Not just about what it does or what it feels. Let’s talk about what is physically inside of your skull – that pinkish mass of electrodes and other goodies that is allowing you to read this article right now.
What does your brain look like?
Your brain is soft. It’s squishy. In fact, if you were to touch a brain, you would see how soft it is. It isn’t hard at all. Everything in your brain is really important so it is covered by a sheath of fat and that sheath makes up about 10% of the brain itself. This is called myelin and it is what makes it possible for electrical impulses to travel quickly inside your brain.
Your brain is inside your skull because it needs to be protected. The brain has two halves and is surprisingly heavy for what it is, because it is packed with lots of cells. We don’t actually know why the brain is in two halves – all we know about it is that the two halves are used for slightly different things but always communicate with one another.
The brain is also folded within itself. Scientists believe that the reason that they brain is so wrinkly is because the skull may just be too small to house the brain. Wrinkles aren’t a mark of how much you have learned, they actually develop when a fetus is still in the womb and don’t change. What does change as you learn other things is your brain’s plasticity.
The brain needs to be exercised and it is very similar to the rest of the body in a lot of ways. Although it is in charge of a lot and uses about 20% of our energy, it is still a muscle that you need to look after. You don’t have to just do brain training exercises, though. Being in love, listening to music, learning an instrument and exercising are all ways to keep your brain in top shape for as long as possible.
