Busting Common Brain Myths

We commonly hear things like “We only use 10% of our brains” and “The brain is divided into the emotional right brain and our rational left brain.” But is that true, or just myths passed down as facts from generation to generation? Our brains make us who we are, but science knows surprisingly little about arguably the most important organ we have. Join us as today’s guest, neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, explains what’s fact and fiction when it comes to our gray matter, and delves into what, if anything, was so special about Einstein’s brain. To learn more or read the transcript, please visit the official episode page here. Guest Bio Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard trained and published neuroanatomist. In 1996, she experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain, causing her to lose the ability to walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Her memoir, “My Stroke of Insight,” documenting her experience with stroke and 8-year recovery spent 63 weeks on the New York Times nonfiction best seller list, and is still routinely the #1 book about stroke on Amazon. Taylor is a dynamic teacher and public speaker who loves educating all age groups, academic levels, as well as corporations, about the beauty of our human brain and its ability to recover from trauma. In 2008, she gave the first TED talk that ever went viral, which now has well over 26 million views. Also in 2008, Taylor was chosen as one of TIME Magazine's “100 Most Influential People in the World” and was the premiere guest on Oprah Winfrey’s “Soul Series” webcast. Find out more at: DrJillTaylor.com. About the Inside Mental Health Podcast Host Gabe Howard lives with bipolar disorder and is a nationally recognized speaker and podcast host. He is the author of the book, “Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations,” available from Amazon; signed copies available directly from the author. To learn more about Gabe, please visit gabehoward.com.