and analytical thinking. Dr. Barrett explains almost all of our cognitive actions are controlled by the entire brain. While the cerebral cortex is the central part of the brain and consists of two hemispheres, both sides are intricately connected to other parts of the brain. Language is one of the few cognitive skills stronger in the left hemisphere in most individuals but not in all cases. 

Another myth we hear about our brains is cortisol is a “stress” hormone and serotonin is a “happy” hormone; but research shows hormones do not have a specific purpose but rather the chemicals work together. “Cortisol boosts the amount of glucose in your bloodstream to provide a quick burst of energy for your cells when your brain predicts the need, whether you feel stressed or not.” Serotonin’s function in the brain helps “other neurons pass information back and forth as they create your thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and actions.”

While we may think of our brains as filing cabinets that efficiently store memories, the truth is our brains ``reassemble” memories each time we bring them up. They are reconstructed using differ neurons to assemble the memory, which is why eyewitness testimonies so often differ in a later memory of the event.  Another common falsehood is we only use about 10 percent of our brain. However advanced brain imaging shows even during sleep; our entire brain is in use.  

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Source: sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/7-and-a-half-myths-about-your-brain/