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NAME: AFRINA ZULAIKHA BINTI AHMAD ZAHUDI
MATRIC NUMBER: 194785
COURSE: BACHELOR IN MATERIAL SCIENCE

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1) YOUTUBE
2) GOOGLE
3) TUMBLR
4) PINTEREST
5) slideshare
6) FACEBOOK

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02.SOURCES OF MATERIAL FOR THIS PRESENTATION

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02.SOURCES OF MATERIAL FOR THIS PRESENTATION

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1) GOOGLE
2) YOUTUBE
3) POWERPOINT
4) BLOG

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1) QUESTIONING
2) CONCEPTS (GRAPHIC ORGANIZER)
3) MINDMAPS
4) COGNITIVE RESEARCH

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One of the things that surprises me time and time again is how we think our brains work and how they actually do.

On many occasions I find myself convinced that there is a certain way to do things, only to find out that actually that's the complete wrong way to think about it. For example, I always found it fairly understandable that we can multitask. Well, according to the latest research studies, it's literally impossible for our brains to handle 2 tasks at the same time.

Recently I came across more of these fascinating experiments and ideas that helped a ton to adjust my workflow towards how our brains actually work (instead of what I thought!).

So here are 10 of the most surprising things our brain does and what we can learn from it:

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1. Your brain does creative work better when you're tired

When I explored the science of our body clocks and how they affect our daily routines, I was interested to find that a lot of the way I'd planned my days wasn't really the best way to go about it. The way we work, in particular, actually has a lot to do with the cycles of our body clocks.

Here's how it breaks down:

If you're a morning lark, say, you'll want to favor those morning hours when you're feeling more fresh to get your most demanding, analytic work done. Using your brain to solve problems, answer questions and make decisions is best done when you're at your peak

For night owls, this is obviously a much later period in the day.

On the other hand, if you're trying to do creative work, you'll actually have more luck when you're more tired and your brain isn't functioning as efficiently. This sounds crazy, but it actually makes sense when you look at the reasoning behind it. It's one of the reasons why great ideas often happen in the shower after a long day of work.

If you're tired, your brain is not as good at filtering out distractions and focusing on a particular task. It's also a lot less efficient at remembering connections between ideas or concepts. These are both good things when it comes to creative work, since this kind of work requires us to make new connections, be open to new ideas and think in new ways. So a tired, fuzzy brain is much more use to us when working on creative projects.

This Scientific American article explains how distractions can actually be a good thing for creative thinking:

Insight problems involve thinking outside the box. This is where susceptibility to "distraction" can be of benefit. At off-peak times we are less focused, and may consider a broader range of information. This wider scope gives us access to more alternatives and diverse interpretations, thus fostering innovation and insight.

2. Stress can change the size of your brain (and make it smaller)

I bet you didn't know stress is actually the most common cause of changes in brain function. I was surprised to find this out when I looked into how stress affects our brains.

I also found some research that showed signs of brain size decreasing due to stress.

One study used baby monkeys to test the effects of stress on development and long-term mental health. Half the monkeys were cared for by their peers for 6 months while the other half remained with their mothers. Afterwards, the monkeys were returned to typical social groups for several months before the researchers scanned their brains.

For the monkeys who had been removed from their mothers and cared for by their peers, areas of their brains related to stress were still enlarged, even after being in normal social conditions for several months.

Although more studies are needed to explore this fully, it's pretty scary to think that prolonged stress could affect our brains long-term.

Another study found that in rats who were exposed to chronic stress, the hippocampuses in their brains actually shrank. The hippocampus is integral to forming memories. It has been debated before whether Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can actually shrink the hippocampus, or people with naturally smaller hippocampuses are just more prone to PTSD. This study could point to the stress being a factor in actually changing the brain.

3. It is literally impossible for our brains to multi-task

Multi-tasking is something we've long been encouraged to practice, but it turns out multitasking is actually impossible. When we think we're multi-tasking, we're actually context-switching. That is, we're quickly switching back-and-forth between different tasks, rather than doing them at the same time.

The book Brain Rules explains how detrimental "multi-tasking" can be:

Research shows your error rate goes up 50 percent and it takes you twice as long to do things.

The problem with multi-tasking is that we're splitting our brain's resources. We're giving less attention to each task, and probably performing worse on all of them:

When the brain tries to do two things at once, it divides and conquers, dedicating one-half of our gray matter to each task.

Here is how this looks like in reality. Whilst we try to do both Action A and Action B at the same time, our brain is never handling both simultaneously. Instead, it has to painfully switch back and forth and use important brainpower just for the switching:

When our brains handle a single task, the prefrontal cortex plays a big part. Here's how it helps us achieve a goal or complete a task:

The anterior part of this brain region forms the goal or intention-for example, "I want that cookie"-and the posterior prefrontal cortex talks to the rest of the brain so that your hand reaches toward the cookie jar and your mind knows whether you have the cookie.

A study in Paris found that when a second task was required, the brains of the study volunteers split up, with each hemisphere working alone on a task. The brain was overloaded by the second task and couldn't perform at its full capacity, because it needed to split its resources.

When a third task was added, the volunteers' results plummeted:

The triple-task jugglers consistently forgot one of their tasks. They also made three times as many errors as they did while dual-tasking.

4. Naps improve your brain's day to day performance

We're pretty clear on how important sleep is for our brains, but what about naps? It turns out, these short bursts of sleep are actually really useful.

Here are a couple of ways napping can benefit the brain:
Improved memory
In one study, participants memorized illustrated cards to test their memory strength. After memorizing a set of cards, they had a 40-minute break wherein one group napped, and the other stayed awake. After the break both groups were tested on their memory of the cards, and the group who had napped performed better:

Much to the surprise of the researchers, the sleep group performed significantly better, retaining on average 85 percent of the patterns, compared to 60 percent for those who had remained awake.

Apparently, napping actually helps our brain to solidify memories:

Research indicates that whena memory is first recorded in the brain-in the hippocampus, to be specific-it's still "fragile" and easily forgotten, especially if the brain is asked to memorize more things. Napping, it seems, pushes memories to the neocortex, the brain's "more permanent storage," preventing them from being "overwritten."

Let's look at that in a graph - the people who took a nap, were able to wildly outperform those who didn't. It's like they had a fresh start:
Better learning
Taking a nap also helps to clear information out of your brain's temporary storage areas, getting it ready for new information to be absorbed. A study from the University of California asked participants to complete a challenging task around midday, which required them to take in a lot of new information. At around 2p.m., half of the volunteers took a nap while the rest stayed awake.

The really interesting part of this study is not only that at 6p.m. that night the napping group performed better than those who didn't take a nap. In fact, the napping group actually performed better than they had earlier in the morning.
What happens in the brain during a nap
Some recent research has found that the right side of the brain is far more active during a nap than the left side, which stays fairly quiet while we're asleep. Despite the fact that 95% of the population is right-handed, with the left side of their brains being the most dominant, the right side is consistently the more active hemisphere during sleep.

The study's author, Andrei Medvedev, speculated that the right side of the brain handles 'housekeeping' duties while we're asleep.

So while the left side of your brain takes some time off to relax, the right side is clearing out your temporary storage areas, pushing information into long-term storage and solidifying your memories from the day.

5. Your vision trumps all other senses

Despite being one of our five main senses, vision seems to take precedence over the others:

Hear a piece of information, and three days later you'll remember 10 percent of it. Add a picture and you'll remember 65 percent.

Pictures beat text as well, in part because reading is so inefficient for us. Our brain sees words as lots of tiny pictures, and we have to identify certain features in the letters to be able to read them. That takes time.

In fact, vision is so powerful that the best wine tasters in the world have been known to describe a dyed white wine as a red.

Not only is it surprising that we rely on our vision so much, but it actually isn't even that good! Take this fact, for instance:

Our brain is doing all this guessing because it doesn't know where things are. In a three-dimensional world, the light actually falls on our retina in a two-dimensional fashion. So our brain approximates viewable image.

Let's look at this image. It shows you how much of your brain is dedicated just to vision and how it affects other parts of the brain. It's a truly staggering amount, compared to any other areas:

6. Introversion and extroversion come from different wiring in the brain

I just recently realized that introversion and extroversion are not actually related to how outgoing or shy we are, but rather how our brains recharge.

Here's how the brains of introverts and extroverts differ:

Research has actually found that there is a difference in the brains of extroverted and introverted people in terms of how we process rewards and how our genetic makeup differs. For extroverts, their brains respond more strongly when a gamble pays off. Part of this is simply genetic, but it's partly the difference of their dopamine systems as well.

An experiment that had people take gambles while in a brain scanner found the following:

When the gambles they took paid off, the more extroverted group showed a stronger response in two crucial brain regions: the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens.

The nucleus accumbens is part of the dopamine system, which affects how we learn, and is generally known for motivating us to search for rewards. The difference in the dopamine system in the extrovert's brain tends to push them towards seeking out novelty, taking risks and enjoying unfamiliar or surprising situations more than others. The amygdala is responsible for processing emotional stimuli, which gives extroverts that rush of excitement when they try something highly stimulating which might overwhelm an introvert.

More research has actually shown that the difference comes from how introverts and extroverts process stimuli. That is, the stimulation coming into our brains is processed differently depending on your personality. For extroverts, the pathway is much shorter. It runs through an area where taste, touch, visual and auditory sensory processing takes place. For introverts, stimuli runs through a long, complicated pathway in areas of the brain associated with remembering, planning and solving problems.

7. We tend to like people who make mistakes more

Apparently, making mistakes actually makes us more likeable, due to something called the Pratfall Effect.

Kevan Lee recently explained how this works on the Buffer blog:

Those who never make mistakes are perceived as less likeable than those who commit the occasional faux pas. Messing up draws people closer to you, makes you more human. Perfection creates distance and an unattractive air of invincibility. Those of us with flaws win out every time.

This theory was tested by psychologist Elliot Aronson. In his test, he asked participants to listen to recordings of people answering a quiz. Select recordings included the sound of the person knocking over a cup of coffee. When participants were asked to rate the quizzers on likability, the coffee-spill group came out on top.

So this is why we tend to dislike people who seem perfect! And now we know that making minor mistakes isn't the worst thing in the world-in fact, it can work in our favor.

8. Meditation can rewire your brain for the better

Here's another one that really surprised me. I thought meditation was only good for improving focus and helping me to stay calm throughout the day, but it actually has a whole bunch of great benefits.

Here are a few examples:
Less anxiety
This point is pretty technical, but it's really interesting. The more we meditate, the less anxiety we have, and it turns out this is because we're actually loosening the connections of particular neural pathways. This sounds bad, but it's not.

What happens without meditation is that there's a section of our brains that's sometimes called the Me Center (it's technically the medial prefrontal cortex). This is the part that processes information relating to ourselves and our experiences. Normally the neural pathways from the bodily sensation and fear centers of the brain to the Me Center are really strong. When you experience a scary or upsetting sensation, it triggers a strong reaction in your Me Center, making you feel scared and under attack.

Here is how anxiety and agitation decreases with just a 20 minute meditation session:

When we meditate, especially when we are just getting started with meditation, we weaken this neural connection. This means that we don't react as strongly to sensations that might have once lit up our Me Centers. As we weaken this connection, we simultaneously strengthen the connection between what's known as our Assessment Center (the part of our brains known for reasoning) and our bodily sensation and fear centers. So when we experience scary or upsetting sensations, we can more easily look at them rationally. Here's a good example:

For example, when you experience pain, rather than becoming anxious and assuming it means something is wrong with you, you can watch the pain rise and fall without becoming ensnared in a story about what it might mean.

More creativity
Researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands studied both focused-attention and open-monitoring mediation to see if there was any improvement in creativity afterwards. They found that people who practiced focused-attention meditation did not show any obvious signs of improvement in the creativity task following their meditation. For those who did open-monitoring meditation, however, they performed better on a task that asked them to come up with new ideas.
Better memory
One of the things meditation has been linked to is improving rapid memory recall. Catherine Kerr, a researcher at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and the Osher Research Center found that people who practiced mindful meditation were able to adjust the brain wave that screens out distractions and increase their productivity more quickly that those that did not meditate. She said that this ability to ignore distractions could explain "their superior ability to rapidly remember and incorporate new facts." This seems to be very similar to the power of being exposed to new situations that will also dramatically improve our memory of things.

Meditation has also been linked to increasing compassion, decreasing stress, improving memory skills and even increasing the amount of gray matter in the brain.

9. Exercise can reorganize the brain and boost your willpower

Sure, exercise is good for your body, but what about your brain? Well apparently there's a link between exercise and mental alertness, in a similar way that happiness and exercise are related.

A lifetime of exercise can result in a sometimes astonishing elevation in cognitive performance, compared with those who are sedentary. Exercisers outperform couch potatoes in tests that measure long-term memory, reasoning, attention, problem-solving, even so-called fluid-intelligence tasks.

Of course, exercise can also make us happier, as we've explored before:

If you start exercising, your brain recognizes this as a moment of stress. As your heart pressure increases, the brain thinks you are either fighting the enemy or fleeing from it. To protect yourself and your brain from stress, you release a protein called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). This BDNF has a protective and also reparative element to your memory neurons and acts as a reset switch. That's why we often feel so at ease and things are clear after exercising and eventually happy.

At the same time, endorphins, another chemical to fight stress, are released in your brain. The main purpose of endorphis is this, writes researcher McGovern:

These endorphins tend to minimize the discomfort of exercise, block the feeling of pain and are even associated with a feeling of euphoria.

10. You can make your brain think time is going slowly by doing new things

Ever wished you didn't find yourself saying "Where does the time go!" every June when you realize the year is half-over? This is a neat trick that relates to how our brains perceive time. Once you know how it works, you can trick your brain into thinking time is moving more slowly.

Essentially, our brains take a whole bunch of information from our senses and organize it in a way that makes sense to us, before we ever perceive it. So what we think is our sense of time is actually just a whole bunch of information presented to us in a particular way, as determined by our brains:

When our brains receive new information, it doesn't necessarily come in the proper order. This information needs to be reorganized and presented to us in a form we understand. When familiar information is processed, this doesn't take much time at all. New information, however, is a bit slower and makes time feel elongated.

Even stranger, it isn't just a single area of the brain that controls our time perception-it's done by a whole bunch of brain areas, unlike our common five senses, which can each be pinpointed to a single, specific area.

When we receive lots of new information, it takes our brains a while to process it all. The longer this processing takes, the longer that period of time feels:

When we're in life-threatening situations, for instance, "we remember the time as longer because we record more of the experience. Life-threatening experiences make us really pay attention, but we don't gain superhuman powers of perception."

The same thing happens when we hear enjoyable music, because "greater attention leads to perception of a longer period of time."

Conversely, if your brain doesn't have to process lots of new information, time seems to move faster, so the same amount of time will actually feel shorter than it would otherwise. This happens when you take in lots of information that's familiar, because you've processed it before. Your brain doesn't have to work very hard, so it processes time faster.
Do you have another surprising fact about the brain you'd like to share? I'd love to hear it! If you enjoyed this post, I think you might also like our post about 10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science.

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How Our Brain Works: 10 Surprising Facts | Buffer Blog

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One of the things that surprises me time and time again is how we think our brains work and how they actually do. On many occasions I find myself convinced that there is a certain way to do things, only to find out that actually that's the complete wrong way to think about it.

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THE BRAIN & FIVE SENSES By, Dr. Shamanthakamani Narendran, M.D.

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In my opinion, by doing this assignment, i have explore and get more information and interesting facts about our brain. As we know, brain is the important part of body other than lungs and heart because it controls and coordinates actions and reactions, allows us to think and feel, and enables us to have memories and feelings – all the things that make us human.Based on the facts about human brain, it helps me improve my way of thinking. So, all of us must be able to take care and protect our brain by taking healthy diet, do physical activities, care about our emotions and others.

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06. THE WAYS I AM PRACTICE IN MY LIFE TO MAKE SURE MY BRAIN WORK PROPERLY

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06. THE WAYS I AM PRACTICE IN MY LIFE TO MAKE SURE MY BRAIN WORK PROPERLY

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Every brain changes with age, and mental function changes along with it. Mental decline is common, and it's one of the most feared consequences of aging. But cognitive impairment is not inevitable. Here are 12 ways you can help maintain brain function.

1. Get mental stimulation

Through research with mice and humans, scientists have found that brainy activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells, developing neurological "plasticity" and building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss.

Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up your brain. Read, take courses, try "mental gymnastics," such as word puzzles or math problems Experiment with things that require manual dexterity as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts.

2. Get physical exercise

Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind. Animals who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought. Exercise also spurs the development of new nerve cells and increases the connections between brain cells ( synapses). This results in brains that are more efficient, plastic, and adaptive, which translates into better performance in aging animals. Exercise also lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, helps blood sugar balance and reduces mental stress, all of which can help your brain as well as your heart.

3. Improve your diet

Good nutrition can help your mind as well as your body. For example, people that eat a Mediterranean style diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils (olive oil) and plant sources of proteins are less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia.

4. Improve your blood pressure

High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline in old age. Use lifestyle modification to keep your pressure as low as possible. Stay lean, exercise regularly, limit your alcohol to two drinks a day, reduce stress, and eat right.

5. Improve your blood sugar

Diabetes is an important risk factor for dementia. You can help prevent diabetes by eating right, exercising regularly, and staying lean. But if your blood sugar stays high, you'll need medication to achieve good control.

6. Improve your cholesterol

High levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol are associated with an increased the risk of dementia. Diet, exercise, weight control, and avoiding tobacco will go a long way toward improving your cholesterol levels. But if you need more help, ask your doctor about medication.

7. Consider low-dose aspirin

Some observational studies suggest that low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of dementia, especially vascular dementia. Ask your doctor if you are a candidate.

8. Avoid tobacco

Avoid tobacco in all its forms.

9. Don't abuse alcohol

Excessive drinking is a major risk factor for dementia. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to two drinks a day.

10. Care for your emotions

People who are anxious, depressed, sleep-deprived, or exhausted tend to score poorly on cognitive function tests. Poor scores don't necessarily predict an increased risk of cognitive decline in old age, but good mental health and restful sleep are certainly important goals.

11. Protect your head

Moderate to severe head injuries, even without diagnosed concussions, increase the risk of cognitive impairment.

12. Build social networks

Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy.

Image: Ronstik/Getty Images

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12 ways to keep your brain young - Harvard Health

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Mental decline is common, and it's one of the most feared consequences of aging. But cognitive impairment is not inevitable. Here are 12 ways you can help reduce your risk of age-related memory los...

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The Most Amazing Facts About The Human Brain

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By doing this assignment, I obtained a lot of knowledge.  There are a lot of ways to produce a creative and enjoyable presentation like this. It makes me know better to apply web 2.0 in my presentation.Then, I also gain knowledge about human brain in more details which is the information are very useful and interesting. I am glad to experience do presentation in this padlet account. It makes me to learn and get to know using the technology as presentation tools and I would make me feel easy to apply or use this tool next time. I am happy that I have done the assignment and it helps me improve my way of thinking and develop my soft skills.

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12 Intriguing Facts About How The Human Brain Functions

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Here's a list of 12 golden nuggets of information about the human brain and how it functions. John Medina's book Brain Rules gives incredible insight and intrigue on how our strongest survival organ...

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One time when we were on furlough and staying with Mark's elderly parents, I couldn't find $200 in cash that I thought I had put in our dresser drawer. Since Mark's parents had given us their bedroom to sleep in and Mark's dad often kept cash on hand, we thought that perhaps dad had taken the money thinking it was his. But, alas, he had not.

A few months later when I was going through my camera bag, guess what I found? Yep - the $200 cash. The good news is that it had been in a safe place and now we needed it more than ever. Oh, and yes, we gave Dad a big apology! He was glad we found it too.

This story probably brings your own memories to mind of forgetting where you put something, or forgetting what you went into a room for, or forgetting your best friend's name when you are introducing her.

We laugh at these memories now, but mental decline is very real and is not a laughing matter.

It is so important to take care of our brains.

Of course, we all experience moments when our mind goes blank, no matter how old we are.

But when it starts to happen frequently no matter what our age, we panic.

The truth is a failing memory is a frightening thing.

So if you're worried about brain health, you're not alone.

Even though the brain is arguably the most delicate and susceptible organ to the health challenges caused by stress, poor nutrition, and inactivity, the health care paradigm tends to focus on the body from the neck down.
Here are 8 warning signs that your brain needs some extra attention:

1. Memory loss

2. Brain fog

3. Depression

4. Anxiety

5. Difficulty learning

6. Lack of motivation

7. Tire easily/general fatigue

8. Poor focus and concentration

If you want a healthy brain, you're best to take control of it yourself.
Dr. Mark Hyman has written a book called The UltraMind Solution and the sub-title is "Fix your broken brain by healing your body fast." It is a fascinating read as he gives seven keys to ultra-wellness.

One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 15 where he talks about the importance of supplementation for a healthy brain. He lists 6 supplements that every adult should be taking daily and I got pretty excited reading the list because it is almost an exact replica of Shaklee's Vitalizer pack. What a great endorsement!

Also, I love this supplement formulated particularly for brain health. It boosts circulation to the brain and helps with focus and memory. It also reduces brain shrinkage which starts at age 20.

Get my free report to discover 7 simple, safe and natural ways to improve your brain's health, sharpen memory and prevent memory loss.
Don't wait for the red flags to pop up or the medical system to step in.
Be empowered to make better choices and develop simple strategies to keep your brain in optimum health for your entire life.

After all, there is no such thing as a brain transplant.
Take care of your brain!
This post contains affiliate offers but there is no additional charge to you.

Health Disclaimer: This information has not been approved by the FDA and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. Remember to seek medical advice from your health professional for all your health concerns, including taking care of your brain.

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The Importance of Taking Care of Your Brain and Memory - The Vitamin Shepherd

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One time when we were on furlough and staying with Mark's elderly parents, I couldn't find $200 in cash that I thought I had put in our dresser drawer. Since Mark's parents had given us their bedroom to sleep in and Mark's dad often kept cash on hand, we thought that perhaps dad had taken the money thinking it was his.

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The human brain has a similar structure to the brains of other mammals, but in relation to body size, it is larger than any other.
Its dominant feature, the cerebral cortex is a thick layer of neural tissue - nearly symmetrical with left and right hemispheres - that covers most of the brain. It is divided into the following four regions: the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. Within each lobe are numerous cortical areas, each associated with particular functions such as movement, cognition or language, and our vision, hearing, smell, taste, and somatic senses.Inside the brain, the limbic system controls our emotions and motivations. Below the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum relays information to the muscles to control movement, and the brain stem connects the brain to the spinal cord.

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I was checking into pinterest recently and noticed that someone had posted a poster link from onlinecollege.org. I could not help but not share this with everyo

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which part of the brain helps keep your balance so you don%e2%80%99t fall flat on your face%3f

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What Part Of The Brain Helps You Learn New Things?

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Major parts of the brain and their functions image healthy lifestyle. Learn how you think and then there's the cerebrum biggest most evolved part of brain. Of new synapses like the artist who creates a sculpture by adding things such that information from environment helps to organize brain ways learn better.

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Hold on to your neurons, folks! Brain Connection has just moved to a new location! It's like a synaptic leap to a brand new home, where our brainy information can thrive and expand in all its glory.

That's right, we've packed up our dendrites and migrated to the better, brighter, and more exciting location with even more BrainHQ content. Our neurons fired with excitement as we made the move, knowing that we're now closer than ever to providing you with the most up-to-date, fascinating, and entertaining content on all things related to the brain.

So join us on this thrilling journey as we explore new pathways of knowledge and discovery, and let's continue to unlock the secrets of the most complex organ in the universe, together!

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Hold on to your neurons, folks! Brain Connection has just moved to a new location! It's like a synaptic leap to a brand new home, where our brainy information can thrive and expand in all its glory. That's right, we've packed up our dendrites and migrated to the better, brighter, and more exciting location with even more BrainHQ content.

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These brain facts dispel many brain myths based on outdated knowledge. Learn how the brain works, for better (or worse). All facts cite original references.
There are a lot of myths and misinformation about the brain that pass as brain "facts."

This is somewhat understandable: The study of the human brain is one of the least explored areas in science and even experts agree that there is more we don't know about the brain than we currently do know. ( 1)

In recent years, our knowledge of the brain has exploded - most of what we know about the brain has been discovered in just the last 15 years.

So the real brain facts haven't always entered mainstream awareness yet. ( 2)

This is a newly expanded and updated article.

We'll keep updating it in the future, but for now, here are 72 fascinating brain facts, all backed by the latest science.

Human Brain Facts by the Numbers

The most complex manifestation of intelligence that we know of resides between our ears.

Here are some incredible numerical facts about the human brain.

1. The typical brain comprises about 2% of the body's total weight, but uses 20% of its total energy and oxygen intake. ( 3)

3. Ninety minutes of sweating can temporarily shrink the brain more than one year of aging does. ( 6)

4. Your brain weighs about three pounds. Sixty percent of the dry weight is fat, making the brain the fattiest organ in the body. ( 7)

5. Twenty-five percent of the body's cholesterol resides within the brain. Cholesterol is an integral part of every brain cell. Without adequate cholesterol, brain cells die. ( 8)

6. No one knows for sure, but the latest estimate is that our brains contain roughly 86 billion brain cells. ( 9)

7. Each neuron can transmit 1,000 nerve impulses per second and make as many as tens of thousands of synaptic contacts with other neurons. ( 10, 11)

8. A piece of brain tissue the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and 1 billion synapses, all communicating with each other. ( 12)

9. All brain cells are not alike. There are as many as 10,000 specific types of neurons in the brain. ( 13)

10. Your brain needs a constant supply of oxygen. As little as five minutes without oxygen can cause some brain cells to die, leading to severe brain damage. ( 14)

11. Babies have big heads to hold rapidly growing brains. A 2-year-old's brain is 80% of adult size. ( 15)

12. As any parent can attest, teenage brains are not fully formed. It isn't until about the age of 25 that the human brain reaches full maturity. ( 16)

14. Your brain generates about 12-25 watts of electricity. This is enough to power a low-wattage LED light. ( 19)

15. There's a reason the brain has been called a "random thought generator." The average brain is believed to generate up to 50,000 thoughts per day. ( 20)

16. Every minute, 750-1,000 milliliters of blood flows through the brain. This is enough to fill a bottle of wine or liter bottle of soda. ( 21)

Fun Facts About Brain Size

Size matters with some things, but with the brain, bigger doesn't always mean better or smarter.

18. In general, men's brains are 10% bigger than women's, even after taking into account larger body size. However, the hippocampus, the part of the brain most strongly linked with memory, is typically larger in women. ( 24)

19. Albert Einstein's brain weighed 2.71 pounds (1,230 grams) - 10% smaller than the average of 3 pounds (1,400 grams). However, the neuron density of his brain was greater than average. ( 25)

20. Neanderthal brains were 10% larger than our Homo sapiens brains. ( 26)

21. While humans have the largest brains proportional to body weight of all animals, we don't have the biggest brains. That distinction belongs to sperm whales with 17-pound brains. ( 27)

22. Human brains have gotten significantly smaller over the past 10-20,000 years. The lost volume is equivalent to the size of a tennis ball. ( 28)

23. The hippocampus, the part of the brain considered the "memory center," is significantly larger in London cab drivers. This is due to the mental workout they get while navigating the 25,000 streets of London. ( 29)

The Effects of Modern Lifestyle on the Brain

Our modern lifestyle is changing our brains.

And it's not all for the better.

25. The modern diet is low in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Low levels of omega-3s result in brain shrinkage equivalent to two years of structural brain aging. ( 31, 32)

27. Technology has forced most of us to be prodigious multitaskers. But your brain can't learn or concentrate on two things at once. What it can do is quickly toggle back and forth between tasks. But doing so decreases your attention span, ability to learn, short-term memory, and overall mental performance. ( 34, 35)

28. Unexpectedly, millennials (aged 18 to 34) are more forgetful than baby boomers. They are more likely to forget what day it is or where they put their keys than their parents! ( 36)

29. Attention spans are getting shorter. In 2000, the average attention span was 12 seconds. Now, it's 8 seconds. That's shorter than the 9-second attention span of the average goldfish. ( 37)

30. Brain cells cannibalize themselves as a last ditch source of energy to ward off starvation. So, in very real ways, dieting, especially low-fat diets, can force your brain to eat itself. ( 38)

32. Relying on GPS to navigate destroys your innate sense of direction, a skill that took our ancestors thousands of years to develop and hone. When areas of the brain involved in navigation are no longer used, those neural connections fade away via a process known as synaptic pruning. ( 40, 41, 42)

Brain Facts Update: Myths Debunked

Rapid advancements in neuroscience means that information gets outdated fast.

This is one reason that there's a lot of misinformation and myths floating around about the brain.

New evidence has shown that these commonly accepted brain "facts" are not true.

34. There is no such thing as a left-brain or right-brain personality/skill type. We are not left-brained or right-brained; we are "whole-brained." (See #33)

35. In spite of what you've been told, alcohol does not kill brain cells. What excessive alcohol consumption can do is damage the connective tissue at the end of neurons. ( 45)

36. The "Mozart effect" has been debunked. While listening to certain kinds of music can improve memory and concentration, there's nothing unique about listening to Mozart. ( 46)

37. You may have heard that we have more brain cells than there are stars in the Milky Way, but this is not true. Best-guess estimates are that we have 86 billion neurons while there are 200-400 billion stars in the Milky Way. ( 47)

38. It's often said that there are 10,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain when, actually, that number is closer to 400 miles. Still, a substantial amount! ( 48)

39. Contrary to the prevailing medical belief, having high total cholesterol is not bad for your brain. (See #5) In fact, high cholesterol actually reduces your risk of dementia. ( 49)

Facts About the Brain and Memory

It was once thought that the brain recorded memories like a camera, but this is not how memory works.

Rather than being discrete recordings of experience, memory-making is more akin to the creation of improvisational jazz.

41. Memory is better thought of as an activity rather than being associated with a specific area of the brain. Any given memory is deconstructed and distributed in different parts of the brain. Then, for the memory to be recalled, it gets reconstructed from the individual fragments. ( 51)

42. Your brain starts slowing down at the ripe old age of 24, but peaks for different cognitive skills at different ages. In fact, at any given age, you're likely getting better at some things and worse at others. An extreme case is vocabulary skills which may peak as late as the early 70s! ( 52, 53, 54, 55)

44. It's generally believed that people with exceptional memories are born that way, but this is rarely the case. Most memory masters will tell you that having an outstanding memory is a skill they developed by employing the best memory techniques. ( 57)
Deane & Dr. Pat
Facts About Brain Form and Function

The human brain's design and function are uniquely amazing.

45. Human brain tissue is not dense. It's very fragile - soft and squishy similar to the consistency of soft tofu or gelatin. ( 58)

46. The brain produces a half cup of fluid every day. It floats in this bath of cerebrospinal fluid which acts as a shock absorber to keep the brain from being crushed by its own weight. ( 59)

48. Your brain has a pattern of connectivity as unique as your fingerprints. ( 61)

51. The brains of introverts and extroverts are measurably different. MRIs reveal that the dopamine reward network is more active in the brains of extroverts while introverts' brains have more gray matter. ( 66, 67, 68)

52. According to research done at Cambridge University, the order of letters in a word doesn't matter much to your brain. As long as the first and last letters are in the right spot, your brain can rearrange the letters to form words as fast as you can read. This is why you can easily make sense out of this jumble of letters:
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Pretty amazing! ( 69)

How The Human Brain Compares to a Computer

The human brain is usually compared to the most advanced technology of the day.

It's been compared to a clock, a switchboard, a computer, and, most recently, to the internet. ( 70, 71)

You might be surprised to learn that, in every way it's been tested, the brain is still far superior to the most powerful computers in existence.

53. Your brain's storage capacity is considered virtually unlimited. It doesn't get "used up" like RAM in your computer. ( 72)

54. The latest research shows that the brain's memory capacity is a quadrillion, or 10 ¹⁵, bytes. Astoundingly, this is about the same amount needed to store the entire internet! ( 73)

55. The human brain is capable of 1,016 processes per second, which makes it far more powerful than any existing computer. ( 74)

56. Researchers involved in the AI Impacts project have developed a way to compare supercomputers to brains - by measuring how fast a computer can move information around within its own system. By this standard, the human brain is 30 times more powerful than the IBM Sequoia, one of the world's fastest supercomputers. ( 75)

Evidence Our Brains "Could Be Better"

You've seen plenty of evidence so far that our brains are truly amazing!

But the brain can also work in ways that are illogical, fallible, and counterproductive.

58. There are almost 200 known cognitive biases and distortions that cause us to think and act irrationally. ( 78, 79, 80)

61. Think you're in control of your life? Don't be so sure. Ninety-five percent of your decisions take place in your subconscious mind. ( 85)

63. Our brains crave mental stimulation, sometimes to a fault. Men especially would rather give themselves electric shocks than sit quietly in a room and think! ( 88)

65. The human brain is extraordinarily complex and consequently can go awry in some spectacular ways. Some of the strangest disorders include exploding head syndrome disorder ( hearing phantom explosions in your head), Capgras syndrome ( thinking loved ones have been substituted by impostors, robots or aliens), and Cotard's syndrome ( believing you are dead). ( 91)

66. Savant syndrome is a condition where those with serious mental disabilities have an "island of genius." The most common areas of genius fall into one of these categories: music, art, mathematics, mechanical, or spatial skills. ( 92)

67. Most savants are born that way, but a brain trauma can cause acquired savant syndrome where ordinary people suddenly develop genius-level abilities they didn't have before. ( 93)

Brain Facts That Are Just Plain Weird

And there are some facts that may just make you smile at the seemingly miraculous wonder that is our brain.

71. It's not your imagination. Users of Apple devices really are different than those who use Android products. MRIs reveal that Apple products stimulate the "god spot" in their users' brains - the same part of the brain activated by religious imagery in people of faith. ( 99)

72. Few facts about the brain are as strange as the posthumous story of Albert Einstein's brain. The pathologist who performed Einstein's autopsy kept the brain in a jar in his basement for 40 years. Eventually, he made a cross-country trip with the brain in a Tupperware container to deliver it to Einstein's granddaughter. You can read the full story about one of the most bizarre road trips ever in Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain. ( 100)

Human Brain Facts: The Bottom Line

The facts are clear.

The human brain is a marvelous, if imperfect, organ.

We hope that this knowledge compels you to a greater appreciation and deeper sense of responsibility for the care of your brain.

To learn more about any of the brain facts in this article, click on the citation links (those numbered links at the end of a paragraph).

In the webpage that appears, you'll find the study, recognized authority, or expert opinion that supports and expands on that fact.
Do you know any other interesting brain facts? Please leave them in the comments below, with references if available!

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72 Amazing Human Brain Facts (Based on the Latest Science)

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These brain facts dispel many brain myths based on outdated knowledge. Learn how the brain works, for better (or worse). All facts cite original references. There are a lot of myths and misinformation about the brain that pass as brain "facts."