Does a Bigger Brain Make You Smarter?

Many of our beliefs about the functioning of the brain are based on what we have heard around us rather than on scientific research and data. The brain is a very mysterious organ, and not even science has revealed everything about it.

We only use 10% of the brain

This was a well-known myth, the result of a misinterpretation of a study from the beginning of the last century, which showed that only 10% of neurons are active at some point.

However, neurologist John Henley points out that we use different areas of the brain alternately because the neurons needed to make an important decision are not activated at the same time as the neurons involved in making a cup of coffee, for example.

A bigger brain is smarter

This is another widespread belief that cleverness depends on the size of the brain. In reality, the size of the brain influences only 2% of the differences between people in terms of intellectual abilities. So it's a simple myth that a bigger head is a testament to intelligence.

People who listen to classical music are smarter

A 1990 study of 30 children showed that they were more focused on their tasks if they listened to Mozart's music.

This is how the myth called "Mozart Effect" came about, according to which children exposed to classical music are smarter. In reality, although it can increase your ability to concentrate, classical music can't make you smarter. A 2003 study found that visual arts have the same effect on increasing children's concentration as classical music.

We have a dominant hemisphere

The fact that one of the hands is dominant in activities has led many to conclude that our brain works asymmetrically, especially since the left hemisphere controls logic and language, while the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity and intuition.

In reality, there is no scientific evidence to support this polarity, since a right-handed person can have excellent creative skills, and a left-handed person can do very well with logic and mathematics. The fact that we use the right or left hand is more genetically determined and has nothing to do with a dominant hemisphere of the brain.

Our cognitive abilities decrease with age

There is a belief that cognitive abilities diminish with age, as do the functions of other organs in the body. In reality, people do not reach their maximum cognitive development at the same age; one study found that some people reach the peak of development at age 30, while others reach it after age 40.

Even if short-term memory or the speed of information processing decreases with age, other cognitive processes such as long-term memory or language ability amplify as we age.

Men are smarter than women

Even though several skills set men apart from women, intelligence is certainly not one of them.

A study in Arizona found that men and women are, in fact, different in terms of self-confidence, with men being more convinced of their intelligence and abilities, while women are less confident. In other words, the way the two genders perceive themselves differs, not their real intelligence.

Mind games make you smarter

Another widespread myth is that you become smarter by playing mind games, such as memory games, mindfulness video games, puzzles, and more. Indeed, they are effective in preventing neuronal degradation and delaying the onset of mental illness, but not in increasing intelligence.

A study involving 11,000 people who trained daily through special computer games showed that although some skills improved, their overall cognitive ability did not progress to untrained people.

The oldest child in the family is the smartest

There is a preconceived notion that the firstborn in a family is smarter than his siblings.

However, one study found that differences in intelligence between siblings had nothing to do with the order of their birth, but with several psychological and social factors, family relationships, the environment, and circumstances during pregnancy and postpartum.

We work better under pressure

When we have urgent tasks to meet or have to meet certain deadlines, it seems to us that all our faculties are accelerating and we are working more efficiently to get things done.

But in reality, it is not so; Although stress puts us in a state of alertness that, in the short term, causes us to do our best, in the long run, it can affect our brain and neural connections, according to a study from the University of California, Berkeley.

Cholesterol hurts the brain

High blood cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of stroke, but this does not mean that cholesterol is bad for the brain.

If it does not exceed a certain amount in the blood, cholesterol is essential for the functioning of the brain. According to researchers at Harvard University, 25% of brain activity depends on cholesterol, but the body can synthesize the necessary amount of cholesterol on its own, so no external intake is needed.