Albert Einstein, who is widely known as one of the greatest physicists of all time, has always been considered extremely intelligent, but why? Was it his brain and its structure that made him so brilliant? And how is it any different from ours?  

  Einstein’s most well-known discovery was related to the formula “E = mc^2”. This equation proved that energy and mass (matter) are interchangeable; they are different forms of the same thing. Under the right conditions, energy can become mass, and vice versa. 

  Einstein is also well known for photoelectric effect, for which he won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.

Eight hours after his death on April 18, 1995, his brain was removed. Pathologist Thomas Harvey made several fascinating observations after studying the brain of the great scientist. His brain weighed 1230g, which was unusually low compared to an average adult brain (1400g.). It was also 15 percent wider, which may have allowed better connections between neurons important for math and spatial reasoning.

  The brain was then passed along to other pathologists to analyze. That was when the secret of Einstein’s genius was discovered is his corpus callosum. As stated by NeuroScientificallyChallenged Blog, the corpus callosum is a large, C-shaped nerve fiber bundle found beneath the cerebral cortex. It stretches across the midline of the brain, connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres. It makes up the largest collection of white matter tissue found in the brain.

  Einstein’s corpus callosum allowed his two hemispheres to have a stronger connection. When doing a math project, both hemispheres are used; the left hemisphere, which is responsible for analysis and logic, connects to the right hemisphere which is used for creativity and imagination through the corpus callosum. 

  So, what can you do to strengthen this part of your brain? To thicken the connection between two hemispheres, the corpus callosum has to be trained, meaning both hemispheres participate in an everyday routine. As stated by the CDC Blog, experts say using the non-dominant hand helps the brain to better integrate its two hemispheres. Research shows that musicians who use both hands have around a nine percent increase in the size of their corpus callosum. 

  Even though Einstein was born with a strong connection between his two hemispheres, there is a way to thicken the connection without being born that way, with practice and hard work. 

  “One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius”- Simone de Beauvoir.