What aspect of our brains makes us smart? Is it the size? Or maybe it’s the amount of ‘wrinkles’ on the surface? This question has been bugging scientists for ages…


A 2004 study at the University of California showed that the volume of the gray matter in parts of the cerebral cortex (the outermost part of your brain where thought and reasoning happen) had a greater impact on intelligence than the brain’s total volume. This suggest that the physical attributes of many parts of the brain - rather than a centralised "intelligence center” - determine how smart a person is.

If Einstein’s brain is anything to go by (and we all know it is!) this statement rings true. An analysis of Einstein’s brain showed it to be smaller than the average brain. Parts of his parietal lobe (which handles sensory input) were wider than average, though. These larger areas are related to mathematics and spatial reasoning. Einstein’s parietal lobe was also missing a fissure found in most people’s brains. Analysts believe this absence enabled different regions of the brain to communicate better.