{"id":806,"date":"2017-08-10T11:00:53","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syngli.com\/blog\/?p=806"},"modified":"2025-05-27T13:11:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T13:11:27","slug":"brain-and-brain-function-myths-and-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syngli.com\/blog\/brain-and-brain-function-myths-and-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Brain and brain function myths and reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Neuromyths are commonly held misbeliefs about the brain and its functions. As Christopher Berland mentions in his<\/span> article<\/span><\/a>, once individuals are exposed to an idea, it is challenging for them to distinguish between fact and fiction. A study conducted by researchers from various academic institutions in the United States found that neuromyths are not only popular amongst the general population, but surprisingly <\/span>also <\/span>among those who are knowledgeable <\/span>of brain <\/span>science as well. Findings of this study were collected through responses via an online survey on TestMyBrain.org, where participants answered a series of true-false questions. Five popular misconceptions found in the survey are listed below:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1.    <\/span>Individuals are either \u201cleft-brained\u201d or \u201cright-brained\u201d, which allow for different learning styles<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    While this idea may appear valid to many without a neuroscience background, there is not enough evidence to demonstrate<\/span> any fundamental difference in learning-related activity in <\/span>the two hemispheres. Based on current knowledge, both hemispheres contribute to <\/span>learning<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1.      <\/span>Brain development and growth is completed by the time of puberty<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The brain continues to develop throughout adolescence and adulthood despite the fact that other areas of the body may stop developing; especially the frontal lobes, which play a key role in decision-making.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1.      <\/span>Learning is a result of adding new cells to the brain<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Though the brain is capable of growing new cells, the addition of new cells does not result in learning. In fact, learning occurs from changes <\/span>in the connections between brain cells<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
        \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        Photo by Bhautik Patel<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Mental capacity is hereditary and can\u2019t be changed by environment or experience<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Although genetics do play a role in our mental abilities, our environments and experiences also have a great impact on our overall development.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1.      <\/span>During sleep, the brain stops functioning<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Our brains are always active, even when we sleep! Although brain activity does slow down, the brain continues to work hard to maintain our bodily functions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Overall, the study concluded that 68% of the public, 56% of educators and 46% of individuals trained in neuroscience believed the neuromyths. The findings suggest that while being educated on the subject helps reduce misconceptions, it does not completely remove them. Some future projects for the study\u2019s research team include developing training tools to debunk neuromyths for people of various backgrounds. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Neuromyths are commonly held misbeliefs about the brain and its functions. As Christopher Berland mentions in his article, once individuals are exposed to an idea, it is challenging for them to distinguish between fact and fiction. A study conducted by researchers from various academic institutions in the United States found that neuromyths are not only… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":1832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67,111],"class_list":["post-806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-brain","tag-myths"],"yoast_head":"\nBrain and brain function myths and reality - Syngli - Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Neuromyths are commonly held misbeliefs about the brain and its functions and it can be challenging to distinguish them from fact versus fiction.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.syngli.com\/blog\/brain-and-brain-function-myths-and-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brain and brain function myths and reality - 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