Brainy Facts

#1 Sexual pursuit area

The male brain has a sexual pursuit area that is 2.5 times larger than in the female brain. This only makes us wonder what that extra size comes at the expense of?

Humans do not have the largest brain of any animal, but we do have the largest frontal lobe. Many scientists think this the frontal lobe (red in image below) is the best indicator of intelligence for this reason.

There is a term for when a word is “on the tip of your tongue,” but you can’t quite remember it. It is called anomia. Which sounds like a disease, so you might be able to net unexpected pity points if you break this one out with your friends!

There are more than 100,000 chemical reactions occurring within the brain every second. Wow, it’s no wonder scientists have such a hard time figuring out what exactly is going on in there!

While awake, a human brain can generate enough energy to power a light bulb (between 10-23 watts). Hence that old cartoon stereotype of a light bulb turning on whenever someone gets an idea.

The human brain is the fattest organ in the body, consisting of at least 60% fat. That it’s fatter than the stomach- the thing that stores and processes fats in the body- really says something about how important it is!

When you have headaches, it’s not your brain that’s hurting- you brain has no pain receptors itself. It simply emulates the pain being felt in other parts of the body with it’s mirror neurons.

About 12% of people dream in black and white. We have to wonder if all of their dreams are like old movies?

Humans grow faster at night because the brain’s pituitary gland, releases a growth hormone at night while a person sleeps. This being the case, it the phrase “it happened overnight,” actually has some validity!

Information travels to and is processed by the brain at speeds up to 268 mph. Speeds may vary because of the different shapes of neurons within the body.

The sense of smell connects to the part of the brain that also controls emotions and memories. This is why smells often evoke strong memories.

Ever wondered why it doesn’t have the same effect when you tickle yourself? Brain scientists have identified the cerebellum as the part of the brain that prevents us from tickling ourselves.

Long-term exposure to stress kills brain cells with hormones that are meant to be active only for a short period of time in emergencies. Always be sure to balance out your work with some break time!

The heaviest known normal human brain belonged to the Russian Writer Ivan Turgenev, weighing in at 4.43 pounds. This is more than a pound heavier than the average male brain!

Humans have more brain cells at the age of two than at any other time of their lives. What happens then, is the brain kills off the cells it deems unnecessary for the future. When people are telling you that the first couple years of a kid’s life are their most important, they aren’t really lying!