Trivia

The Brain

Complex and poorly understood; the brain is the organ that makes everything work properly. The body may be kept alive, but without the brain, a person can’t truly live. Here are some facts about the brain.

1.  The brain doesn’t feel pain: Even though the brain processes pain signals, the brain itself does not actually feel pain.

2. Your brain has huge oxygen needs: Your brain requires 20% of the oxygen and calories your body needs — even though your brain only makes up 2% of your total body weight. (So the more you think, the more calories you burn? … Maybe?!)
3. 80% of the brain is water: Instead of being relatively solid, your brain 80% water. This means that it is important that you remain properly hydrated for the sake of your mind.
4. Your brain comes out to play at night: You’d think that your brain is more active during the day, when the rest of your body is. But it’s not. Your brain is more active when you sleep.
5. Your brain operates on 10 watts of power: It’s true: The amazing computational power of your brain only requires about 10 watts of power to operate.
6. The brain changes shapes during puberty: Your teenage years do more than just change how you feel; the very structure of your brain changes during the teen years, and it even affects impulsive, risky behaviour. (This may explain a lot … hmmm).
7. Your brain can store everything: Technically, your brain has the capacity to store everything you experience, see, read or hear. However, the real issue is recall — whether you can access that information.
8. Information in your brain travels at different speeds: The neurons in your brain are built differently, and information travels along them at different speeds. This is why sometimes you can recall information instantly, and sometimes it takes a little longer.

Your Senses

You might be surprised at the amazing things your various senses can accomplish.

9.  Your smell is unique: Your body odor is unique to you — unless you have an identical twin. Even babies recognize the individual scents of their mothers.

10.              Women smell better than men: Women are better than men at identifying smells. (Couldn’t resist this fact).

11.              Humans use echolocation: Humans can use sound to sense objects in their area using echolocation. It is thought that those who are blind develop this ability to heightened effectiveness.

12.              Adrenaline gives you super strength: Yes, with the proper response in certain situations, you really can lift a car.

13. Your nose remembers 50,000 scents: It is possible for your nose to identify and remember more than 50,000 smells.

14. Your hearing decreases when you overeat: When you eat too much food, it actually reduces your ability to hear. So consider eating healthy — and only until you are full. (This may explain the “graveyard shift” people refer to after lunch).

15. Your sense of time is in your head: How you experience time is all about your perception. (The better you plan, the more time you have. The more productive you are). Some speculate that stress can help you experience time dilation. Apparently, time manipulation isn’t just for superheroes.

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