The truth about your brain

The one thing why your brain needs to stay sharp (Hint: It’s not puzzles)

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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

Before Whitney, there was Dolly

10 songs that were more successful as a cover

We usually remember songs in the version we first listened to, which means sometimes we gravitate towards a cover instead of the original version. But what happens when the cover is so successful that we forget the original? Here are 10 covers that made such an impact that many people believe they are originals.

One of the most memorable parts of 1992’s The Bodyguard is undoubtedly Whitney Houston’s rendition of "I Will Always Love You". But while Houston’s version broke records at that time, this song was already a hit on its own. Written by Dolly Parton in 1973 as a farewell to his then mentor and business partner Porter Wagoner, it was also a commercial success.

This is the case of an original hit that also became a hit through its cover. Bob Dylan wrote "Knocking on Heaven’s Door" as part of the soundtrack for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid in 1973, and the song instantly climbed up in the rankings. Although it has been covered by several important musicians (Eric Clapton, for example), it can’t be denied that it is most widely known as a cover by Guns N’ Roses.

"I Love Rock’n’Roll" is widely known as one of Joan Jett’s biggest hits, but her version is a cover. It was originally released by the British band The Arrows in 1975 as a response to The Rolling Stones’ "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)". Jett had unsuccessfully tried to cover the song while in the Runaways, and she was able to do it with her next band, the Blackhearts, in 1981.

UB40’s reggae cover of "Red Red Wine" had moderate success upon its 1983 release, but quickly rose in the charts when it was re-released a few years later. According to one of its members, they heard the song as a cover and didn’t know that the original was by Neil Diamond. Reportedly, UB40’s cover version is one of Diamond’s favorites, and he often performs their reggae arrangement in his own concerts.

Did you know that one of the main girl anthems of the '80s was originally written and performed by a man? "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was penned and performed by rock singer Robert Hazard in 1979, and was written from a male perspective. When one of Hazard’s friends brought the song to Cindy Lauper to re-record as a pop-electronic version in 1983, she changed some of the lyrics to fit it to her own perspective.

Johnny Cash’s version of "Ring of Fire" (1963) is part of the Grammy Hall of Fame, but he is not the original singer or songwriter. This song was actually written by Cash’s future wife, June Carter, alongside Merle Kilgore, and was initially performed by June’s sister, Anita Carter, as "(Love’s) Ring of Fire" in 1962. Cash’s first wife, Vivian Distin, has always said that he was the original writer, but the jury’s still out on that one.

Rascal Flatts' version of "Life Is a Highway" (2006) for the movie Cars is the band’s most-streamed song of all time. The original version is by the Canadian singer Tom Cochrane, and was initially conceived in 1991 as "Love Is a Highway", though the title was later changed. While technically Cochrane’s version did better in the charts, the Rascal Flatts version is nowadays more widely known.

When the lead singer for The Zutons wrote "Valerie" for one of his friends in 2006, the track was quite successful, claiming a high position in the UK charts. However, it was Amy Winehouse’s 2007 version with Mark Ronson that cemented the song's popularity, and it is believed by many to be a Winehouse original.

Where were you when you found out that Sinéad O’Connor’s most famous hit is actually a cover? This song was written by no other than Prince (yes, the one from "Purple Rain") in 1984, and originally performed by his band, the Family. However, the original version was not successful, and the song became a worldwide hit in 1990 in O’Connor’s voice.

When Chris Stapleton decided to randomly sing "Tennessee Whiskey" during a soundcheck, he never imagined how popular his version would be, especially after performing it at the CMAs. The track was written in the 1980s by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, and initially recorded by David Allan Coe, but it didn’t make a big impact. A later version by George Jones 81983) had more success in the Country music charts, but it was Stapleton’s cover (2015) that made the song widely known outside of the genre.