How Much Does the Human Brain Weigh?

The average adult human brain weight is 1300 to 1400 grams which are about 2 pounds.

What Is the Human Brain Made Of?

A human brain is mainly made of fats and proteins.  Apart from that, it has billions of neurons, glial cells, neural stem cells, and blood vessels. The brain works by electrochemical signals passed by the neurons.

Parts of Brain

Major part of a brain is called cerebrum and it is made of the cortex which has a skin fold like structure. The cerebrum has a division in the middle and it has four lobes which are destined to take care of different functions. Apart from that, there are cerebellum and brainstem

Brain Blood Barrier

Blood carries various substances like oxygen, nutrients, radicals and even pathogens in disease conditions. But our brain is made in such a way that it can protect itself as the harmful substances cannot pass into the brain.  This is because of the presence of endothelial cells in the surrounding blood vessels. These cells not only stop the toxins from entering the brain but also help maintain the hormone levels in the brain which are necessary for the normal functioning of the brain.

Weight of Human Brain Male and Female

Female brain weighs a little less than a male brain. Average human brain weight has nothing to do with the functions or performances of it.  The average brain weight of the adult male is 1336 grams. The adult female has a brain that weighs 1198 grams. The brain weight decreases with age.

Human Brain: Facts and Information

• Dehydration may affect brain function as the brain has 75% water content
• Information is carried to the brain through neurons and different information moves at various speeds.
• The brain begins to lose some memory starting from age 30
• In a small study, it is found that video games may improve cognitive skills
• The brain uses 20% of the oxygen that blood carries

What is the Average Weight of the Human Brain?

A human brain weighs about 3 pounds i.e, 1300 to 1400 grams. When it is a newborn baby the brain’s weight would be three-quarters of the adults’ (350 to 400 grams). As per the evaluation of whole body mass, the male brain is observed to be larger than the female. 

The frontal lobe and the limbic cortex (linked to problem-solving thinking and emotional regulation) are the larger parts of the women’s brain. For men, the parietal cortex—an area of perception of space—and the amygdala, associated with memory processing and emotional response, are larger brain areas than for women.

Do you know music enhances human mood? Check out what does music to the brain.

At What Age Does the Human Brain Reach Its Maximum Weight?

An individual’s brain weight reaches a maximum of 1.45 kg between 10 and 12 years. 

The brain’s growth speeds up during the first three years of life. When they near 5 years, the infant’s brain develops almost equal to an adult’s. The human brain size changes as growth continues.

Human Brain Weight and Height

The human brain is 167mm in length and 93 cm in height. It measures about 5.5 x 6.6 x 3.6 inches. The width of the human brain is 140mm and the total surface area is about 25,000 sq cm. 

Human Brain Weight by Age

Brain weight changes with age. At the age of 20, a male brain weighs 1400 gm and at the age of 60, the weight will be reduced to 1300g. The same changes occur for female as well. It is estimated that female brain weight is 100-150 gm less than males. Majorly brain weight changes occur when women reach the age of 55 and it peaks at the age of 90.

Who Has the Heaviest Brain in the World?

The heaviest brain in the world weighed up to 2,850 grams (6 pounds 4.5 ounces). Measured by Dutch Pathologist Gerard Christian Van Welsam in the Netherlands in 1899, he discovered this fact during an autopsy of an unknown young man who died at the Meerenberg Asylum in Santport near Harlem in the Netherlands. As discussed above, the average weight of the human brain is 1,350 but this unknown man’s brain is twice the size of the usual one.

Does Brain Size Affect Intelligence?

An individual brain size is not correlated with their intelligence. A few decades ago, scientists experimented on the most famous person in the world– Albert Einstein. As a result, there was nothing unexceptional in his brain size, it was almost similar to normal human brain size. However, in some cases, scientists found that people with smaller brains end up with poor cognition or become criminals. Especially, children who were exposed to lead had small brains compared to those who were not exposed to lead. Because lead damages the neurons and affects brain development which results in small brains.

Brainy Facts

• The human brain is more active at night than during the day.
• The brain itself is unable to experience the pain.
• The human brain is made up of over a hundred billion cells.
• The brain can read up to a thousand words per minute.
• Men predominantly use the left side of the brain, while women utilize both sides.
• The human brain is capable of creating new ideas similar to the atoms of the universe.
• The growth of the human brain stops at the age of 18.
• When you touch something, you signal the brain at 124mph.
• Information passes at different speeds to the different types of neurons.
• The left side of the human brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa for the right side of the brain.
•  Dehydration may affect brain function as the brain has 75% water content
• In a small study, it was found that video games may improve cognitive skills
• The brain uses 20% of the oxygen that blood carries

Hope you learned some interesting facts about the human brain. Now check out the wackiest facts about the human body.