Shocking Facts About the Human Brain

The brain is the most complex and mysterious organ in the human body. Scientists have conducted extensive research on it, yet the brain still holds many mysteries for us. However, throughout history, there have been numerous misconceptions and myths about this organ.

1. The Brain is Gray

You may have seen brains that are white, gray, or yellow and thought that the brain has those colors. In reality, the brain has shades of white, black, and red. However, this myth holds some truth as there are gray areas in the brain, typically where various types of cells, such as neurons, are concentrated.

2. Listening to Mozart Makes You Smarter

For a long time, many people assumed that listening to Mozart could enhance children’s cognitive abilities. However, a recent study conducted by scientists at the University of California revealed that Mozart’s music does not actually make us smarter. In reality, it only helps improve our ability to perform certain temporary tasks related to spatial reasoning.

3. Learning Something New Creates New Wrinkles in the Brain

In the early weeks of pregnancy, our brains are almost devoid of wrinkles. As the fetus develops, the brain gradually matures. By the 40th week, the brain is almost fully formed. Therefore, the brain cannot develop new wrinkles as we learn new things.

4. You Can Learn from Subconscious Messages

Subconscious messages are a term coined by market researcher James Vicary in 1957. They are associated with images or sounds that penetrate our awareness and influence our behavior. However, later experiments have confirmed that subconscious messages have no significant effect on us.

5. The Human Brain is the Largest Brain

Humans are indeed the smartest species on Earth, but that does not mean that the human brain is the largest in the world. An adult human brain weighs about 1.361 kg, while the brain of a sperm whale can weigh as much as 7.8 kg. While sperm whales are indeed smarter than many other mammals, comparing their intelligence to ours is misleading. Intelligence depends on various factors, not just the weight of the brain.

6. The Brain Still Functions After Being Severed

Many believe that after being severed, the brain can still function for a short time (several seconds). However, the reality is that immediately after being detached from the heart, the brain falls into a state of coma and begins to die. The eyelid movements that many mistake for brain activity are actually muscle reflexes.

7. Brain Injuries are Permanent

Many people believe that brain injuries are permanent. This is not entirely true, as some brain damage can be partially recovered after trauma. When nerves are damaged or die, they cannot regrow, but the connections between nerves can recover, creating new pathways between them.

8. Using Opiates Creates Holes in Your Brain

Many believe that using drugs will diminish your memory. If you use heavier drugs like cocaine or ecstasy, you might develop some holes in your brain. This is not true. You only get holes in your brain if you suffer physical damage.

9. Alcohol Kills Brain Cells

Many studies have shown that alcohol directly affects your brain. However, it does not kill brain cells. Alcohol can disrupt the transmission of messages between nerve cells. While they do not die, the cells must change how they connect with each other.

10. The Speed of Nerve Impulse Transmission is Incredibly Fast

Nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain can reach speeds of 270 km/h, which is comparable to that of a high-powered supercar. Have you ever wondered how the body reacts instantly to external stimuli or why pain is felt immediately when you stub your toe? This is due to the supersonic movement of nerve impulses from the brain to every part of the body and back.

11. The Brain’s Capacity to Store Information

The brain can store information five times more than the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Scientists have yet to accurately determine the brain’s capacity, but they estimate that it ranges from 3 to 1,000 terabytes when measured against electronic storage. The UK National Archives holds data spanning over 900 years of history, equating to about 70 terabytes. This comparison highlights the tremendous data storage capability of the brain.

12. Peak Brain Activity

The brain is more active at night than during the day. Many believe that daytime activities such as moving, calculating, thinking, and interacting make the brain more fatigued than the time spent resting in bed at night. However, the truth is quite the opposite. When you rest, the brain begins to work, and scientists have yet to explain this phenomenon. They suggest that these nighttime activities may allow you to experience beautiful dreams.

13. Intelligent People Tend to Dream More

Individuals with higher IQs tend to have more dreams during sleep. However, you should not feel insecure if you cannot recall the events of your dreams. Most people cannot remember all the events in their dreams because they typically last only 2 to 3 seconds, which is too short for the brain to record.

14. Varying Speeds of Information Transmission

Different types of neurons transmit information at different speeds. Various neuron types exist in the brain; some transmit signals at only 0.5 m/s, while others can send information at supersonic speeds of 120 m/s.

15. The Brain Does Not Feel Pain

While the brain is the center that processes pain when you cut your hand or burn yourself, it does not actually feel pain itself because it lacks pain receptors. Severe headaches occur due to numerous tissues, nerves, and blood vessels surrounding the brain that receive pain signals from damaged areas.

16. The Brain Has Many Senses

The brain possesses more senses than the typical five. For instance, it can sense pain, the position of the body, balance, height, temperature, and even time.

17. We Have Approximately 100 Billion Brain Cells

In 2009, scientists conducted experiments and found that humans have an average of about 86 billion brain cells, compared to the previously estimated 100 billion. While the difference may seem small, 14 billion is equivalent to the number of brain cells in African apes. To visualize this, consider that 1 million seconds equals about 12 days, while 1 billion seconds equals roughly 31 years; thus, 14 billion is a significant number.

18. Memory Decline with Aging is Due to Brain Degeneration

Only 3% of individuals aged 65-75 are affected by memory decline, while nearly 50% of those at age 85 experience it. This condition is a common health issue in developed countries and leads to shrinkage, particularly in the hippocampus, which is the center for information processing. Obesity in middle age is also a risk factor for this condition.

19. Brain Weight

A newborn’s brain weighs about 400 grams, reaching approximately 1.4-1.5 kg during adolescence and does not increase further until adulthood. Men’s brains are about 10% larger than women’s brains.

However, this does not mean that men are inherently more capable or intelligent; women have more neural cells and connections, and their brains often operate more efficiently than men’s. Moreover, women tend to process emotions in the left hemisphere of the brain, while men are more logic-oriented, focusing on the right hemisphere. Additionally, a region called the “straight gyrus”, responsible for nurturing and feminine characteristics, is larger in women.

About 60% of the brain is made up of fat, making it one of the fattiest organs in the body, although approximately 75% of the brain’s total composition is water.

Thus, the brain needs to be hydrated, just like your muscles and other organs. Further studies have shown that prolonged dehydration causes brain cells to shrink in size and volume. This phenomenon is common in older adults, who tend to experience chronic dehydration over many years.

20. A Key Part of Brain Function is Personality

This aspect may be influenced by genetics or shaped by our childhood environment. There are five distinct personality traits associated with the brain, which also play a crucial role in human personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Open individuals seem to experience less sadness, while honest and conscientious people may be well-liked but suffer more in life. Extraverts enjoy more fun but often lack awareness. Agreeable individuals are warm but may be overly trusting and have poor judgment.

21. The Brain Requires Continuous Oxygen Supply

When thinking about the importance of oxygen, you may consider your lungs and muscles, but the brain also requires a continuous supply of oxygen. A lack of oxygen for just 5 minutes can lead to the death of many brain cells, potentially resulting in severe brain damage.

22. The Brain Doubles in Size During the First Year of Life

When a child is born, their brain is only about 1/4 the size of an adult brain. However, during the first year, the brain doubles in size and continues to grow rapidly.

By age 5, a child’s brain reaches about 90% of the size of an adult brain.

23. The Idea That We Only Use 10% of Our Brain Is a Myth

Previously, we often heard that humans only use 10% of their brains. This is not accurate.

The reality is that we use 100% of both the left and right hemispheres of our brains, and even while sleeping, more than 10% of our brain continues to function to process and organize daily experiences and form long-term memories.

24. The Brain Cannot Multitask

Productivity is a vital factor for many who try to complete multiple tasks simultaneously. However, the human brain cannot focus on two tasks at the same time and cannot learn multiple things at once.

When required to process multiple pieces of information simultaneously, the brain expends a significant amount of energy, which can lead to overload and decreased work efficiency.

25. The Blood Vessels Present in the Brain Extend Nearly 170,000 km

The brain accounts for only about 2% of the body’s total weight, yet all the thoughts, decisions, and processes of the brain consume around 20% of the total energy, oxygen, and blood in the body.

Providing blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the human brain requires nearly 170,000 km of blood vessels distributed throughout the skull.

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