7 myths about the brain

The seven most common misconceptions regarding the human brain and its full disclosure: the brain capabilities, neurons, etc.

The human brain - the wonderful and sometimes mysterious organ. So far, researchers have studied our brains work, they found a lot of information about what is going on in your head. Unfortunately, there still remains enough misconceptions about the brain.

Here are just a small part of all the errors of the human brain:

Myth One: A man uses only 10 percent of their brain capacity
You've probably heard this oft-quoted statement several times, but the constant repetition does not make this statement true. People regularly use this popular urban legend, implying that the human mind is capable of the spectacular things: a sharp increase in intelligence, mental capacity, or telekinesis. After that, if we have achieved this progress by using your brain by only 10%, just imagine what we can do, if you use the remaining 90%.

Reality: Studies show that the human brain every department has its own specific feature set. If the myth of 10% is correct, the chance of damage to the brain would be much less - we should worry only about that small 10% of our brains were safe. But in reality, even a very small damage areas of the brain can lead to serious consequences for our operation. Brain scans also showed that in all the brain there is a certain level of activity, even during sleep. Read more about the myth about the 10 percent myth.

Myth Two: The brain lesions are not treated
The brain - a fragile body, it can be damaged due to disease or stroke. Trauma can be a sad outcome from mild cognitive impairment to full loss. Brain damage can be devastating, but whether it will remain forever?

Indeed: Sometimes the brain is able to recover. For example, the ball hit on the head during a football match can cause a concussion. Despite the seriousness of the injury, most people are able to recover, if given the time to treatment. On the other hand, severe stroke can severely damage the brain, so it is possible that the effects will last a lifetime.

Nevertheless, it is important to remember the impressive ability of the brain to self. Even after a serious injury, such as stroke, brain often heals itself, forming new connections.

Myth Three: Do more people developed one of the hemispheres of the brain - the left or right
Have you ever heard someone say that he is more developed left or right brain? This occurs because of the popular idea that the man dominates one of the hemispheres of the brain. According to this idea, "right-brain 'people are more emotional and creative, and the" left hemisphere "- have analytical thinking and logic of development.

In fact: Despite the fact that experts recognize the separation of parts of the brain, "Function", no one can be completely "hemispheric" or "left-hemispheric". The best thing a person performs an action when using your brain entirely, even if this action is usually associated with a certain area of ​​the brain.

Myth Four: in the biggest human brain
In proportion to the whole body, the human brain is really quite large, but common misconception is that the human brain more than any other creature. As far as large-sized human brain? How it relates to other types?

In fact: adult brain weighs approximately 1.3 kilograms (3 pounds), and is 15 cm in length. The largest brain belongs to the sperm whale weighs as much as 8.1 kg (18 pounds)! Other animals with big brains - the elephant, his brain weighs about 5 kg (11 pounds).

But what about the relation of the brain to the body? Of course, in this case, people should surpass all the animals, right? Wrong again - this statement is also a myth. Surprisingly, the record in this regard is the shrew - the weight of her brain is 10% of the total weight.

Myth Five: We are born with all the brain cells that we will ever be, and when the cells die, they are gone forever
Folk wisdom has long suggested that adults have a certain amount of brain cells that never grow, but only decreases. Is the brain cells do not regenerate?

In fact: Recently, experts have found evidence that new brain cells are actually formed for life, even in old age. The process of formation of new brain cells called neurogenesis, and the researchers found that there is at least one important area of the brain - the hippocampus.

Myth Six: Alcohol kills brain cells
This myth is partly linked to the myth of nonrenew- neurons. If you're too much or too often to drink, how to prevent some people and lose your precious brain cells forever. We have already learned that adults recover these cells throughout life, but whether alcohol does kill neurons?

In fact: Alcohol, of course, can lead to serious health problems, but experts do not believe that alcohol - the cause of neuronal death. In fact, studies have shown that even the constant drunkenness does not kill neurons. Quite the contrary - moderate alcohol consumption improves memory and cognitive functions.

Myth Seven: The human brain contains 100 billion neurons
If you have ever looked through a textbook on psychology or neuroscience, you probably read that the human brain contains about 100 billion neurons. How accurate is constantly quoted number? So how many neurons in the human brain?

In fact: The number "100 billion" is repeated as many times and for so long that no one knows where it came from. However, in 2009, one researcher decided to count neurons in the adult brain, and found that this number is a bit wrong. According to these studies, the human brain contains about 85 billion neurons. Thus, although the number is constantly cited on a number of billion higher, but 85 billion - this is still not the number, which can be taken lightly.