Whether you're deeply invested in the field of psychology or just an every once-in-a-while consumer of pop psychology, you've likely heard a myth or two...or even worse, you might've heard that myth and spread it to others! But alas, I'm here to clear a few things up. 

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The thing about psychology is that almost everyone is interested in it - we are all naturally curious about ourselves and the complexities of the mind. But the issue with pop-psychology is that many of the messages that reach the public can misconstrue the true findings of the study they derive from. 

Provided below are three prominent examples of myths that have spread through the public like wildfire!

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1. We only use 10% of our "brainpower."

I'm really not sure where this one comes from, but it's certainly silly.

The truth is, modern neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and PET have shown us that the brain is constantly active. All regions of the brain are being "used" in some capacity at any given moment. While it is true that certain brain regions are more active for certain tasks, that doesn't mean they are inactive when that task is not being performed. The brain, like the rest of the body, is constantly maintaining a state of homeostasis. Neurons must be active and firing in order to stay alive, hence the phrase, "if you don't use it, you lose it."

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2. We all have different learning styles (visual, kinesthetic, auditory, etc.).

I'll be honest, I was a victim of this one. It makes sense, some people absorb material via different mediums. Studies have shown that this is not the case. According to the American Psychology Association (APA), there is no scientific evidence that people have different learning styles. When given the chance to absorb material in their preferred learning method, a group of study participants did no better on subsequent examinations compared to those who did not use their preferred learning method. Next time you tell someone you're a "visual learner," just know.. you're unfortunately not.

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3. Multitasking is effective and leads to heightened productivity. 

In our society, productivity is everything. We are all constantly looking for ways to fit more into our schedules and juggle enough activities to balance work and play. You know you've done it - talking on the phone while trying to write an email or complete an assignment. The truth is, the brain has a distinct cognitive load, wherein we are physically unable to attend to multiple tasks at once. It turns out, when we try to juggle multiple things at once, we end up just giving less to each task. If you try to learn something while driving... you're going to learn less and drive worse. So, next time you try to cram a few things into your schedule to get them done quicker, just know that you are better off just doing one at a time.