Every day, scientists are learning more and more about how our brains work. Over the past 20 years, their knowledge has grown significantly, proving that previously acquired knowledge was not always correct. The human brain has always amazed and puzzled people for centuries. Some scientists and doctors have devoted their entire lives to studying the brain, understanding the importance of how the brain works, how it develops, what it controls, how it affects sleep, dreams and memory, and how to help a person fight certain diseases.
The human brain is surrounded by myths, mysteries, and many secrets that have not yet been revealed, despite the fact that science has made great strides forward. And although experts consider our knowledge to be rather meager, there are few facts that deserve our attention.
Some will make you stop and think.
Some will please.
Others will help you understand what perfect "machine" is at their disposal.
1. The average brain makes up about 2% of the body weight, but uses 20% of the total amount of oxygen consumed and the lack of it for 5-10 minutes can lead to irreversible damage to the human brain.
2. The brain is 73% water and for its normal functioning it is necessary to consume enough water.
Reducing your water content by even 2% will negatively affect your memory, attention and other cognitive skills.
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3. The average human brain weighs 1.4 kg. It used to be thought that the heavier the brain, the higher the level of intelligence, but it turned out that the heaviest brain known to science - 2,850 kg, did not belong to a genius, but to a person who suffered from idiocy and epilepsy. Albert Einstein's brain weighed only 1.23 kg. People do not have the largest brain weight, the sperm whale has the palm - its brain weighs 7.7 kg
4. The human brain is 60% fat. 25% of the cholesterol in the body is found in the brain cells and is an integral part of every brain cell, and actually reduces the risk of dementia.
Without cholesterol, brain cells die
5. Nobody knows for sure, but at last count, our brain contains about 86 billion brain neurons. Brain cells are not the same. There are 10,000 specific types of neurons in the brain and, therefore, information is transmitted at different rates within different neurons. More than 100,000 chemical reactions occur in the brain every second. There are about 50,000 thoughts a day running through my head and 70% of them are believed to be negative. The brain reproduces new nerve cells, contrary to previously known information.
6. After birth, the child's brain develops very quickly and by one year it is 60% of that of an adult, but development continues until about 25 years of age. Even after this age, the brain continues to change for better or worse. At birth, a child has the ability to experience various emotions and the child's upbringing determines what emotions the child will develop. Talking with a small child, playing games, reading by ear helps the development of his brain.
7. The modern lifestyle changes our brain and not for the better. In recent years, the average human brain size has decreased, we are not getting smarter, the average IQ has dropped 1.6 points in the previous decade. People's attention span becomes shorter. If in 2000 the average attention span was 12 seconds, now it is 8 seconds, which is shorter than the concentration of attention in goldfish (9 seconds).
Brain cells consume themselves as the last source of energy when a person is hungry. Remember this when you are about to sit on the next diet.
8. The volume of our brain is practically unlimited and cannot be fully used. The myth that a person uses only 10% of the brain is incorrect. Brain scans clearly show that we use most of it, even when we sleep. The brain does not rest at night, but works on processing the information received during the day. People with developed intelligence are much less likely to suffer from mental disorders and senile dementia.
9. The human brain does not have pain receptors that signal pain. Therefore, surgeons have the ability to perform brain surgery without anesthesia, without affecting motor and visual functions. The pain is caused by sensitive receptors of the dura mater of the brain.
