[steven1989pdx]

I'm usually better worded but it's late. A friend of mine, an INTJ Pathologist was explaining to me what a brain looks like when you slice it open. He said it's like cutting into butter, and the inside looks the same, no rivets, dips, curves, nothing.

You would think, for an organ so powerful, it would at least look more impressive right? This makes me question the act of questioning at all, theorizing, learning; what is the use when the thing that processes this information is a blob of butter? WHAT THE FUCK is this that I'm typing on, and why does something the consistency of butter dictate what it feels like?

I feel that without knowing the brain and how it works physically, chemically even, I almost have no right intellectualizing. I feel I must know how it works and processes information, and personality types seem but a compliment to all of this. I haven't been this puzzled in a long time.

I feel very discomforted right now because of my lack of knowledge about a subject that raises so many questions, almost a guilty feeling for having a thought process without knowing why I think in the first place. Does this raise any questions for you guys? Does anybody get what I am saying and can articulate it better? Any insight for comfort?

 

[honestfi]

I think it wonderful that this "lump of butter" has a capacity, retention, processing speed and recall capability better than any computer anywhere.

Rejoice that you think about intellectual matters, rather than those that prefer to fill up their brains with X-Factor trivia, soap operas and hatred for Katie Price.

Although I know that most humans use only a small percentage of their brain power, it seems to me a lot of the human race fill even this small amount with mindless shit. Now that is the biggest travesty of all...I'd definitely feel guilty if I had those types of thought processes. And they're the next generation. Hmmmph.:frustrating:

EDIT: Maybe not processing speed.

 

[CrabHammer]

I think I understand what you are trying to say, but I don't really get your concern at all. First of all, butter is awesome. More importantly, what the actual substance of the brain looks like is of little concern to me, only what it can accomplish. Besides, all of that goo is there supports the millions (billions?) or neurons in there that make you so smart.

PS - I remember hearing, once upon a time, that the processing speed of the human brain was ~60Mhz.

 

[CrazyGlitch]

It sound a little upsetting, but think about it: in all that butter like substance is millions and millions neurons and memory and such. You can't expect too much, you know. ^^ At least you learned something new!

 

[Mason117]

I think it wonderful that this "lump of butter" has a capacity, retention, processing speed and recall capability better than any computer anywhere.

Rejoice that you think about intellectual matters, rather than those that prefer to fill up their brains with X-Factor trivia, soap operas and hatred for Katie Price.

Although I know that most humans use only a small percentage of their brain power, it seems to me a lot of the human race fill even this small amount with mindless shit. Now that is the biggest travesty of all...I'd definitely feel guilty if I had those types of thought processes. And they're the next generation. Hmmmph.:frustrating:

EDIT: Maybe not processing speed.

That is actually a myth that humans use only a small fraction of they're brains. For example, if we only used 10% of our brains then we should be able to damage up to 90% of our brains without any real effect but that is not true. Even slight damage to a small area of the brain can have huge effects on someone.

Furthermore; how do you suppose that we would evolve to only use 10% of our brains? A brain is VERY costly to grow and that is why most animals are so stupid, because they need the extra processing power so growing the extra brain mass is just a waste.

Next up, when somebody takes a MRI there is no area of inactivity in the brain; even when you are asleep. if you only used a small part of your brain it would be seen on the MRI

There is a method to measure the functions of a single neuron which is sliding a extremely small electrode onto a single brain cell to see how it reacts, if we only used 10% of our brains we would only hit a active neuron once every 10 times.

Finally; the brain degenerates rapidly when not in use so a scan on a healthy adult should show huge amounts of degeneration, which it does not.

 

[CrabHammer]

I've often wondered; Is it really that we only use 10% of our brain for conscious thought? I could see that statement being misinterpreted as "We only use 10% of our brains." I mean that myth has to have started somewhere right?

 

[Mason117]

Well, there cerebral cortex alone is a lot bigger than 10% of the total brain; especially in humans. I believe the myth started in the late 1800's to early 1900's when it was discovered that only 10% of the brain is made of neurons (the rest is made of glial cells which are imperative for learning) and that was misinterpreted and the whole thing spun out of control until you have the present day myth.

ANother possibility is when Einstein was reported as having joked that most humans only use 10% of they're brains and that he uses more. Some people may have taken it seriously.

 

[honestfi]

Not convinced.

When I look around the world today, I think a lot of people only use 10% of their brains.

Must be the mood I'm in. Blah.

 

[Mason117]

Not convinced.

When I look around the world today, I think a lot of people only use 10% of their brains.

Must be the mood I'm in. Blah.

Interestingly enough that reminds me of something I heard about differences between smart and dumb people. This study took two sample groups and there was a average of something like 40 IQ points separating the two groups and yet there was little discernible difference in brain activity between them, and some of the more gifted people showed less activity than the dumber ones. The current theory as to why this is, is that more gifted people may have more efficient brain circuits, making them need less activity to do a larger task.

 

[ENTrePenuer]

I'm usually better worded but it's late. A friend of mine, an INTJ Pathologist was explaining to me what a brain looks like when you slice it open. He said it's like cutting into butter, and the inside looks the same, no rivets, dips, curves, nothing.

You would think, for an organ so powerful, it would at least look more impressive right? This makes me question the act of questioning at all, theorizing, learning; what is the use when the thing that processes this information is a blob of butter? WHAT THE FUCK is this that I'm typing on, and why does something the consistency of butter dictate what it feels like?

I feel that without knowing the brain and how it works physically, chemically even, I almost have no right intellectualizing. I feel I must know how it works and processes information, and personality types seem but a compliment to all of this. I haven't been this puzzled in a long time.

I feel very discomforted right now because of my lack of knowledge about a subject that raises so many questions, almost a guilty feeling for having a thought process without knowing why I think in the first place. Does this raise any questions for you guys? Does anybody get what I am saying and can articulate it better? Any insight for comfort?

Wait till you see what makes babies.

 

[Shmo]

Though the human brain might be but a fragile, amorphous blob in which our entire consciousness exists, fear not. It needs us - our conscious selves - just as much as we need it.

Were it not for consciousness the brain in all its corporeal fragility would not exist either. Existence is the awareness of existence, and by extension an awareness of the awareness of existence, since the loop of awareness is a part of existence. Something akin to infinite regress.

Imagine a world wherein no conscious observer exists, and now think of what that world would be without your imagining - observing - it. Does it exist? Can it exist? Our "true" reality is much the same.

Though the vessels of our consciousness can be destroyed as a chunk of butter, consciousness itself is the root of reality and is imperishable; because it is imperishable there will always be a chunk of butter or silicone providing for it. Physical reality and consciousness are mutually reinforcing.

Or at least that's the take I've acquired after much diligent thought.

 

[KyojiK]

Technically, if humans only use 10% of their brain, they would probably be dead.

10% may be for conscious thought and decision making, but the rest controls autonomous functions in our body such as involuntary muscle control, hormone regulations, and whatnot.

That being said, it goes the other way too. If a person used 100% of their brain for thinking, his anatomical functions would go kaput.

 

[steven1989pdx]

The 10% thing doesn't make sense to me, if we used 10% of our brain it would be 90% smaller than what it is. This can be seen in the brain of a deaf or blind person, where the area of the brain responsible for these functions shrinks, and other areas grow. I think. Right? Right.

Btw, thank you everyone for your responses. :wink:

 

[Nitou]

I read a theory that our intellect was a side effect, not the reason the brain grew. Humans on the African savanna were endurance runners who hunted by chasing their prey until it collapsed from exhaustion. The brain got too hot and some brain cells would die, so bigger brains were advantageous because they had more reserves of cells. Only later did all those extra cells get put to use.
:tongue:

 

[MensSuperMateriam]

The brain "resembles" butter because its components, neurons, resembles butter (give me the Nobel Prize :crazy

But this makes really a lot of sense: neurons are the human cells whose cell membrane have the higher percentage of lipids (or almost). And why should neurons have so high percentage of lipids in its membranes? Simple. Neurons work by electric polarization of it surfaces; in some way, they're "capacitators". The inner medium and outer medium work as the metal in a capacitator (in this case, saline solutions, Na+ and K+). But a capacitator needs also a dilectric medium (insulator) between the metal "electrodes". Typical components of cellular membranes are lipids, proteins, glucids and its combinations. Lipids are the best insulators of all of them.

Butter is also a lipid.

 

[Hermes]

ah Mason117 you bet me to explaining the myth, oh wells

I read a theory that our intellect was a side effect, not the reason the brain grew. Humans on the African savanna were endurance runners who hunted by chasing their prey until it collapsed from exhaustion. The brain got too hot and some brain cells would die, so bigger brains were advantageous because they had more reserves of cells. Only later did all those extra cells get put to use.
:tongue:

I can actually see this as a possibility but i think it has some flaws (such as wouldn't our bodies just develop more efficient cooling systems then costly brains, although that being said evolution has done some whacky things..)

Here is the beauty of the brain, even if it does have the consistency of butter, its this 'butter' that allows us to think and question why our brain would look like the said butter
So if your feeling a bit depressed just do some research about the brain (Y)

 

[CrabHammer]

MSM is right on on point. I remember reading somewhere about how an increase in fat in our diets is what lead to our increased intelligence, and now I understand why. Thanks! This also explains why humans find fat so tasty, as well as why you see people selling omega-3 fatty acid as a focus improver. Once upon a time, fat was our big advantage in the animal kingdom.

 

[steven1989pdx]

MSM is right on on point. I remember reading somewhere about how an increase in fat in our diets is what lead to our increased intelligence, and now I understand why. Thanks! This also explains why humans find fat so tasty, as well as why you see people selling omega-3 fatty acid as a focus improver. Once upon a time, fat was our big advantage in the animal kingdom.

No, this isn't true, Omega 3 and chicken skin are completely different. Eating terrible food actually causes your brain to shrink and disrupts the PH levels in your body.

 

[CrabHammer]

No, this isn't true, Omega 3 and chicken skin are completely different. Eating terrible food actually causes your brain to shrink and disrupts the PH levels in your body.

Not all fats are created equal, which is why I didn't mention chicken skins or hamburgers which have almost entirely saturated fat in them, though I can see how I may have been ambiguous there. Lipids are a nutrient and you should have at least some fat in your diet, just not the quality and quantity that most people eat.

 

[MensSuperMateriam]

MSM is right on on point. I remember reading somewhere about how an increase in fat in our diets is what lead to our increased intelligence, and now I understand why. Thanks! This also explains why humans find fat so tasty, as well as why you see people selling omega-3 fatty acid as a focus improver. Once upon a time, fat was our big advantage in the animal kingdom.

Not really. What you need is a balaced diet of fat supply, and for brain essetial fatty acids could be very important (because the organism cannot produce them), specially in early ages. A defficience of them in childhood could cause an undervelop of intelligence and/or another cognitive problems.

But as every nutrient, you need the quantity you need, and excess would not became you more intelligent, but the opposite, as @steven1989pdx pointed. For example, they could difficult blood supply by obstruction of the circulatory system in the brain, what is not very good...