Brain Facts

Here are some fun brain facts to kick off the Christmas season.

• 750-1000mL of blood flows through the brain in one minute:

One thousand millilitres is one litre or just over a quarter of a gallon.

• There are 100 billion neurons in the brain:

That’s a give-or-take number. Scientists don’t agree on how many.

• Your brain is 2% of your body weight but uses 20% of your body’s energy:

Is that why I’m so tired after a day of using my brain at school?

• Your brain is the fattest organ in your body, consisting of at least 60% fat:

No need to go on a diet, though.

• Information zips along neurons at speeds up to 120 metres per second:

Compared to your brain’s speed, Olympic 100m sprinters manage 10 m per sec

• Every time you create a memory or a new thought, a new brain connection is created:

Connections make our thinking and learning stronger

• The average number of thoughts each human has each day is around 70000:

That’s Seventy Thousand! Each day!

• Laughing at a joke requires activity in 5 different areas of the brain:

And they’re all connected; your memory kicks in to check if you’ve seen or heard it before. Your decision-making centre decides how you react. It messages your muscles to laugh if it’s funny and groan if it’s not. (at a speed of 120 metres per second)

• A living brain generates enough power to light a 25-watt bulb.

  Stay switched on!