February 2, 2025 at 1:55 pm

The Biggest Brain Ever Recorded Was More Than 6 Pounds, But It Doesn’t Mean It Was More Intelligent

by Trisha Leigh

Source: Shutterstock

You might think it would be a flex to be the person with the biggest brain ever, but like most things, the reality is a little more uncomfortable to contend with on a daily basis.

The record-holder’s brain was double the weight of an average brain, and he faced intellectual disabilities and an untimely demise in a mental health institute.

We don’t know his name, only that he lived in the Netherlands in the 19th century. He was just 21 when he passed after suffering from epilepsy and other brain-related issues his entire life.

Source: Shutterstock

His autopsy revealed his brain weighed 6 pounds and 4.6 ounces. Human brains usually weigh between 2 pounds and 4 pounds 6.5 ounces, with the average being about 3 pounds.

Human brains have been shrinking for the past several thousand years, and according to one study published in 2021, the reduction in size could be because we have the ability to store our knowledge in things like writing, etc.

The speculate that the emergence of complex societies could have eliminated the need for more brain storage space, since we were able to rely on a collective data/knowledge set dispersed among many individuals.

And before you panic, no, bigger brains don’t necessarily mean more intelligence. When researchers checked out the relationship between cranial volume and cognitive abilities, they determined that IQ was not determined by brain size.

Structure and connectivity are likely more important than size, which explains why there is no real difference between men and women in intelligence, despite men’s brains being about 11% larger.

Different global populations also display disparity in cranial volume, with East Asians having the largest brains and African cerebrums the smallest. Europeans fall somewhere in the middle, closer to average in size.

Source: Shutterstock

There is no evidence that one population is more or less intelligent than another.

So in this case – and definitely in the case of the poor kid with the largest brain ever – average is more than okay.

Who would have guessed?

If you found that story interesting, learn more about why people often wake up around 3 AM and keep doing it for life.