Ten amazing facts about the brain
The brain has a joke center.
Sometimes, patients with damaged frontal lobes are unable to 'get' (understand) jokes.
You can't hear phone conversations in noisy rooms.
The brain can't distinguish background noise from the voice on the phone.
Yawning actually wakes us up.
Yawning gets more air into the lungs, thus increasing oxygen to the brain.
We are hardwired to remember annoying songs.
'Sequences recall' to learn daily routines also lets songs get stuck in our heads.
The brain uses less power than a refrigerator light.
The brain uses 12 watts of power - 17% of the body's energy.
Frequent jet lag can damage memory.
Stress hormones released during jet lag can damage the temporal lobe and memory.
Altitude makes the brain see strange visions.
Oxygen deprivation is likely to interfere with visual and emotional processing.
Shoot-'em-up computer games aid multitasking.
Shooting multiple enemies spreads your attention and means you are constantly reacting to events.
It is impossible to tickle yourself.
The brain dulls expected sensations when we cause them ourselves.
Bright sunlight makes you sneeze.
Crossed wires in the brainstem send signals from the eye via the nose.