10 amazing facts about how the brain works. Ten interesting facts about the human brain
The brain is the most important command center of our body, the cockpit of our body, if you will. But what do we know about him? In the article below you can find ten interesting facts about your brain.
1. A little about the composition of the brain.
If we look at a piece of the brain the size of a grain of sand, we will see that it contains about 100 thousand neurons and a billion interconnecting synapses.
2. Human short-term memory is capable of remembering no more than 7 objects at a time.
This is why most telephone numbers around the world consist of seven digits. But this is not the limit for the brain; it can be trained to process a significantly larger number of objects by combining them into groups.
3. The brain definitely needs a certain amount of fluid to function properly.
The brain is approximately 80% water. Therefore, people on dehydrating diets often complain of memory impairment and inhibited intellectual activity.
4. Thanks to the constant functioning of the brain, the development of Alzheimer's syndrome can be prevented.
Constant brain activity causes the production of new tissue to compensate for what is lost.
Simply put, older people need to solve crosswords and other puzzles as often as possible.
Do you want to know how to avoid this unpleasant disease? .
5. During meditation, delta waves appear in the human brain.
The same waves occur in infants under six months of age. Thanks to these waves, we seem to “disconnect” from reality, which in turn has a beneficial effect on the state of our brain. Want to know how to learn to meditate? .
6. Mental work does not tire the brain.
Prolonged mental activity does not tire the brain. The composition of the blood that flows through it does not change, unlike the blood that is taken from a person’s vein after exercise.
7. A person’s subconscious is much more powerful than his consciousness.
Tests confirm that the first impression of what you hear or see carries the most accurate information. And after we subsequently analyze what happened, we very often come to the wrong conclusions.
8. The brain never sleeps.
The brain is a real workaholic. He never sleeps. And during sleep, the brain is even more active than during wakefulness.
9. Yellow-green is exactly the color that our brain perceives best.
Human eyes have receptors that perceive red, green and blue. But the brain does not receive direct information about colors, but only the difference between dark and light, that is, simply information about the difference between the colors that we see.
10. Brain size is not of fundamental importance.
An example of this is the fact that Albert Einstein's brain weighed 1230 grams, which is about 10-15% less than the weight of the average man's brain.
P.S. Do you want to clearly see how your brain works? .
The human brain is capable of many things. It allows you to learn, communicate, and develop unusual abilities. And no one will refuse to learn how this important organ of the central nervous system works.
Not everything is known about the functions and capabilities of the brain. Today we will try to reveal to you some interesting and important points.
For the human brain there is no difference between reality and "fiction"
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The human brain reacts to every thought or fact it records, but it is unable to distinguish between what is real and what is generated by fantasy. For example, when you view the world through rose-colored glasses, you feel calm, despite the fact that your brain knows that it is fiction.
60% of the brain is fat
Fat is critical for the proper functioning of this organ. Many studies highlight the correlation between dietary imbalances and cognitive or memory impairment.
In most cases the brain works automatically
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In order to save precious energy, repetitive tasks are performed in "standby mode". The brain takes in information, remembers it, but then devotes itself to another issue. For example, when you tie your shoes, you think about what to cook for dinner.
Let's see how we think about something
Any thoughts turn into life experiences, conscious of the brain. For example, if you're planning your next holiday in Spain, you'll see links everywhere pointing you to that destination.
The brain needs exercise just like the muscles.
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The brain is not very different from the muscles and needs training in the same way. To make sure you train it, always strive to learn something new and engage in mental exercise. Nutrition should be healthy and balanced.
Forget the old: it will help keep the nervous system active
To preserve new facts, it is necessary to remove at least some of the old memories. It would be great if we could completely control what to remember and what to forget. But, unfortunately, this is impossible.
Taking a break from your routine is vital
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Lack of rest for the brain is the first step to chronic fatigue. Take a break and lie down for a while with your eyes closed: this type of relaxation is great for coping with daily stress.
The brain never rests
Even when we sleep, when we are immersed in deep dreams or nightmares, the brain never stops working. Moreover, during sleep its activity may increase!
The brain is not sensitive to pain
The human brain reacts to pain, but does not feel it itself due to the lack of the necessary receptors. Therefore, brain surgery can sometimes be performed without the use of anesthesia.
We can change our brain!
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Any type of activity allows the brain to restore existing and activate new neural connections. If we really want something, for example, a promotion, then we must think about what we can do for this. And the brain itself will move in this direction.
Photo on the main page: digitalbob8/flickr (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
Based on materials from: curioctopus.guru
1. The brain does not experience pain
There are no pain receptors in the brain. Therefore, surgeons can perform brain operations without giving patients anesthesia. This helps avoid damaging any visual or motor functions. But it looks quite scary. Why then do we feel pain? Because the pain receptor, also known as the sensory receptor, sends a signal to the spinal cord, notifying the brain of danger.
2. Our brain has 100,000 miles of blood vessels
The brain also consists of one hundred billion neurons, as many as in the entire galaxy. Using only 17% of the body's energy and 20% of oxygen, its mass is only 2% of the body; When waking up, the brain creates an electric field of 10-23 watts, which is enough to light a light bulb. Composed of 75% water, the brain contains more than 100 trillion synapses connecting neurons and is also large enough to hold five volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica, or 1,000 terabytes of information. The myth of underutilization of the brain is not true. You always use your brain fully.
3. Einstein's brain is still preserved
When Albert Einstein died in 1955, his skull was opened to remove his brain. Dr. Dr. Thomas Harvey performed this operation seven and a half hours after his death. Presumably this was done for scientific purposes. Then he disappeared. In 1978, desperate journalist Steven Levy tracked down Dr. Harvey in Wichita, Kansas, where the good doctor said his brain was still preserved in a formaldehyde solution.
4. There is a difference between the right and left hemispheres
The brain is divided into two hemispheres. They work simultaneously, but the left hemisphere is responsible for rational, analytical thinking, and the right hemisphere is responsible for visual and mental thinking. They also work in counterbalance - you raise your left toe and the sensations are perceived on your right side. But there is one VERY strange thing: if half of the brain turns off, the person still survives.
5. Sorry ladies, but a man's brain is 10% larger.
So, definitive proof that men are smarter than women. But despite the fact that the male brain is larger than the female brain, the female brain contains more nerve cells and connectors, and it works faster and more efficiently than the male brain. Women process information more emotionally, using the right hemisphere, while men use the left “logical” part of the brain.
6. The brain is more active during sleep
Night time is the time when our brain processes all the information received during the day. Scientists believe that this is the reason for sleep, although no one knows for sure. Some believe that we sleep so that our brain can process all the information, others believe that during sleep the information is reset. Recent research has shown that sleep can help cope with trauma. People with high IQs allow themselves to nap during lunch. A short nap during the day can energize you and help you concentrate on your work.
7. “Inception” is real
There is such a thing as “lucid dreaming”, when a person can control his sleep. This phenomenon has its roots in Tibetan Buddhism, where “Yoga-Sleep” was practiced - performing various feats during sleep, which indicates the illusory nature of existence. The term was first used by Frederick (Willem) van Eeden in the 1880s, but was not used until the 1960s.
8. Nobody knows why we laugh
Real laughter is involuntary. Only humans have this ability, and children begin to laugh as early as 4 months. Real laughter is contagious and also difficult to fake. But we laugh not because of jokes. One scientist studied laughter for 10 years, looking at about 2,000 situations that prompted laughter. He came to the conclusion that laughter is not the result of any action. Perhaps one day we will also understand why we laugh when tickled.
9. Does size matter?
Research has been conducted regarding the relationship between brain size and intelligence. Albert Einstein's brain size is 1230 grams, while the average man's brain size is 1400 grams. Other studies have shown that the larger a person's head, the smarter they are. However, these results are quite doubtful.
10. Ung Yang has the highest IQ - 210
Born on March 8, 1972, Ung Young mastered algebra at the age of 8 months. By the age of 2, he spoke 4 languages fluently. He entered the university at 4 and graduated at 15. But he is strong not only in the exact sciences. He also excels at drawing and writing poetry. He now lives in South Korea and enjoys what he was previously deprived of, such as his childhood.
Ecology of life: The brain is the central organ of the human body. It is extremely complex and sophisticated. The functions of the brain were discussed by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks in 400 BC. Hippocrates was the first to discover that the brain plays an important role in sensation and intelligence. Nowadays, everyone understands the importance of having a brain, but most of us know little about it. Here are some interesting facts for you.
Interesting facts about the brain
The brain is the central organ of the human body. It is extremely complex and sophisticated. The functions of the brain were discussed by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks in 400 BC. Hippocrates was the first to discover that the brain plays an important role in sensation and intelligence. Nowadays, everyone understands the importance of having a brain, but most of us know little about it. Here are some interesting facts for you.
1. And Latin cerebrum, and Greek ἐ γκέφαλος , denoting the brain, have firmly entered the Russian language. Cerebral palsy, encephalitis, EEG, even the Cerebro device in X-Men - everything contains these words.
2. There is no direct connection between the weight (volume) of the brain and mental abilities. The heaviest brain known to science belonged to a person with idiocy (this is a diagnosis, not a curse!) and weighed 2850 grams, and Turgenev’s brain weighed twice as much as the brain of Anatole France. For comparison: the heaviest brain of living animals - in the sperm whale (7800 g). At the same time, the weight of the hamster's brain - one and a half grams.
3. The degree of brain development can be assessed by the ratio of its mass to the mass of the spinal cord. In cats it is 1:1, in dogs – 3:1, in lemurs – 16:1, in humans - approximately 50:1.
1 - brain, 2 - central nervous system, 3 - spinal cord
4. The brain tissue itself lacks pain receptors, therefore, surgical intervention in this area of the body does not require anesthesia of the brain itself. However, this fact does not prevent the widespread prevalence of headaches.
5. Even Wikipedia states that the brain is made up of neurons forming synapses among themselves. About approximately half of the cells that make up this organ - neuroglial cells, who until recently were given only a supporting role, - not a word is said. However, research over the past ten years has directly demonstrated the most significant role of glia in the functioning of the brain and even in thinking.
6. Humans have an olfactory brain. This is the name given to a set of structures in the telencephalon (the most anterior and largest part of the organ) that is associated with the sense of smell.
Olfactory brain
7. Dinosaurs had very, very small brains - even by human standards. More recently, archaeologists found the skull of a sarmientosaurus (one of the titanosaurs, a lizard 15 meters long and weighing 12 tons). Examination of the skull revealed that this dinosaur's brain was the size of an average tangerine.
8. The human brain in some cultures served as a delicious dish and a source of terrible diseases. Even in Neanderthal funeral rituals, traces of its eating from dead people can be traced. The African Fore tribe also observed the custom of eating the brains of sick people who died, which led to the spread of Kuru fever, the discovery of prion diseases and the Nobel Prize for Stanley Prusiner. As for the brain of animals, then, for example, a dish Cervelle de veau- This is a traditional delicacy in French cuisine, veal brains.
Stanley Prusiner
9. Our brain is the most important consumer of energy in the body. Just 2 percent of our body weight (which it makes up) consumes as much as 20 percent of all energy supplied from outside.
10. The main external distinctive feature of the brain is the convolutions. As it turned out recently, they are formed purely mechanically. Natural experiments of British scientists who managed to conduct an experiment with the formation of convolutions on a model printed on a 3D printer helped us understand this. Published
The human brain is still one of the most unknown and amazing things.
Every year, scientists make discoveries that indicate that the most unexplored area of the Universe actually lies in the mind of every person.
Our review contains 10 incredibly amazing facts about each of us.
1. Bullet time
The bullet time effect (demonstration by a “moving” camera of a stationary object frozen in a position that it could not maintain in reality) first gained popularity thanks to the cult film “The Matrix.” One of the most famous scenes is the moment when Neo froze in mid-fall, dodging flying bullets.
The effect is that the world around you slows down to such an extent that a person can literally see bullets flying slowly through the air. It turns out that people can experience a similar effect in reality. A couple of years ago, Simon Baker had a very bad migraine and decided to take a shower. As he stood under the water pouring down on him, suddenly an absolutely terrible attack of pain shot through his head, after which time seemed to stop. Droplets of water literally hung in the air.
Doctors still cannot understand how exactly Baker was able to temporarily lose his perception of the passage of time. One could, of course, attribute this to Baker’s fantasies, but similar cases have been recorded more than once, especially in patients with epilepsy and people who have suffered a stroke.
2. Non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation
Some doctors believe they have found solutions to problems with concentration, depression, unexplained anxiety or chronic fatigue. A group of neurologists said non-invasive transcranial electrical brain stimulation, or TES therapy, could be a solution to such problems.
It’s worth noting right away that it is radically different from electroshock therapy. Firstly, TES therapy uses a current of 2 mA, and electroconvulsive therapy uses 800 mA. Secondly, such therapy can even be performed at home, as medical companies are beginning to sell home kits for stimulating the brain with electricity.
3. Movies can cause amnesia
Consider the 2004 romantic comedy 50 First Dates, in which the main character was left with amnesia after a car accident. Every time she went to bed, she completely forgot what happened to her the previous day and started a new day “with a clean slate.”
It turns out that this also happened to a woman in real life, but she did not get into a terrible accident. The cause of her memory loss was the film “50 First Dates,” which she watched in 2005. Doctors who diagnosed “dissociative amnesia” are perplexed as to how this could happen.
4. System chaos - complete order
According to a recent study, often even the human brain simply gives up trying to understand the dream. Researchers from the University of Milan asked people to record their waking dreams and fantasies for a month. To begin with, it was noticed that dreams were much less logical than fantasies in the waking state. The subjects were then placed in an MRI scanner, after which their dreams and fantasies were read to them.
It turns out that both cause activity in a region of the brain associated with complex language learning. But at the moment when the description of dreams became too bizarre, the activity of this part of the brain decreased significantly. The research team concluded that the human brain does not even try to understand the meaning of illogical dreams.
5. Google dreams
Few people know that Google can dream. Google's image recognition software, which can detect, analyze and process images, uses artificial neural networks that mimic the human brain. Google “trains” a network created from several dozen layers of artificial neurons by passing thousands of photos through it.
When you upload a photo, the first layer highlights a basic level of information, such as the borders of the image. The second layer reveals information about the basic shapes in the photo, and so on - until the last layers, which collect all the information together. The Google team also found that such networks can themselves generate images of objects upon request. Engineers fed the network images and asked Google to create its own templates from them.
The result was images that even Dali, who had taken a hefty dose of LSD, would have envied. Next, the computer was given free rein to operate based on blank white noise images. The resulting masterpieces of surrealism were called “dreams,” and people finally got the opportunity to see how the image appears to artificial intelligence.
6. Inner vision
Almost all people imagine images of something in their minds when reading a book, thinking about the past, or listening to a story from a friend. This is taken for granted. But recent research shows that not all people have such “inner vision.”
Every 50th person simply cannot imagine any image. In 2015, Professor Adam Zeman from the University of Exeter called the condition "aphantasia." What is noteworthy is that people suffering from this disorder can perfectly remember the necessary things, but without a visual image of them.
7. Synesthesia
One of the most unusual disorders, synesthesia causes people's senses to become confused. For example, they can see music and taste colors. Although most people believe that synesthesia is something you are born with, some scientists believe that it can be acquired. In 2013, researchers studied 11 people suffering from a form of synesthesia in which they perceived different letters in certain colors.
It turned out that all 11 people perceived letters in the same colors (for example, they saw the letter “A” as red). However, if synesthesia is unique to each individual, this would not be possible. Incredibly, for all subjects, the letter colors matched the colors of refrigerator letter magnets from a popular Fisher-Price set that was sold in the United States between 1972 and 1989. Researchers have concluded that synesthesia can be produced artificially.
8. Brain imaging is unique.
There are several ways to determine a person's identity, such as fingerprints and DNA testing. Scientists have invented a new method that uses brain images. The connections between neurons in each person's brain are unique. Scientists at Yale University recently demonstrated this clearly. They compared MRI images of the brains of different people. At the same time, the experimental subjects were asked to think about the same thing. It turned out that among 126 people there was not a single identical photograph. This clearly proves the old saying that everyone's brain works differently.
9. Running Daily Prevents Dementia
Within a few years, “brain training” has become fashionable. Despite repeated statements by scientists that this is complete nonsense, such exercises are still practiced.
It turns out that you can do a “brain warm-up” with the help of regular physical exercises. For example, research has shown that you need to go for a short run every day to prevent dementia. You can also choose different types of exercises to improve different areas of your brain. Just a little warm-up will lead to a person being much more attentive.
10. Alien Invasion May Go Unnoticed
It has recently been proven that people cannot determine whether they are communicating with a person who is under the control of external forces. Dr. Alex Gillespie of the London School of Economics has repeatedly conducted the following experiment over the past few years: a 12-year-old boy was fitted with a hidden earpiece and microphone on his ear, after which he spoke only what was dictated to him by a 37-year-old professor sitting in the next room.
The scientists conducted a series of conversations during which the interlocutors had no idea what kind of child the adult was speaking to. Despite the fact that the boy demonstrated knowledge and reasoning that was impossible for his age, and also talked about the impact of a number of bills on the EU economy and about Dostoevsky’s books, absolutely all interlocutors continued to believe that they were communicating with a child.
