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A model of the brain by Robina Weermeijer on

15 Mind-Blowing Facts About the Brain: Unlocking the Mysteries of Our Most Vital Organ

The brain is a truly remarkable organ that is responsible for everything we do. from walking and talking to thinking and dreaming. It’s so impressive that it can even process information faster than the world’s most powerful supercomputers!

However, despite all of its amazing abilities, the brain remains a mystery to us. It knows everything about every other organ in the body, but it’s yet to fully understand itself.

It’s like the brain is a Sherlock Holmes-level detective trying to solve the ultimate mystery – itself! Maybe it’s just too complex for us mere mortals to fully comprehend. 

We might not fully understand how the brain works, but we do know a lot! So, join in, and let’s unlock the mysteries of our most vital organ!

1. The Brain Cannot Feel Pain

A person having a headache by Sander Sammy on

Ever heard of awake brain surgery, also known as an awake craniotomy? Like the name suggests it’s when a neurosurgeon performs a procedure on the brain while the patient is awake and alert. It is usually done to treat a variety of conditions, such as tumors, blood clots, aneurysms, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.

While the brain is covered and surrounded by muscles, skin, and blood vessels that have pain receptors, it has none! This is what makes it possible for an awake craniotomy to be done without the patient screaming in sheer agony. The next time you have a headache, know that the pain does not stem from the brain.

2. The Brain Can Rewire Itself

A remarkable fact about the brain is that it is able to change and reorganize itself throughout a person’s lifetime. This is to accommodate changes in the said person’s physique for example.

The process through which the brain does this is known as neuroplasticity. An example of this is when a person is born blind, the part of the brain that processes visual perception can rewire itself to process sound.

Now you know why people claim that blind people have heightened senses! See some famous bind here!

3. Your Brain Is Smaller Than Your Predecessor’s

Human brain (sagittal section) by Erald Mecani –

This a scary fact but don’t worry, there is no chance the brain becomes a vestigial organ (if that’s what you’re worried about). However, this fact is backed by skeletal evidence. So maybe just find a way to use this against your big-headed friend.

An explanation for this apparent shrinkage is that the average body size of humans has shrunk over the last 10,000 years. Since a large body requires an equally large nervous system, the brain shrunk as the body did.

4. The Electricity Produced by Your Brain While Awake Could Power a Small Light Bulb

About 100 billion little cells called neurons make up your brain. Little chemical and electrical signals are constantly racing between these neurons along billions of small neuron highways.

You might not be consciously aware of it, but your brain is always active whether you’re awake or asleep. Every second, countless messages whirl around inside of it like a turbocharged pinball machine. When asleep, however, brain activity is reduced significantly.

While a single neuron generates only a tiny amount of electricity, all your neurons together can generate about 12-25 watts of electricity – which is enough to power a low-wattage bulb.

5. The Fattiest Organ in Your Body

Yes, there are parts of the body with more fat than the brain. However, when put as a percentage, over 60% of the brain is fat. This effectively makes it the fattiest organ in the body.

Fats stabilize the cell walls in the brain and reduce inflammation in case of an injury as well as help the immune system function properly. This is why healthy fats such as omega-3s and omega-6s are crucial.

6. Consumes About 20% Of The Body’s Energy Supply

PET image of the human brain showing energy consumption by Jens Maus –

The brain is a greedy and expensive organ at least as far as energy consumption is concerned. The brain is a relatively tiny organ, representing just 2% of a person’s body weight.

However, this tiny organ is responsible for roughly 20% of the body’s energy use. It should be noted that the amount of energy used varies depending on the mental state and tasks being undertaken.

7. Each Hemisphere Is in Charge of The Opposite Side of The Body

The brain is divided into two symmetrical hemispheres. The left and right hemispheres. Both hemispheres work together and the idea that one side of the brain is dormant is nothing more than a myth.

Each hemisphere is in charge of the opposite side of the body. The right hemisphere also takes in sensory input from your left side and vice versa.

8. The Harder the Brain Works the Smaller the Brain Waves

An EEG setup by Ulrich from

Yes, you read that right! However, there is a simple and clear explanation for this. As your brain is working, it creates electric fields (brain waves). These waves can be measured effectively on your scalp through the electroencephalogram (EEG).

According to scientists, these fields reduce as brain activity increases. This is because idle neurons will sync up with the active ones when performing a small or medial task. Think of it as a choir, when the individuals are in sync they are heard clearly.

When brain activity increases, these neurons will sync up in extremely complex patterns hence lowering the fields. Much like if the choir members are out of sync or even singing different songs, they will not be heard clearly!

9. Unlimited Storage Capacity

You can never learn so much that the brain is unable to retain new information. However, I will agree that it can feel that way after studying for a test or even a long meeting.

The truth is that, unlike that hard disk, smartphone, or computer of yours, the brain’s storage does not get used up. So, why do we forget then?

Some reasons why forgetting happens include; memories interfering with one another, distortion, decay of memory, and even retrieval failure due to a lack of cues to trigger the memory.

Also, it is important to note that forgetting is as much a necessary feature as it is a bug since it helps us to prioritize and focus on the most important information.

10. Sweating Can Temporarily Shrink the Brain

Sweating by Nathan Dumlao on

The human brain is made up of 73% water. Consistent and heavy loss of body fluids through sweating causes the body to ‘borrow’ water from the brain to use in essential processes. This will then lead to the brain withering and shrinking.

This causes the brain to pull away from the skull, therefore, exerting pressure and stress on the area around it hence a dehydration headache. Scientists found that about 90 minutes of sweating without replenishing fluids shrinks the brain as much as a year of aging does.

It goes without saying that this also affects how hard and effectively the brain will work. Bet you’ll drink that glass of water now, won’t you?

11. The Brain Can Process and Recognize Images in Just 13 Milliseconds

The first proof of such quick processing speed comes from MIT researchers, who discovered that the human brain can process an entire image that the eye sees in as little as 13 milliseconds.

Previously, it was thought that the human brain could only interpret images for 100 milliseconds at a time. This new study was published in the journal Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics.

12. Short-Term Memory Generally Lasts Around 15 To 30 Seconds

Ever had a thought, maybe said something and completely lost it merely a few seconds after being distracted? There’s nothing wrong with you it’s your brain’s capacity to hold small information in the active mind that failed you.

The brain keeps that information in an available state for easy access, but only for about half a minute. This is known as short-term memory. When recalling numbers, specifically, most people hold the memory for around 7.3 seconds on average and 9.3 seconds on average for letters.

13. Up to Half Your Bain Can Be Surgically Removed with Little or No Effect on Personality or Memory

A portrait of Phineas Gage with his infamous rod by Unknown Author –

Yes, much like you can live with just one kidney, it is possible to live with only one brain hemisphere. However, unlike the kidney, losing one hemisphere is not without its toll and impact.

Some traits that are specific to the removed hemisphere will definitely be affected giving the patient subtle differences. However, some traits such as personality, humor, and memory will eventually recover but cognition (awareness) will be altered. The procedure of removing one hemisphere is known as a hemispherectomy.

Take for example the curious case of  Phineas Gage who had an iron rod passed through his skill and brain without killing him. It did however alter his cognition. The rod destroyed much of his left frontal lobe. 

14. Learning New Things Increases Gray Matter

When we learn something new, our brain forms new connections between neurons and glial cells. This then increases visible gray matter in the brain.

According to scientists, this increase is temporary most of the time since after learning the neurons will be pruned away. When they are kept, they are reassigned to other roles in the brain.

15. When Intoxicated, The Brain Can’t Form Memories

Drinking by Omar Lopez on

Finally, an explanation for blackouts. Alcohol disrupts the brain’s ability to form new long-term memories (memory consolidation) which takes place in the hippocampus.

So no, you did not forget what happened that one night! Your brain just wasn’t informed of any of it. See some facts about Alcohol here!