I could have also titled this “6 Funky Facts I Bet Your Brain Doesn’t Know About Itself.” The brain is such an interesting, complex thing. In a way, the brain named itself. Mine is Frank.
But I kid.
Here are 6 funky facts about the brain I bet you didn’t know:
1. Your brain is an energy hog.
Your brain really needs some energy efficient lightbulbs or something, because even though it accounts for barely 2% of your body weight, it consumes a quarter of the body’s energy. You have tens of billions of neurons in your brain and they all need lots of energy to keep firing.
2. If you’re not careful, your brain can get stuck in an endless loop.
Specifically if you don’t finish your thoughts. Scientists call it “earworm.” Basically the brain doesn’t like it when your thoughts go unfinished and wants to do something about it. And that something is to obsess like an idiot until the thought is finished. So next time your thoughts are interrupted, be sure to finish the thought later. Think of your poor brain!
3. Sleeping too much rots your brain.
Too much sleep can be as bad as not enough. The brain will age faster if you sleep too much. Get 6-8 hours every night.
4. Your brain is pretty much in love with hallucinating.
Which is why all the brains in Washington D.C. wanting to ban hallucinogens is kind of funny. Even their brains just want to trip balls every once in a while. Of course, drugs aren’t the only way to hallucinate. We often hallucinate while asleep, and the brain absolutely loves it.
5. What you’re seeing right now isn’t real.
What?
Yeah, it might be kind of weird, but that’s the reality of it. Light falls on our retina in a two-dimensional way, but we obviously don’t live in a 2D world. All of the things we see are an approximated viewable image constructed by our energy-sucking, trip-loving, sleep-hating brains.
6. Pain is a myth made up by your brain.
There is no such thing as pain. The brain lacks pain receptors. That’s why doctors often perform brain surgery with a patient who is wide awake. Pain is just how your body communicates with the brain when it thinks something is threatening your survival. This means you can condition your brain not to worry about great amounts of pain.
You know, if you have the will to do that… you can just kind of think about something else when you’re in pain, like being really happy about something.
Brains are a little bit weird.
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