In search of an answer: how much does the human brain weigh?

How much does the human brain weigh ? Does the mass of gray matter affect the intellectual level? How different is the weight of the brain of a child and an adult? Does it diminish in size during the aging process? Questions - a large number ...

So how much does the center of human mental activity weigh?

So, in order. How much does the human brain weigh on average? According to scientific research, the weight of the organ of the central nervous system, consisting of a large number of nerve cells, ranges from 1.1 to 2.0 kg (otherwise, 2% of the total body weight). At representatives of a male the weight of a gray substance tentatively is more on 100-130 grammes, than at female half.

Intelligence is proportional to weight?

How much does an adult's brain weigh? For a man, the average figure is 1424 grams. The record weight was recorded in IS Turgenev - 2012. For comparison: the weight of the brain of Ludwig van Beethoven was 1750, VI Lenin - 1340, Sergei Yesenin - 1920, DI Mendeleyev - 1571 These indicators refute the theory that the level of intelligence affects the weight value of gray matter. The brain of a genius can come to light an order of magnitude less than the brain of a person deprived of broad intellectual abilities. It has been proved scientifically: the level of intelligence is influenced by certain parts of the given organ of the nervous system, in which the frequency of the location of neurons and the quantitative relationships between them play a key role. As a striking example: the largest brain weighing 2850 grams belonged to a feeble-minded person.

How much does the brain of a modern man weigh? The human brain, which occupies virtually the entire cavity of the cerebral part of the skull and assumes its shape in the process of growth and development, evolves: in the 19th century its average weight in men was 1372 grams, which is much less than today's values. For the fair sex, the biggest indicator is the weight of 1565 grams, the smallest - 1096 grams (was recorded in a 31-year-old lady). It was a woman, or rather a 10-year-old girl, Marilyn Vos Sawant, a resident of Missouri, who managed to pass a complicated test in 1956 with a result of 228, which was a kind of a pass to the Mega Society, which unites people with the highest IQ scores.

Is the weight of the brain proportional to age?

The mass of gray matter also depends on the person's age. In a newborn child, this indicator averages 455 grams. How much does the adult man's brain weigh? The human brain is not a constant. From birth to the age of 27, the gray matter "grows", and then begins to decrease. Every 10 years, its mass is reduced by 30 grams. By the way, the speed of the signals of the nervous system also decreases with age. With an average of 288 km / h, it is reduced by 15%.

The effectiveness of brain use in mental activity

How much does the human brain weigh? It seems to be understandable. The question arises: is the substance maximized? There is an opinion that in life a person uses only 10% of his brain. Is it so? This opinion is ambiguous, but most scientists are inclined to draw conclusions that the brain uses its full potential in work . To perform even the most simple task, the gray matter is activated in all its departments. As soon as a person begins to think hard, the amount of energy that enters the body reaches 25%, while at rest, the gray matter requires no more than 9% of energy. Activating brain activity requires additional oxygen supply, which forces the brain to take practically its third part out of the body.

Keep the brain in shape

Keep the brain in shape help regular exercise, helping to increase capillaries. And this, in turn, ensures maximum intake of oxygen and glucose into the body. The most effective are exercises, the duration of which is at least 30 minutes a day.

The most effective method of developing the brain is the occupation of a new, until now unknown, activity, as well as communication with people who are superior in intelligence to the interlocutor. The more educated the person, the less probabilities for the onset of brain diseases, because mental activity causes the development of additional tissue that replaces the affected one.

A little bit about the brain of other living organisms

How much does the human brain weigh - it became clear from the above written. And what is its weight, for example, the elephant?

In comparison with the human, the brain of representatives of the largest mammals on the planet is 2 times larger, and weighs from 4 to 5 kg. This once again confirms the theory that the level of intelligence and the weight of gray matter are in different planes.

The largest whale , belonging to the mammal class, is the blue whale. Its average weight is 150 tons, and the length is 30 meters. The weight of the brain is 9 kg with its ratio to the body weight: 1 to 40,000.

But at long extinct dinosaurs, reaching 9-meter height, the brain was the size of a walnut and weighed only 70 grams.