True Or False:

1. Humans only use 10% of their total brain power.
2. The brain is more active at night than it is during the day.
3. Babies who listen to classical music are more intelligent.
4. The human brain can generate about 23 watts of power.
5. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.
6. Humans have five senses.
7. Your brain is about the size of both of your closed fists.
8. The human brain weighs 12 pounds.

Answers:

1. This is false! According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD), this is a myth. All existing data shows that we use 100% of our brain.

2. This is true! According to the Times of India, the brain is more active while sleeping than while awake. In fact, the ATP chemicals that provide energy are increase during the night!

3. This is false! According to babycenter.com, there is no evidence that listening to classical music makes a baby smarter. However, music does have other positive mental effects for young children, such as supporting speech and language development, improving motor skills, promoting math and reading skills, and stimulating the brain while forming connections between neurons.

4. According to Northwestern Medicine, the human brain can generate up to 23 watts of power even when asleep. That’s enough to power a small light bulb!

5. This is true! According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left and the right. The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere controls the left, though some functions require control from both.

6. Weirdly enough, this is false! According to the John Hopkins University Press, there are  at least nine senses: Vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste, temperature, balance, pain, and proprioception, aka body awareness.

7. This is true! According to the National Institutes of Health, your brain is about the size of two clenched fists.

8. This is false! Believe it or not, the Washington Post says the average human head weighs around a dozen pounds. The brain, however, according to the Winston Medical Center, weighs about three pounds on average.

This story originally appeared in the Whirlwind print magazine Issue 2 January 2024