I've noticed a trend in a lot of our lectures here: a topic will be introduced, along with the idea behind it and any research supporting it, and then we find out that it's completely false. Lecture #3 covers the "10% of your brain" myth, which motivational speakers and leadership conferences fell for hook, line, and sinker. I'm actually quite surprised got as much attention as it did, because brain imaging has been around for decades and very easily debunks this. Like the PowerPoint said, brain functionality is localized and there's never a time where nothing is happening. It's impossible to even gather information that would support this myth. So why do speakers and companies continue to spread this kind of misinformation over and over again? I think the answer is simpler: they truly do not care, at all. Organizations with thousands of employees pay big money to gain insight on how to optimize productivity and increase employee compliance by any means necessary. Do you really think the event coordinator of some billion dollar corporation is going to vet the generic 'leadership conference' company that they hired to speak in some hotel ballroom? Nobody is immune to misinformation and propaganda, and if you think you are, it's worked. A good enough speaker could probably get the majority of people to believe anything. I remember sitting in on some kind of learning development seminar (It was extra points for a class I took when I was a community college student) and it was truly the holy grail of pseudo-psychology. Granted, I'm not a psych major and there may be some truth mixed in with the BS that they were spewing, but they covered a lot of the topics that we did in this class mainly the learning modality myth, and in my opinion, the worst offender: the Myers-Briggs personality test. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's become so regular even services like Tinder and LinkedIn have options to display your MBTI personality type in your profile. The truth is, there really is no evidence behind it. It was invented in the 1940's by a mother-daughter duo who had no education or work experience in psychology at all. Yet hiring managers and public speakers alike eat this stuff it, because it falsely tells you who is a 'good' or 'bad' employee, as if a 20 question test could determine that. Things like this are what's killing nuance and uniqueness in this world, but that's a whole other blog post. If you want to learn about why and how MBTI is garbage, check out this article: https://www.vox.com/2014/7/15/5881947/myers-briggs-personality-test-meaningless
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This was such a refreshing and honest take—I completely agree with your perspective! It's wild how easily myths like the “10% of your brain” or the Myers-Briggs test gain traction, even when the science clearly debunks them. I love how you pointed out that it's not always about truth, but about convenience and profit—especially in corporate spaces where flashy presentations often matter more than facts. Your voice throughout this post was sharp, thoughtful, and relatable, and it really highlights the importance of critical thinking in a world flooded with misinformation.
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