The Biggest Mind Mysteries

Everything we do not understand about what makes us humans is located in our mind. The brain is one of the biggest mysteries of the human body, as there are many processes which the scientists can not explain. These are the top 10 brain mysteries.

10. The dreams represent one of the biggest mysteries of the mind. No one knows for certain what they are, and every person has a different opinion about them. Scientists do not exactly know what dreams are, but they have various theories about them though. One theory is that the sleep can be interpreted as exercising for the brain. During sleep, the trafficking of synapses between brain cells is simulated. Others believe that during sleep we remember about the tasks which we forgot to do during the day, and as a result our memory is enhanced. One thing is for certain: dreaming occurs when we are in Rapid Eye Movement, or REM.

9. Sleeping is one of the most popular activities in all the living beings. However the mysteries regarding sleeping are just as deep as the ones regarding dreaming; the experts do not exactly know why we spend so much time sleeping. One thing is certain though: sleeping is essential for surviving in the case of mammals. If we do not sleep for long periods of time, we can hallucinate, and we can die in extreme cases. There are two instances of the sleeping process. The first one is when the brain is not too active, and that is called the non-rapid eye movement (NREM), and the other one is the rapid eye movement state, when the brain is extremely active. Like I previously mentioned, this is the state in which we dream. People believe that during NREM the body takes a break and repairs itself whereas in the REM state the memories are organized.

8. Phantom Limbs. It is a well known fact that many of the people who have suffered an amputation still feel that particular limb. They might feel warmth, itching, and even pain in it, even though it has been removed from the body. It is believed that the nerves create new connections to the spinal cord and as a result the brain keeps on sending signals to the area even though it is missing. Another theory is that the brain can not comprehend the fact that the limb is missing, because it can only recognize the body as a whole.

7. The biological clock. It has been proven that we as humans have a biological clock, which is called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and it is located in the hypothalamus of the brain. This clock follows the activity of the body 24/7, and it is responsible for some of the patterns which occur in it. The reason why we wake up at approximately the same time every day, or why we feel sleepy around the same hour every night is because of the biological clock.

6. Memory storage. Some memories are stored much well than others, for example one will always remember his/her first kiss. It is unknown though why we are able to store certain memories and to forget the other memories. The scientists do not know how the brain selects which memories to store and which to erase. It is believed that the “hard drive” of the brain is the hippocampus, which is located in the brain’s gray matter. However it is believed that this area of the brain stores both true and false memories, but the events at which the person has participated can be remembered much easier.

5. It has been proved that the brain is extremely active during laughter. The brain uses three different portions to laugh: one which comprehends the joke, the other one that commands the facial muscles to move, and the other one that makes us feel “giddy”. However, the sense of humor is unknown as the scientists can not example why some people laugh at some jokes which others do not find funny at all. One thing is clear though: laughing makes us feel better.

4. It is unknown if we as humans are controlled by the genes or by the environment. There are certain clues which favor the genes and there are also clues which favor the environment. It is believed that we are defined both by our genes and by the environment. For example there are certain things which we can not control, but there are also things we can control and the decisions we make are influenced by our peers. Of course, this differs from person to person, because there are people who are easily influential and there are also people show imply do not care about the peer pressure.

3. It is unknown why we age. Think about it: when you are born you have all these defense mechanisms which are designed to protect the body from illnesses and other ailments. The older we get, the weaker these defense mechanisms get, and as a result we get sicker much easier and the body suffers much more damage.

2. Deep freezing was mostly seen in movies, but the practice can be achieved in reality as well. In case a person suffers from a deadly disease which does not have a cure yet, he can choose to be frozen in a special liquid and then to be revived back when the cure has been found. Not one single frozen body has been revived because we do not have the technology yet.

1. The biggest mystery of the mind is consciousness. The scientists do not know how the brain has the possibility of analyzing and interpreting certain events, and to make them subjective. Seeing the sun rising for example might trigger certain emotions in a person, and different emotions in another one, even though they are witnessing the same event. No one knows how this happens, because the only thing the scientists have managed to achieve regarding this situation is to ask more questions.