Funny Brain Memes, Statistics, and Internet Culture: the Real Impact of the Phenomena

Brainy memes have become such a major part of the internet culture that it would likely be difficult to dodge them online, even if you wanted to. The Washington Post revealed that according to the website Know Your Meme, during the years from 2008 to 2015, the total number of memes grew to 12,302.

It’s not only their sheer number that makes them feel omnipresent online. These funny brain memes cover nearly every topic and area there is, which means there is a little something for every internet user out there. Whether it’s cars, cakes, or science that interests you, there ought to be at least some memes about it.

Statista revealed that memes are some of the most shared content online among US internet users. According to their data, 35% of Gen Z and Millennials are very likely to share memes someone else created, while 29% are very likely to create them themselves.

That might be one explanation for the huge number of brain memes on the internet. People get creative by often using a popular template yet depicting something they find funny, important, or dear to their own hearts. Towards Data Science found out that back in 2018, for example, the most popular template for memes was the iconic image of Drake dancing in his Hotline Bling video.

Drake-related images are just one of the thousands of examples of meme trends based on popular culture. They often portray famous movie stars or characters (have you ever tried counting all the Baby Yoda memes you encounter when scrolling?), athletes who have just broken a new record, or singers and their latest hits. However, funny brain memes can also be used to cover more serious topics, such as politics, human and animal rights, and others. (Web Tribunal pointed out that as much as 60% of memes are politics-related.)

One of the most popular memes, predating the image of Drake dancing, is the renowned image of the ‘Expanding Brain’. The brain meme depicts the progression of certain ideas which seem to be stimulating the mind, similarly to the jokes shared on the ‘Brainy Memes’ Facebook group. Started back in 2018, it features a vast collection of puns based on science, knowledge in different fields, wordplay, or similar conundrums, which sometimes take us a second to work out. In this way these funny brain memes provide not only entertainment but mental exercise as well.

Cognifit emphasized that stimulating the brain regularly can help boost our cognition and support the cognitive skills we use every day, such as memory, planning, and focus. It pointed out that exercising our brain is as important as physical activity, which is why it’s crucial to properly maintain brain fitness as well. According to Cognifit, brain fitness is the brain’s ability to learn what the organism has to know to survive in a changing environment.

The capacity to adjust to an ever-changing environment gets increasingly more significant as the years go by. Nowadays people have to keep up with constant and rapid technological advancements, which is why it’s crucial for them to train the brain in order to maintain the ability to continually learn new things. Such an ability is known as brain plasticity, which defines the nervous system changing its activity as a response to certain external stimuli.

Harvard Health Publishing pointed out that in order to boost the process of brain plasticity, a person has to practice somewhat challenging activities on a regular basis. Take sports, for example. Even though it’s primarily related to exercising the muscles on your body, quite a few types of exercise require combining it with brain activity, such as being mindful of your breathing or anticipating certain movements, among other things.

Scientific American revealed that some activities, which people often believe they do on autopilot (such as walking, for instance), are more linked to brain activity than they might think. 

Research shows that different types of exercise result in positive changes to certain areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus (the part related to memory) or prefrontal cortex (responsible for our planning, decision-making, and multitasking abilities).

According to Harvard Health Publishing, engaging in creative pursuits can also be a great way to train your brain. Whether it’s painting, playing an instrument, or taking up writing, activities of a similar kind can help improve your cognitive function.

In order to reach the best results, it’s advisable to follow three simple yet crucial guidelines: regularly challenging the brain, engaging in complex activities, and maintaining some level of constant practicing.

If you’d like to train your brain with something else rather than funny brain memes, check out our previously shared collections of trick questions, teasers, and riddles here and here.