The Human Brain

For what looks like a big old lump of putty, the human brain is a truly incredible thing. Think of it as the body's mission control center. Find out how much of a brainiac you are with our quiz.

By Alia Hoyt

Could manipulating the human brain's desire for sweet foods lead to new weight control methods and better treatments for eating disorders?

By John Perritano

New research shows that for people with misophonia, or an aversion to specific sounds, the brain is overactive in key areas.

By Shelley Danzy

Wouldn't keeping quiet help us get away from whatever's scaring us? What's the science behind the weird face and raw shout?

By Laurie L. Dove

What's the science behind fainting at the sight of blood? This BrainStuff video takes a look at the brain's internal toggle switch making some people hit the floor.

By Laurie L. Dove

What does it feel like to get a concussion? What are the mental and physical effects of this injury? And how can we best diagnose and treat them in the future?

Christian Sager interviews Dr. Jennifer Watson on how parts of the brain affect why we are the way we are. Learn more about your physiological personality in this interview from HowStuffWorks. Music: Land on the Golden Gate - by: Chris Zabriskie

Intelligence tests are not often accurate measures of intelligence. Learn more about intelligence tests and some of the more inaccurate ones in this video from HowStuffWorks.

It's a wild world. One with all kinds of kooky and unexpected connections. Like the one between big brains and binge drinking. Or big brains and big hips. Here's a look at some of the head scratching-est correlations uncovered by researchers.

By Chris Opfer

Is there any truth to the stereotype of the mad scientist? Turns out there is a link between high IQs and mental illness. Researchers are still not sure why.

By Laurie L. Dove

We've all seen "flame wars" on the Internet. Maybe we've been the victims or the perpetrators, too. But what causes people to say things online that they would never say in person?

By Laurie L. Dove

Who doesn't want to instantly gobble up the marshmallows floating delectably on top of their hot chocolate? As it turns out, giving in to or delaying that impulse can say a lot about you -- and your willpower. Ready to see how strong yours is?

By Robert Lamb

Don't think of emotions as just "feelings." They're also the product of how your brain processes your feelings and how you respond to them.

By Caitlin Uttley

When a well-timed joke or a clever cartoon tickles your funny bone, specific areas of your brain react to spread that mirth throughout your system. Can scientists use this knowledge to create a universal formula for comedy?

By Cristen Conger

The human brain has a great capacity to adapt, rewire and grow. How can you help your noggin reach its ultimate potential?

By Charles W. Bryant

The human brain can do some amazing things -- and humans can do amazing things because of it. Here are 10 of the most wondrous and unusual feats ever performed by a person's brain.

By Josh Clark

Despite our best intentions, sometimes we just make bad choices. Is it possible to fight your own worst instincts? Only if you can spot these flaws in your decision making process.

By Tom Scheve

The human brain is a mysterious little ball of gray matter, and so is that recurring dream that you're an elf. Have scientists determined why we have dreams?

By Charles W. Bryant

Computers can make calculations faster than the human brain. But thinking and calculating are two different things. Can computers be programmed to think for themselves better and faster than we can?

By Jonathan Strickland

Studies show that women are more sensitive to pain than men, despite their bodies' ability to withstand the agony of childbirth. Does social conditioning help men keep a stiff upper lip when they're hurt? Or do emotions and estrogen factor into this painful equation?

By Cristen Conger

Whether it's "Happy," "Baby Shark," or "Call Me Maybe," some tunes just live rent-free in your brain. But why do songs get stuck in your head?

By Stephanie Watson

Do gender differences go beyond our reproductive organs? Popular culture would have you believe that men are from Mars, while women call Venus their planet of birth. Is it possible to finish the argument of nature versus nurture?

By Molly Edmonds

Compare neuroscientists with crackerjack detectives like Nancy Drew and Hercule Poirot, and the brain docs might come up short. After all, they have yet to crack the case on five big brain mysteries.

By Molly Edmonds

You only use 10 percent of that big, wrinkled mass of smarts -- unless you listen to Mozart. At least, that's what we've heard about the brain. But how many common brain beliefs are just plain wrong?

By Shanna Freeman

Parents just don't understand. Scientists didn't understand either, until they got a good look inside the teenage brain -- and what they saw turned what we thought we knew on its head.

By Molly Edmonds