The truth about your brain

The truth about brain freezes, short-term memory, and other myths

Image: Milad Fakurian

Your brain is one of the most powerful and mysterious organs in your body. It controls everything from your thoughts to your emotions and even processes information at lightning speed. But how much do you really know about it? Some long-believed myths about the brain have been debunked, while other surprising facts reveal just how incredible this organ truly is. Get ready to be amazed by these fascinating brain facts!

Image: Natasha Connell

You’ve probably heard this one before, but it’s completely false! While it’s true that not all parts of the brain fire at the same time, imaging studies show that most regions are active throughout the day, even when we sleep.

Your brain is constantly working, controlling bodily functions and emotions, and processing information. So next time someone says you’re only using 10% of your brain, you can confidently tell them that’s just a myth!

Image: Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Here’s a weird fact: While your brain processes pain signals from the rest of your body, it has no pain receptors of its own. This is why surgeons can perform brain surgery on conscious patients without causing them pain.

However, the membranes and tissues surrounding the brain do have pain receptors, which is why headaches and brain injuries can be so excruciating.

Image: Usman Yousaf

How come we have headaches if the brain has no pain receptors? Well, that’s because headaches are triggered by chemical activity in the brain, changes in nerves and blood vessels, and even fluctuating serotonin levels.

In some cases, hormones like estrogen can also play a role, which explains why migraines are more common in women.

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Dreams are proof that your brain never rests! (Warning: this fact can make you feel exhausted.) While you sleep, your limbic system, that is, the part of the brain that deals with emotions, becomes especially active, which is why dreams often feel so intense.

On average, humans experience four to seven dreams per night, even if we don’t always remember them. And what about that scary nightmare about falling? Well, you can thank your amygdala, the brain’s fear center, for that one.

Image: Brett Jordan

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly forgotten what you were after? That’s because short-term memory only lasts about 20-30 seconds! That’s not enough!

Your brain holds a limited amount of information in its active state before deciding whether to store it or discard it. Ironically, we can’t really choose what makes the cut, but we do hope these facts stay with you!

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That sharp, icy pain when you eat something too cold? It’s your brain’s way of telling you to slow down! Officially called sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, a brain freeze happens when cold food or drinks rapidly chill the blood vessels in your throat, causing them to constrict and then rapidly expand. This sends pain signals to your brain, warning you of the sudden temperature shift. It’s annoying, but it’s actually your body trying to protect itself!

Image: Josh Riemer

You didn’t need us to tell you, but let’s look at the details: The average person has between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts per day. What’s even more interesting? 95% of those thoughts are the same ones you had yesterday. Is that not surprising enough? Hear this out: 80% of them tend to be negative. That’s because our brains are wired for survival, constantly analyzing risks and potential dangers.

Image: Terry Vlisidis

Even though it only makes up about 2% of your body weight, your brain employs a major quantity of energy! It consumes 20% of your oxygen and blood supply, making it one of the most demanding organs in your body.

If your brain goes without oxygen for just five minutes, brain cells start dying, leading to irreversible damage. This is why deep breathing and cardiovascular exercise are great for brain health!

Image: Alexander Andrews

Do you know that feeling when you hit the back of your head and see stars? That’s because your occipital lobe, which controls vision, is located at the back of your brain. If you get hit there, your brain momentarily misfires, causing flashes of light.

Interestingly, your brain processes vision on the opposite side; while your right brain controls your left eye, your left brain controls your right eye. It’s one of the many ways the brain operates in a complex way.

Image: Rodion Kutsaiev

Believe it or not, your brain generates between 12 and 25 watts of electricity when you’re awake. If you can’t really grasp how powerful that is, check this out: It’s enough to power a small light bulb! Your brain’s electrical activity is what allows neurons to send signals at speeds of up to 260 miles per hour.

Image: Robina Weermeijer

Your brain may be the fattiest organ in your body, consisting of at least 60% fat! This is why consuming healthy fats, like omega-3s and omega-6s present in fish, for example, is essential for brain health.

Healthy fats stabilize brain cell walls, reduce inflammation, and support cognitive function. So go ahead and enjoy that avocado toast, it’s food for your brain!

Image: Robina Weermeijer

It’s not just your memory that fades over time; the brain itself physically shrinks as one gets older. It continues developing until your late 40s, but after that, it slowly decreases in size.

Now, size doesn’t equal intelligence, so a smaller brain doesn’t necessarily mean a less capable one. Staying mentally active, exercising, and eating brain-boosting foods can help keep it in top shape!

Image: Lisa Yount

We often think of cholesterol as bad, but your brain actually depends on it! In fact, 25% of your body’s cholesterol is stored in your brain, where it helps with learning and memory. However, unlike other organs, the brain can’t absorb cholesterol from the blood, it has to produce its own. So, while too much cholesterol in the body can be harmful, the right amount is vital for brain function. At least you can use that as an excuse to get that burger!

Your words can date you

From woofits to cap: 12 slang words that define each generation

Slang has always been a fun way to express ourselves and reflect the vibe of a particular time. Over the years, different phrases have come and gone, often capturing the era's spirit. Some words may have seemed normal back in the day, but now sound totally out of place. Take a look at 12 of these idioms. Do you remember your grandparents using any of these?

The 1910s are filled with evocative terms for describing feelings of depression, and one such term is woofits. This term was used to describe a low or uneasy feeling. The term was popularized by pilots during WWI to describe the "dread disease" of depression or physical sickness after excessive partying.

It could be triggered by a variety of causes, from overindulging in alcohol to simply not getting enough rest. The term continued to be used into the 1920s and beyond to describe feelings of melancholy or physical discomfort.

This expression was used to describe the pain of unrequited love or a one-sided crush. It is a phrase that could easily make a comeback among modern-day romantics. The association of torches with love dates back to Greek and Roman wedding traditions, where a torch lit at the bride's family chimney was used to light the fire in her new home.

The expression exploded in popularity during the 1920s alongside the rise of "torch songs". These were sentimental ballads, often performed by female jazz singers known as "torch singers", that lamented lost or unreturned love.

If you find yourself stuck with tedious or meaningless work, try calling it a "boondoggle." It’s a slang term that describes a frivolous waste of time.

The word boondoggle may have originated from American scoutmaster Robert H. Link, who used it to describe the braided leather tassels worn by Boy Scouts. This meaning gained popularity in the 1920s, and by the mid-1930s, it had evolved into its current usage.

If you've ever encountered someone who works tirelessly, you might call them an "eager beaver." While the phrase references the industrious beaver, known for constructing watertight dams and elaborate lodges with multiple underwater entrances, it gained popularity not by the river, but during World War II.

According to a 1942 dispatch, the term referred to a soldier "imbued with the desire to please his superiors" by tackling unpleasant tasks that his peers would rather avoid.

This phrase has evolved and can be understood in different ways. But, in the 1950s, if someone was "cruisin' for a bruisin'," they were essentially looking for trouble or an excuse to start a fight.

The term describes someone who was cruising around in search of a violent altercation with potential bruises as a result.

This adjective, originating from jazz, is used to describe something amazing or downright strange that is situated far away from the normal range.

It gained significant popularity in the 1950s and ’60s, especially among hippies and beatniks who were into jazz music, and embraced it as part of their cultural lexicon.

A jive turkey refers to someone who is insincere, deceitful, or dishonest, essentially, a person who can't be trusted. The term carries strong connotations of untrustworthiness and duplicity.

Interestingly, the word jive on its own, used as an adjective, has been around since the 1940s with the same negative meaning, long before it was paired with "turkey" to form the full expression.

During the 1980s, when someone said "bad," they might have meant something good. It’s similar to how people use "sick" to describe something impressive or cool.

The term gained popularity in such form thanks in large part to Michael Jackson’s hit song "Bad", but it had been used for over a century in Black American culture. Linguists suggest the inversion might stem from West African languages like Mandingo or Hausa, where negative terms are often used emphatically to describe positive extremes (e.g., "it is good badly" meaning "it is very good").

During the 1990s, the term "fly" was used to describe someone stylish, attractive, or just generally impressive. For example, someone might have said, "Check out my new sunglasses, they’re so fly."

Back in the 2000s, the word "sketchy" started being used to describe someone or something that seemed suspicious or untrustworthy. It quickly became a go-to term for calling out shady behavior or situations.

The phrase "first-world problem" became popular in the 2010s as a humorous way to highlight minor frustrations or complaints that come with a life of relative comfort, especially when compared to more serious issues faced in less privileged situations.

The term "to cap" basically means to lie. It’s often used when someone is being dishonest ("he’s capping") or, on the flip side, to emphasize honesty by saying "no cap," meaning you’re telling the truth.