Hacking Into The Human Brain Could Create Superhumans. Here's How

You’ve probably heard the idea that people only use 10 percent of their brain. According to Moran Cerf, professor of neuroscience and business at the Kellogg School of Management, that is a complete myth.

No one can pinpoint exactly where the myth originated, but it can be traced as far back as the early 1900s, when psychologist William James argued that “humans only use a small part of their mental and physical abilities,” in his book “The Energies of Men”.

Research shows that you can access much more than 10 percent of your brain. In fact, your entire brain may be used at any given time, but the likely source of the myth, according to Cerf, is that you are only conscious and in control of a small percent. The rest is controlled subconsciously.

Cerf explains, “It is like the keys on your piano: not all of them are played all the time. At some point, each key is being used, but you wouldn’t say you’re using only 10 percent of the piano to play music.”



Hacking the hard-wiring of the brain could create superhumans.

Similarly, in our brain, if you ask someone to see the world in shades of grey, they will fail. Even though processing colors is done in their brains, they cannot control the parts that govern the color processing. It is physically impossible for someone to access those processes that happen in their own brain, at least for now.

It’s also not possible to erase memories, remove information or control emotions at will. You can’t decide that you’ll be sad for 10 minutes and then happy for the rest of the day. However, Cerf argues that this could change.

Cerf, a former professional computer hacker for more than a decade, was curious if it was possible to “hack into the brain”, giving people access and control over unconscious systems.

He explains that the brain is currently wired like a one way road. Information goes in one direction. Neuroscientists call it “Feed-Forward” networks. It is nearly impossible for information to propagate backwards in the process.

By creating detours back to earlier points, neuroscientists could make information flow in both directions.

Working with patients whose brains were open for surgery, Cerf and his team placed electrodes inside the brain to create detours. In this state, they could access parts of the brain of patients and train them to have control over the parts that are normally inaccessible. The big question was: Could people change their interpretation of reality? In practice, they tested the theory on the perception system first.

There are multiple processes that happen before your mind sees: photons hit your retina, your brain aggregates the information into colors and shapes, and you eventually understand the image as, say, your mother.

However, if you could access the right sections of the brain, you could see one thing with your eyes and a different thing with your mind. You may see your mother, but elicit the thought of your father in your mind’s “eye”. This is just what Cerf's research team did, but the possibilities don’t end there. With additional training, they could enable participants to alter what they heard. Imagine hearing a bully insult you, but your mind chooses to ignore it completely.

The study’s findings suggest that with more control of their brain, people could have more power and governance over their lives. You could see and hear what you want to, instead of what comes naturally through the senses. You could control how you feel, which could potentially end depression.

It could have incredible implications for relationships, work, satisfaction, and productivity. On the other hand, there's the potential for backlash on mental health. What will happen if everyone sees themselves as fit, healthy and friendly, but in reality, they are out of shape and antisocial?

Additionally, if people have these abilities they might evolve so far beyond the rest of us that we would no longer be seen as equals. In his recent TED talk about the work, Cerf uses the example of the world's smartest chimpanzee: It can interact with humans in a way that is similar to a two-year old child. Yet, we don’t consider these apes as part of our species. Will humans who developed absolute control over their minds consider us part of theirs, or would they view us the way humans view chimpanzees?

There is no doubt that Cerf's accomplishments are incredible, but they also raise many questions about the implications for humans as a species. What is clear is that we should be asking these questions now, so that we are prepared to tackle the potential impact as is it becomes real.

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