Human brains are sophisticated devices capable of doing very amazing functions. There is an infinite list of interesting and creepily unpleasant facts about the human brain. Our brain has amazing capacities and complexity.
Do you know? Humans have the biggest relative brains of any mammal. It manages the neurological system, digesting sensory organ information and transmitting it to muscles.
What’s more, distinct sections of the brain process and carry out different activities, but they all work together to keep us functional, protected, prepared, and alive. So, here are some facts about your brain.
Facts about your brain
1. The human brain isn’t capable of feeling pain
The brain is the command center for pain. It alerts us to problems or directs our focus where it’s most needed. However, the brain itself cannot experience pain since it does not have any pain receptors.
Then, how about headaches? For your information, the tissues that surround and protect the brain and skull are the real culprits when it comes to headache pain, not your brain.
2. Cholesterol is vital to the function of the brain
Your brain uses 25% of your body’s cholesterol, which supports membrane function, works as an antioxidant, and is the raw material for progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, testosterone, and vitamin D.
Also, older persons with greater cholesterol levels had superior memory. Moreover, low cholesterol increases depression risk and can cause death.
3. The brain literally shrinks under constant stress
Chronic stress shrinks the brain. Stress may also reduce neuron growth and function. PTSD and unresolved trauma decrease the hippocampus, which generates new memories.
4. The brain doesn’t finish developing until age 25
Once we reach puberty or turn 18, our brain development does not stop. Even in our twenties, our brains are continuously developing.
According to Mental Health Daily, “the fact that our brains aren’t developed until the mid-20s means that ‘legal adults’ (those age 18+) are allowed to make adult decisions, without fully mature brains.”
5. Your brain has the capacity to power a dim lightbulb
Energy production in the brain is fairly minor. Additionally, a 20-watt light bulb might be powered by the typical human brain. In fact, “the energy consumed by the cortex is only enough to power 1% of its neurons at any time,” as one researcher puts it.
6. Your brain is as soft as butter
Your brain is more like soft butter in texture.
“It’s so soft that even just a collision with the inside of your skull can give you brain damage,”
— Dr. Cameron Shaw
7. Foods that are food for your brain
Certain foods improve brain power and function. Adult brains can still produce new neurons, which underpin learning, memory, and stress response. In addition, brain-friendly food such as walnuts, eggs, salmon, and avocados can assist to promote new neuron growth.
8. Moreover, even if it causes you pain or death, your brain will always prioritize its own safety.
9. If you’re stuck in a cold place, your brain will make you go to sleep to save energy. Guess what? You’ll never wake up again.
Sources: Ranker, Reddit