There was a fascinating educational show on the National Geographic channel some time ago, called “Brain Games,” that had some pretty interesting facts about how our brains work. Having a deeper understanding of the human mind should be every marketer’s objective, since it could aid in the development of better ideas.

In the video below, people were tested to see whether or not they would notice if the person they were just talking to suddenly switched to a different person. The results were surprising…

This test proves how few things we actually pay attention to every day. Our brains have an automatic filter for distractions. We generally aren’t over-thinking unimportant, minor details throughout our day-to-day lives. Worrying too much about those details could impair the way we function. When it comes to marketing, we may even use this knowledge in our designs to create fewer distractions for our target audience (because they aren’t paying attention to them, anyway), so they can better focus on the key message.

Here are some other cool facts about our brains:

• The brain consumes about 17 percent of the body’s total energy but accounts for only 3 percent of body weight.
• The human brain consists of some 100 billion active nerve cells.
• The brain’s neurons communicate by transmitting electrical impulses along their axons. Interactions among neurons can be simple or complex, and the amount of time they take can range from milliseconds to months.
• After about three weeks of gestation, a human fetus’s brain begins to form. By the fourth week, it is identifiable.
• Although the brain registers pain, the organ itself has no pain receptors.
• The brain is constantly sending and receiving information. Motor circuits transmit information away from the brain to muscles and glands, while sensory circuits report findings to the brain.
• The average adult’s attention span is 20 minutes (unless it’s a topic one finds especially interesting).
• Children’s attention spans, however, are usually close to their age in minutes.
• Stress can interfere with the brain’s cognitive processes.
• The brain’s frontal lobe may be a kind of “humor center.” Some people with damage to this area of the brain, especially on the right side, often don’t get jokes.
• As we age, we can often remember long-ago events more easily than recent events.
• Sleep is essential for your brain. Sleep deprivation can lead to “microsleep,” when the brain “shuts off” for a few seconds at a time. An impaired person might lose track of a conversation or task.
• Nerves connect all the body’s organs to the brain. Nerve impulses race to the brain as fast as 250 miles an hour.