The brain itself deforms just from the weight of itself pressing onto her hand. “It’s very very soft. One of the purposes of the fluid that surrounds the brain in our skulls is to float it so it doesn’t knock against the bones of our skull and get damaged, as it does in a concussion.

Materialists believe that it is only our brain functions that are important and not our subjective experiences, otherwise described as ‘matter over mind’. The opposing approach to materialism is dualism, which is the idea that our mind is more than just our brain, a.k.a. ‘mind over matter’ (“Dualism,” 2014).

Interactionism. The viewpoint of interactionism suggests that the mind and body are two separate substances, but that each can affect the other. This interaction between the mind and body was first put forward by the philosopher René Descartes.

What does your brain look and feel like? Your brain is the size of a large grapefruit, but it looks like a large pinkish-gray walnut. There are many folds and creases and it feels soft and squishy.

Turns out the human skull can withstand 6.5 GPa of pressure, while oak holds up under 11, concrete 30, aluminum 69 and steel 200.

You’re right, brains are quite mushy. The brain may be soft but it is surrounded by a tough layer called the dura mater to help protect it. I also found out the brain actually floats around in a kind of liquid. This liquid helps keep the brain from touching the bone of your skull.

The team concluded that neurons deep in the brain jiggle the most, probably because they’re the ones closest to blood vessels delivering the bursts of pressure. Researchers already knew that the recordings of brain cells firing can mysteriously change over time, says Anastassiou.

Scientists have known for years that the brain liquefies after a stroke. If cut off from blood and oxygen for a long enough period, a portion of the brain will die, slowly morphing from a hard, rubbery substance into liquid goop.