If you’re a regular reader of these emails, you already know that I spend a lot of time talking about superheroes (of all shapes and sizes) and their amazing powers. Sometimes I even get a little jealous, wishing I had the ability to leap over tall buildings in a single bound – I’d never get stuck in traffic again! On Monday, Mary’s email about color perception reminded me that I do have a superpower, one that’s better than anything Spiderman, Batman, or the Hulk could cook up. Best of all, you have it too. It’s called the human brain.
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. With the power of our brains, we’ve accomplished truly amazing things, from putting a man on the moon to inventing the superheroes that we worshiped as kids (okay, fine – as adults, too!). In fact, if the human brain were a superhero, it would have the following powers:
• Super Size. The human brain makes up 2% of our total body weight. This means that in relative terms, we have the biggest brains of any creature on Earth.
• Super Strength. The human brain never stops working-not even while we sleep! Most people dream about 1-2 hours a night, and have an average of 4-7 dreams per night.
• Super Intelligence. Thanks to the human brain, we have 70,000 thoughts per day – no wonder I’m so tired after work!
• Super Speed. Our thoughts travel to different parts of the brain at 260MPH. Not quite faster than a speeding bullet, but close enough.
• Super Charged. The human brain generates 25 Watts of power at any given time. That’s enough electricity to power a light bulb!
Still not convinced? Take a look at the following message. Chances are your brain is powerful enough to read it:
7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15!
R35T Y0UR M1ND 7H15 W33K33ND,
~Bob
