1. Your brain uses less power than your refrigerator light

In a day, your brain uses the amount of energy contained in two large bananas — around 12 Watts of power. Although the brain is efficient, it’s an energy hog. At only 3pc of the body’s weight, it consumes 17pc of the body’s total energy, most in maintenance. The drain for thinking hard is barely noticeable.

2. Frequent jet lag can damage memory

Jet lag in repeated doses can be dangerous to your brain’s health. People who often cross many time zones can experience brain damage and memory problems. This probably results from the stress hormones released during jet lag that are known to damage the temporal lobe and memory. However, you probably don’t need to worry unless you work for an airline.

3. Why you can’t hear phone conversations in a noisy room

Talking on your mobile phone in a noisy place can be difficult. The phone makes the brain’s task harder by feeding sounds from the room you’re in through its circuitry and mixing them with the sound it gets from the other phone. This makes it a harder problem for your brain to solve because your friend’s transmitted voice and the room noise are tinny and mixed together in one source. Cover the mouthpiece and you’ll stop the mixing.

We will publish more fascinating brain facts next time.

Extracted from Welcome To Your Brain: The Science of Jet Lag, Love and other Curiosities of Life, (Rider Books, £12.99).