Cets 2015 goldsmith two truths and a lie 2015 e l edition brain facts dist

1. Two Truths and a Lie
Brain Game: AnswerSheet
Copyright © 2015 James J. Goldsmith. Used withpermission.
Our brains are gray in color.
There isgray, but alsowhite,blackandred. Many of us are familiarwithseeingbrainsinaglassof
formaldehyde,whichhasledtothismisconception. Formaldehyde tendstobleach andremove
distinctionsinthe brain’scolor,creatinganoverall gray,orgray-greenhue.
For more: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/10-brain-myths1.htm
The brain operateslike a computer.
Notso much. The human brainisnot a hard drive witha finite capacity, humansdon’tnecessarily
performcomputationssequentially,we activelyinterpretandfilterinput,ouritemsinstorage (memory)
change or are deletedbasedonpersonal (andchanging) criteria orsothat we remainsane,etc. The
neuronsinour brainenable ustodo thingsmore quicklyandefficientlythananymachine evermade;as
was recentlyreported inthe article, evenatoddlerissmarterthanthe smartestAI. And computers
have a longway to go before theycanmatch humanbrains. Peranotherarticle,“In2015, the 4th most
powerful supercomputerinthe worldtook40 minutestosimulate justone secondof humanbrain
activity.”
For more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/top-ten-myths-about-the-brain-
178357288/
We only use about 10% of our brain.
The body hasevolvedtobe an efficientmechanism(ignoringthe Appendix,of course) andthe brain isa
very importantorgan(using20% of the body’s oxygenandbloodeventhoughitisaccountsforonly2-
3% of the body’smass). The brainneedstooperate continuallyatfull capacitytomaintainthe complex
organismknownasthe humanbeing. Evena small injurytothe braincan have serious consequences to
normal humanfunctioning.
For more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/top-ten-myths-about-the-brain-
178357288/
Man has the largest brain of any animal.
Comparedtoa spermwhale’sbrain(about17 pounds),ourbrainsare tiny(about3 pounds). What’s
differentisthatwe have a smallerbrain-to-bodyweightratio(about1-to-50) andgreaterbrainfolding
than the whale andmostotheranimals. Also, of all livingbeings, humanshave the largestcerebral
cortex whichcontrols ourthinking,communication, memoryandotherhigherbrainfunctions.
For more: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/10-brain-
myths1.htm#page=5

2. Two Truths and a Lie
Brain Game: AnswerSheet
Copyright © 2015 James J. Goldsmith. Used withpermission.
Human brainsare the largest relative to their bodysize.
The human brain-to-bodyweightratioisabout1-to-50. In comparison,some speciesof anthave a
brain-to-bodyweightratio of about1-to-7, andthisis the highestknownforanyanimal. For
vertebrates,the tree shrewhas aratio of about1-to-10, the hummingbird aratioof the 1-to-17 andthe
elephantfisharatio of about1-to-34. So,thoughthe brain-to-bodyweightratioisafactor in
determiningintelligence,otherfactors,suchas brain composition (especiallythe sizeof the cerebral
cortex),howneuronsornerve cellsandsynapsesare organized andthe degree of molecularcomplexity
at the synapticlevelneedalsotobe considered. Imean,couldanelephantfishwrite thisparagraph?
For more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-to-body_mass_ratio
Brain games make you smarter.
There isno scientificevidence tosupportthis. Fromthe StanfordUniversityCenteronLongevityand
the BerlinMax PlanckInstitute forHumanDevelopment: "The strongconsensus of thisgroupisthat the
scientificliteraturedoesnotsupportclaims thatthe use of software-based‘braingames’ altersneural
functioninginwaysthatimprove general cognitive performance ineverydaylife,orpreventcognitive
slowingandbraindisease."
For more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-training-doesn-t-make-you-smarter/
The numberof wrinklesin your brain increase as you learn.
The human brainevolvedtoinclude wrinkles(comprisedof ridgescalled gyri andcrevicescalled sulci) to
increase itsoverall surface area andincrease itsefficacy. These wrinklesstopdevelopinginthe womb
40 weeksafterconception.
For more: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/10-brain-
myths1.htm#page=3
You can learn in your sleepby playingaudio recordings.
The researchdoesn’tsupportthis. Learning,like physical fitness,requiresdeliberate effort.
For more: http://www.brainfitnessforlife.com/7-myths-about-the-human-brain/
Consumingalcohol killsbrain cells.
Consumingalcohol doesn’t destroybraincells perse, butitdoesalterthe way inwhich cells
communicate with eachanother. Basically, whenyou drinktoomuchalcohol,youtemporarilylose the
abilitytocreate memories. Excessivedrinking,whichcauses adeficiency inthe critical Bvitamin

3. Two Truths and a Lie
Brain Game: AnswerSheet
Copyright © 2015 James J. Goldsmith. Used withpermission.
Thiamine,can damage the brainand,in extreme cases, evenleadtodeath. Bythe way, it onlytakes
aboutsix minutes afteryouconsume adrinkfor yourbrain cellstoreact to alcohol.
For more: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/10-brain-
myths1.htm#page=9
Intelligence isaninherited,unchangeable trait.
Accordingto the AdvancedLearningInstitute: “The concept thatour intelligenceisfixedatbirthisone
of the hardestmythsto abolish.”
Perpsychologist BryanRoche,a “2009 Norwegianstudyexaminedthe effectsof anincrease inthe
durationof compulsoryschoolinginNorwayinthe 1960s whichlengthenedthe time ineducationfor
Norwegiansbytwoyears.The researchersusedrecordsof cognitive abilitytakenbythe militaryto
calculate the IQ of each individual inthe study.TheyfoundthatIQhad increasedby3.7 pointsforevery
extrayearof educationreceived.” AndThe AmericanPsychological Associationnotedthat,“Realizing
that one'sintelligence maybe improvedmayactuallyimprove one'sintelligence.”
For more: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2014/08/27/ignore-iq-tests-intelligence-fixed-life/
Bryan Roche quote: http://crackingthelearningcode.com/bonus2.html
The AmericanPsychological Association: http://www.apa.org/research/action/smarter.aspx
Our brains become stable inadulthood.
Scientistsuse the term"plasticity"togenerallyrefertothe brain'sabilitytochange. Whenyoulearn
somethingnew,the brainstructure changes. We know now thatitis possible toformnew braincells
(calledneurons) duringall stagesof life.
For more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/05/brain.plasticity.giffords/
http://www.clomedia.com/blogs/6-mind-over-matter/post/6171-neurology-myths-debunked
The brain is comprisedof around 86 billionneurons.
For years,ithas been (andstill is) reportedthatthe brainiscomprisedof 100 billionneurons. However,
thisnumberis justa convenient“rule of thumb”andnot basedon thorough research. Usinga
technique called"isotropicfractionation,”ateamof neuroscientistsin 2009 found thatthe average
humanbrainactuallyhas about 86 billion neurons. The “missing”14 billionrepresentsaboutthe
numberof neuronsina baboon’sbrain.
For more: http://io9.com/5890414/the-4-biggest-myths-about-the-human-brain
NOTE: Please contactjames.j.goldsmith@accenture.com withanyquestionsaboutthisQuiz. Thank
you!