Which of the following brain myths do you believe?
People believe remarkable things about the brain that are simply not true. Here's a recent study that surveyed members of the general public, teachers, and people with a high degree of neuroscience education, and found that all three groups believed brain myths to a significant degree!
Brain myths matter because they not only lead to misconceptions and "neurobunk." Brain myths are also harmful. That's why it's important to be careful where you get your neuroscience information from.
- Learning styles myth (endorsed by 93 per cent of the public, 76 per cent of teachers, and 78 per cent of those with neuroscience education). Rather "the most effective way for us to learn is based not on our individual preferences but on the nature of the material we’re being taught."
- Listening to classical music increases children’s reasoning ability (endorsed by 59 per cent of the public, 55 per cent of teachers, and 43 per cent of the neuroscience group) [more on music-related neuromyths]
- Children are less attentive after consuming sugar (endorsed by 59 per cent of the public, 50 per cent of teachers and 39 per cent of the neuroscience group)
- The left-brain right-brain myth (endorsed by 64 per cent of the public, 49 per cent of teachers and 32 per cent of the neuroscience group)
- The 10 per cent myth (endorsed by 36 per cent of the public, 33 per cent of teachers, and 14 per cent of those with neuroscience education).
To read more about specific brain myths, you can click on the links above.
References:
Jarrett, C. (2017). Oh dear, even people with neuroscience training believe an awful lot of brain myths. BPS Research Digest. https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/oh-dear-even-people-neuroscience-training-believe-awful-lot-brain-myths
Jarrett, C. (2014). 10 ways that brain myths are harming us. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2014/12/10-ways-brain-myths-harming-us/