Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Their Brain Just Cannot Comprehend

People Break Down Which Things Their Brain Just Cannot Comprehend
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The brain a fascinating part of the body. No, its the most fascinating.

Scientists have said for years that we'll never know all about the brain and its functions.

So if it is so fascinating and so capable and awesome... why does it stall? Why does it overload?

Why aren't we all gifted with photographic memory? The brain definitely has a full storage issue. And we all suffer.

Redditor u/MABAMA45 wanted everyone to fess up to and just embrace all the things the brain can't handle by asking:

What can your brain just not comprehend?

I'm a smart person. I read, I study, I comprehend. But certain types of math can send me to the funny farm. I tried trigonometry in high school. I needed a therapist after a week. My brain hates math. It is what it is. I give up trying.

Louder!

Meme Reaction GIF by reactionseditorGiphy

"I can't comprehend why any company would think I'm more likely to buy their product if they make their commercial 20db louder than all other commercials. Instant boycott."

- Brother_Bishop

The Scale

"The sheer size and scale of the universe. Like the fact that you can fit all the planets of the Solar System between the Earth and the Moon. Now realise how far apart all the planets are in the Solar System. This is practically next door compared to the distance between our Sun and the nearest star."

"There are billions of stars in our Milky Way (with the majority having planets of their own). The sheer scale of the vast emptiness involved means that even when our galaxy merges with the Andromeda galaxy in 4.5 billion years' time, there will be very, very few actual collisions between stars."

"Then there is the void between galaxies, and that it takes billions of years for light, at its speed (massless, and the fastest speed possible), to travel between galaxies, speaks of the sheer emptiness and distance in that void. I can't quite fathom it."

- NatsuDragnee1

The Before...

"What was there before the universe, what was there before that, and that and that and (you get the idea)."

- Mandrillmum

"The problem is we are using English words that have implied meanings that are familiar to humans on everyday experience to describe events that are outside everyday experience."

"Before" implies that time exists on both sides of an event, but that is not true when we are talking about the universe. Like how there are no positive numbers less than 0, there are no times before the beginning of the universe."

- IAmBadAtInternet

In the Words...

"Language, the fact that we all collectively decided separately and divertingly that certain sounds have meanings and that other sound mixed with those can change the meaning."

"Thanks for all of the upvotes and the award :3."

"Adding onto what I said, sounds are just vibrations in the air that out brains interpret into the sensation of hearing. Really we're vibrating the air at each-other and those air vibrations to your brain contain meaning. When you think about it like this language is not too dissimilar to the internet in a way. Makes you realize how crazy and unique of a skill language really is, with-ought it we wouldn't have a civilization."

"Another interesting thing related to this is when people call your name. Even if your in a crowded area with hundreds of people talking around you and you think your tuning them out if you hear your name you immediately notice, Some part of your brain must be constantly listening."

"Here are some other things my mind can't quite grasp:

  • Computers, the fact that my phone is performing countless mathematical operations constantly.
  • the plank length, if I understand it right it's the smallest distance anything can move, like a pixel of space.
  • the human body and animals in general, were a collection of (large number but idk how large) cells all working together in various systems some how sustaining a brain that is able to be conscious, it's a miracle animals work at all let alone what they're capable of.
  • why my ankles crack when I walk.
  • what the future will be like, the world is changing so fast it's likely the future will be nothing like we think and it's coming." - Flaer15

I'm Empty

Fun Floating GIF by Tomas BrunsdonGiphy

"My little brain can't comprehend the vast emptiness of space and the fact it supposedly just stretches on forever and never has an end. Kind of wild when you try imagine it."

- Proof-Plan9984

Like any other muscle or organ in the body, we have to listen when pain is inflicted. We have to recognize discomfort and deal. Why don't we allow the same respect to our brain? It will tell us when enough is enough.

Simplicity...

Work Working GIFGiphy

"How a simple calculator works. I can do math. I'm actually very good at it. How does a little plastic box do it though? Always boggled my mind."

- Buddydog_87

Dammit!

"Dates. I am considered a historian by my family due to my knowledge on most world history, but God dang dates... I could be talking about WWII and say it happened the same date as WWI."

- Awwwwwwww

Billions of People

"That all the others persons I talk to or see, have their own thoughts, own inner dialogue and own life. For gaming analogy sometimes I just feel like others are NPC and I just can't comprehend that there are more than 7 billions person just like me."

- MoredhelEUW

"Sonder...

The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it."

- jambonandfromage

Now That's Too Much!

"Quantum physics."

- AlkaliPineapple

"I have a PhD in astronomy and MSc in Physics, and had to take ~2 years worth of quantum mechanics courses. It's one of those things where you can take solace that even with all that education on it all I can say is no one else really understands it either."

- Andromeda321

And the Dark?

"Light isn't affected by time. So... other things could just exist outside of time? Like, if you were a photon that traveled at light speed for a million years and then hit an alien's third butt, you'd experience it as instantly being a million light years away."

- Delica

"A photon moves at the speed of light through space, but is standing still in time."

"A person at rest moves at the speed of light through time, but is standing still in space. When you accelerate through space, you're simultaneously decelerating through time. That's why observers will see your clock slow down when you begin accelerating at relativistic speeds. It's referred to as time and space dilation. Makes more sense once you realize that."

- PotatoProfessor

The Process...

"There are people who don't have an internal dialogue with themselves. So, they never question if they are right or wrong. They never wonder if they are treating someone fairly, or if they are nice or mean."

"They can change their minds with no information, but it doesn't involve the process most of us go through when confronted with an opinion, or new data. It's not common, but it's not entirely rare. When I learned about this, I just couldn't understand how it was even possible."

- Had_to_respon1

The End

Season 2 Episode 10 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy

"Death, obviously I understand why people die and all that but just thinking what happens afterwards. What's it like for the said person that died, is it just blackness? Is it like they're dreaming??? Reincarnation?? This probably sounds very stupid but I don't care 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️"

- LilQueenC

There is so much to learn, and even more that we'll never know. And that's ok. When the brain is full, it's full. Seems like just a part of life. The mysteries will sometimes stay illusive.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Kelly Clarkson
Denise Truscello/Live Nation Las Vegas/Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson Reveals Horrific Comment Her Ex-Manager Once Made About Her Body—And Fans Are Livid

"Kids say the darnedest things" is a popular phrase for a reason, and while it might not have the same ring, maybe we need to change "kids" to "entertainment managers"?

While doing her Las Vegas residency, Kelly Clarkson mixed her most iconic songs with audience interactions and stories of things that have happened during her career.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mid-shot of a female doctor, wearing a stethoscope.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Medical Professionals Break Down Times Patients Accurately Self-Diagnosed With Google

Medical professionals often advise against Googling when we are feeling ill.

WebMD is the enemy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Virginia Foxx and Yassamin Ansari

GOP Rep. Melts Down After Dem Rep. Calls Out Republicans' '8 Weeks Of Taxpayer-Funded Vacation'

North Carolina Republican Representative Virginia Foxx was fuming after Arizona Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari welcomed her back from the GOP's "vacation" after House Speaker Mike Johnson kept the House out of session for eight weeks.

Johnson adjourned the House after September 19, following the passage of a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown.

Keep ReadingShow less
La Toya Jackson
@latoyajackson/Instagram

Fans Concerned After La Toya Jackson Shares Cryptic Videos About Her Health At Doctor's Office

We may not all like the same things or be fans of the same celebrities, music, books, or films, but we all understand the anticipatory grief that comes with the fact that our favorite artists are human, just like us, meaning they will age and eventually create their last piece.

Fans of Dolly Parton, for instance, went through a scare last month when her sister shared a cryptic Facebook post about Dolly, only for the country singer to later have to post a video to reassure her fans that she "ain't dead yet" and was healthy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gordon Ramsay
Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

Gordon Ramsay Sparks Debate With NSFW Take On Creating Menus For People Taking Weight Loss Injections

Chef Gordon Ramsay is famous for his outspoken, often acidic take on things arguably even more than he's famous for his food.

His tirades on his television shows Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares are renowned for having sparked their own memes and gifs years after they were actually on the air.

Keep ReadingShow less