When You Learn Something New...Does Your Brain Actually Grow In Size?

Answer 1

Though it may seem contrary to reason, the process of learning doesn't usually involve making your brain bigger, adding neurons, or even necessarily adding neural pathways. Instead it's the reverse - irrelevant pathways in your brain are destroyed.

This makes a certain sense if you think about it. If you are learning how to do something, you can initially think of any number of things you MIGHT do at each point. But once you have mastered your task often there seems to be only one or a few good choices. Likewise, we can think of any number of things that we add information to by subtracting from their total substance: a statue has more 'information' than a block of stone, as does a record than a disc of plastic, or any number of carving of any kind.

Not that your brain is always shrinking. As brains grow to adulthood they are rather obviously increasing in size, and it is now also known that neurons are occasionally replaced as well, jamming themselves into the existing network. And new pathways do form during learning as well. But think of how fast you can learn and compare it to how fast you grow. If adding neurons and pathways was the only - or even major - way that learning took place, it would probably take much, much, MUCH longer than it already does.

The difference in appearance between an adult brain and a baby's is not unlike the difference between a raisin and a grape. Not an accident.

EDIT:

Stories about Einstein's brain are usually false. For more than twenty years NO significant difference could be found between his and any other brain (link 1 for evidence).

More recent studies of his brain only further back up my above points: his brain seems to be MISSING whole sections, and it seems to have had comparatively LESS neurons than a normal brain (and more of the support cells, giving it approximately the same weight).

Answer 2

Robert B is right. When something new is learned, it is added to long term memory by way of chemical actions in the brain cells. Those brain cells were there before you learned something new so your brain doesn't have to grow in size.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

No, your brain is fully developed when you are one year old, but the knowledge inside of your brain grows considerable as you grow.

Answer 5

that depends if they actually learn something...

but I wouldn't think so, since your skull probably would be growing at a different rate

It probably just multiplies brain cells to keep the new info.

Answer 6

No it grows new connections between existing neurons.

Answer 7

It doesn't get bigger, but it gets wrinklier. And as a result, it gets heavier. They examined Einstein's brain after he died. It wasn't any bigger than average, but it was significantly heavier than average.

Answer 8

It just produces more wrinkles in your brain. =]

Answer 9

Nope, it just pushes other stuff out through your ears!

Answer 10

not... but my MEMO REY get higher and higher when i am learning and getting experienced new things..