“Popular Science” posted a list of myths about the brain that a lot of people still think are true. You probably know some of them — like that we don’t really just use 10 percent of our brains. But here are four you might not know.
Myth #1. Adults don’t produce new brain cells. They thought it was true for 130 years, until a study in 1998 found we do. In the part of the brain that helps store memories. A study last year found new cells in other parts of adult brains too.
Myth #2. Listening to classical music makes you smarter. A study in 1993 found it raised people’s I.Q.’s, but no one’s been able to replicate the results. A Harvard study in 1999 contradicted it.
Myth #3. Some people are visual learners, and have to see something to remember it. A recent survey found 96 percent of teachers think that’s the case.
But the truth is that while we do tend to have an easier time with certain subjects if there’s a visual, that’s true for all of us. So the “visual learner” thing is just a myth.
Myth #4. Drinking any amount of alcohol kills brain cells. Drinking a lot can, but even that doesn’t make a huge difference. Researchers in Denmark recently looked at the brains of alcoholics, and they had the same number of brain cells as non-alcoholics.
