Believe It or Not, Your Brain Is More Amazing Than You Think. Find Out Some Crazy Facts About Your Brain.
Have you wondered what would happen if we use 100% of our brains? Probably not much, since that’s apparently a myth. We can however, do some pretty crazy things with our brains, so let’s dive in and learn some brain facts.”
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Our Brains Are Shrinking
Our brains are big. They weigh around 1.4 kilograms and occupy a large space in our cranium – up to 80%. The rest is blood and cerebrospinal fluid. As revolting as this sounds, if you blended the brain and fluids, it would nearly fill 2-litres!
It’s one of the proven facts that our brains are shrinking. So, when you can’t understand how humans could be so stupid, there might be a legit reason behind it.
University of Wisconsin paleoanthropologist John Hawks told LiveScience that our brains have shrunk roughly 10%. This doesn’t necessarily correlate to intellect. It’s believed our brains are shrinking because our skulls are growing smaller. This is because our jaws are decreasing in size due to our less chewy diet.
Our Brains Are Malleable
It’s always believed that our brains stop growing at a certain point, but turns out, that’s another fallacy. According to facts, our brain is more pliable when we’re younger, but even as adults, there is still room for malleability.
Called adult plasticity, scientists have observed brain cells learning new information using better imaging techniques to make those cells fluorescent.
This plasticity occurs through learning, memory formation, experience, and brain trauma.
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The Difference Between Male and Female Brains
We often say the opposite sex is “wired differently.”
So, is there a difference between a male and female brain? Apparently, yes. Men have larger brain volume and women have thicker cortices. Research done by Diane Halpern, PhD, who specializes in cognitive differences between males and females found that women tend to do better with verbal and writing ability and men generally perform better with problem-solving.
She’s got a highly interesting read about these differences in her book, “Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities.”
IQ Is up to You
People are born with different levels of IQ but the interesting thing is, you can increase it.
How cool is that? you can be born dumb and educate yourself to stop being dumb in the future. Who would have thought… Well, Sandra Bond Chapman did think. The founder, and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas says, “We used to think that once smart, always smart and vice versa—we now know that is wrong.” Aluxers, there is still hope.[embedded content]
No Need to Ask for Directions
Ever wondered how you just have a feeling of how to get somewhere and you actually get there?
Turns out, you’re not a super sleuth but rather making use of your brain’s “place cells.” These cells are attached to memory and assist us in our spatial reasoning skills.
In 2005, more cells were discovered, this time by May-Britt and Edvard Moser. They confirmed the existence of “grid cells” in our brains. Our brains automatically create a grid-like pattern helping us to remember places. This discovery was awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014!
You’re Brain-Washed Before You Fall Asleep
Aluxers, we’ve all heard about brainwashing. Except, the concept reminds us of people joining a cult, falling victim to a conspiracy theory, or even being sucked into an MLM scheme.
We mentioned cerebrospinal fluid earlier, well this fluid protects our brains and clears out toxins, keeping our brains squeaky clean.
Researchers at Boston University watched 13 healthy young people sleep – weird we know – but the discovery was worth it. They realized that our brain fluid creates waves around our brains every 20-seconds, basically washing our brains before we fall asleep.
It’s a Distant Memory
Have you ever been recalling an event with people who were there too, and they remember it entirely differently? You wonder if you’ve lost your mind, or if they were smoking something at the time it happened.
Scientists still can’t pinpoint how memory actually works, but André Fenton, a neuroscientist at New York University’s Center for Neural Science, has an idea. He believes that our memory is like writing on clay. It smudges, it fades, it bleeds… thereby warping the reality of the events. He added that ongoing biochemical processes in our brain change the way we remember memories.
You’re Officially All Grown
Just when you thought you were as tall as you’d ever be, or you’ve finally settled onto a shoe size for life, we’re here to tell you, there are still parts of you growing… and no, we don’t mean your waistline. We mean your brain.
Our brains are only fully grown when we are around 25-years old. The last part to develop is your prefrontal cortex, and that’s the part where judgment, problem-solving, decision-making, complex planning, organized thinking, personality development, and impulse control stems from – according to Dr. Tarawneh who specializes in Neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner.
Turn up the Volume
Aluxers, have you ever wondered why music makes you happy? Turns out, there is a link between what we hear and the reward circuits in our brain. As explained by neuroscientists Anne Blood and Robert Zatorre at McGill University in Montreal, “pleasurable music activated brain regions called the limbic and paralimbic areas, which are connected to euphoric reward responses, like those we experience from sex, good food and addictive drugs.”
Right, so if you’re needing to be addicted to something – we hope you choose music![embedded content]
Brains Need Training Just Like the Rest of Our Body
Have you ever thought of your brain the same way you think about your biceps? It’s an organ after all, that gets nourished and trained the same way your muscles do.
Training your biceps is a pretty straight forward process, but how do you train your brain?
What strength is for muscle, attention is for your brain. The process has a lot to do with awareness and mindfulness, which is why we highly recommend our mind mastery course that has been getting glowing reviews so far. Head to alux.com/mindmastery and enroll now!
If you want to train your brain to build mental strength, check out 10 Ways to Build Mental Fortitude.
A New Lease on Life
Before cochlear implants were a thing, if there was hearing loss, there wasn’t much you could do. Well, according to myhearingcentres.com, “one cure for hearing loss was to climb to a high place and then jump down.” Thank goodness cochlear implants were available in the 80s, and over time, they became so advanced and a life changer for many.
Same applies to retinal implants and now there are other implantable therapies that are bringing relief to people struggling with brain disorders, like Parkinson’s and epilepsy. There’s hope these implantable therapies could assist with OCD, depression, addiction and pain.
Games Make You Smarter
Aluxers, did you know that playing video games improves cognitive skills? So, before you get annoyed with your partner for spending so much time gaming, it’s possible it’s just making him smarter in the long run.
Healthygamer.gg reports that, “Video games increase your attention span, improve decision making and problem-solving capabilities in competitive environments, and improve memory and learning. Video games improve the cognitive abilities that society values.”
This research was concluded by Green and Bavelier.
Time to Visit High Society
In our video, 15 Advanced Ways to Remember What You Study, we spoke about the memory palace.
It’s said to be the most powerful mnemonic device ever created. Mnemonic being a system made up of associations, letters, or ideas – anything that helps you to remember something.
Roman legend suggests the Memory Palace theory was invented by Simonides of Ceos roughly 2,500-years ago.
We know places well, like our home. We know the sounds, textures, objects, and smells. Now, associate your study notes with those places. If you follow the same route through your house, you’ll easily retain the information you need for your studies and to increase your memory.[embedded content]
Wrinkles Get a Bad Rap
It’s time to wear your wrinkles with pride, because apparently the more wrinkles and folds, the smarter you may be.
Before you start skipping the sunscreen, we’re referring to your brain’s wrinkles.
The more folds, the more processing power. Bigger brains, more neurons, more smarts… we mean smarter 😛
Changes in Our Brain Can Lead to Mental Health Problems
The National Institutes of Health are researching facts that link mental illness and our brain’s structure. They believe that stress and environment can be huge causes of mental health issues.
Aluxers, if you have gone through a stressful time or your environment has changed, it’s never a bad idea to book a session with a therapist. Even if you’re not feeling super stressed, that mild irritation or anxiety can quickly spiral out of control.
A session with a therapist, even when things are good, is never a bad idea. It helps keep us grounded and moving in the right direction.
Aluxers, can you add anything of interest to our list of brain facts today? We’d love to hear from you!