--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In proportion to our body mass, our brain…" description: "\"In proportion to our body mass, our brain is three times as large as that of our nearest relatives. This huge organ is dangerous and painful to give bi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/susan-blackmore-24318_birth_in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain_783908.jpg" --- # In proportion to our body mass, our brain is three times… ![“In proportion to our body mass, our brain is three times as large as that of our nearest relatives. This huge organ is dangerous and painful to give birth to, expensive to build and, in a resting human, uses about 20 per cent of the body's energy even though it is just 2 per cent of the body's…” quote by Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/susan-blackmore-24318_birth_in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain_783908.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/susan-blackmore-24318_birth_in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain_783908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/susan-blackmore-24318_birth_in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain_783908.jpg) > “In proportion to our body mass, our brain is three times as large as that of our nearest relatives. This huge organ is dangerous and painful to give birth to, expensive to build and, in a resting human, uses about 20 per cent of the body's energy even though it is just 2 per cent of the body's weight. There must be some reason for all this evolutionary expense.” [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The human brain is disproportionately large and energy‑hungry, suggesting it serves a unique, costly evolutionary purpose beyond basic survival. **In simple terms:** Our brains are huge and costly, implying special function. Key Takeaway Explore why brains are so demanding. Themes evolution biology energy consciousness cost function Mood inquisitive analytical Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - education - technology design - healthcare - AI development Key Concepts cognitive advantage self‑awareness problem solving Questions to Reflect On - What advantages does a large brain provide? - How do we balance its costs? A Different Perspective The quote may overstate “dangerous” without context of benefits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Organs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organs/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) ## Related quotes > [“he lied about his height to keep from having a body mass index that would label him as obese),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-lied-about-his-height-to-keep-from-having-a-body-mass-index-that/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [We need only view a Dissection of that large Mass, the Brain, to have ground to bewail our Ignorance...We admire...the Fibres of every Muscle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-steno/we-need-only-view-a-dissection-of-that-large-mass-the-brain-to-have/) Nicolas Steno > [“The MRI shows a mass in your brain, which is causing your symptoms.” Silence. “Do you want to see the MRI?” “Yes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/the-mri-shows-a-mass-in-your-brain-which-is-causing-your-symptoms/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [Just as we have a physical body, so we have an etheric body and the etheric body is made up of energy, of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/just-as-we-have-a-physical-body-so-we-have-an-etheric-body-and-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [One should work out for a fit body, energy and stamina, too and not just to lose weight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiten-tejwani/one-should-work-out-for-a-fit-body-energy-and-stamina-too-and-not/) [Hiten Tejwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiten-tejwani/) > [The human body is not a thing or substance, given, but a continuous creation. The human body is an energy system which is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-o-brown/the-human-body-is-not-a-thing-or-substance-given-but-a-continuous/) [Norman O. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-o-brown/) > [“Homo sapiens, the brain accounts for about 2–3 per cent of total body weight, but it consumes 25 per cent of the body’s energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-the-brain-accounts-for-about-2-3-per-cent-of-total-body/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I notice a difference in my body, in my energy, and physically in how I look. When I do have the white bread, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-loughlin/i-notice-a-difference-in-my-body-in-my-energy-and-physically-in-how-i/) [Lori Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-loughlin/) > [When something goes wrong with the body of energy that surrounds and protects your physical body, it will later show up in your physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-something-goes-wrong-with-the-body-of-energy-that-surrounds-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I like to keep it really balanced to give my body energy and also be healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ratajkowski/i-like-to-keep-it-really-balanced-to-give-my-body-energy-and-also-be/) [Emily Ratajkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-ratajkowski/) > [“Health is our natural condition. The body’s energy is wholly devoted to sustaining a lifelong healthy journey. The intelligent focus of each cell in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-green/health-is-our-natural-condition-the-body-s-energy-is-wholly-devoted/) [James Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-green/) > [As the prana current, kundalini and different energies begin to move through you, you will feel yourself moving and rocking. Keep the body still,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/as-the-prana-current-kundalini-and-different-energies-begin-to-move/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The body. It’s not easy to carry around, specially when encased inside a massive skull. It’s even harder to fuel. In Homo sapiens, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-body-it-s-not-easy-to-carry-around-specially-when-encased-inside/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Five per cent vision is better than no vision at all. Five per cent hearing is better than no hearing at all. Five per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/five-per-cent-vision-is-better-than-no-vision-at-all-five-per-cent/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) ## More by Susan Blackmore > [For the planet's sake, I hope we have bird flu or some other thing that will reduce the population, because otherwise we're doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/for-the-planet-s-sake-i-hope-we-have-bird-flu-or-some-other-thing/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [Just as the design of our bodies can be understood only in terms of natural selection, so the design of our minds can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/just-as-the-design-of-our-bodies-can-be-understood-only-in-terms-of/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they think about memes is they try to extend on the analogy with genes. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-people-make-when-they-think-about/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [You start by copying other people's paintings or music or whatever. You get all of those skills before you branch out. Really creative people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/you-start-by-copying-other-people-s-paintings-or-music-or-whatever/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [Take male strategies for success in the world. If you've got all the advantages, if you're attractive and clever and all of that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/take-male-strategies-for-success-in-the-world-if-you-ve-got-all-the/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [The sale of sex in modern societies is not about spreading genes. Sex has been taken over by the memes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/the-sale-of-sex-in-modern-societies-is-not-about-spreading-genes-sex/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [Free will and consciousness is an illusion, and the self is a complex of memes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/free-will-and-consciousness-is-an-illusion-and-the-self-is-a-complex/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [If everyone understood evolution, then the tyranny of religious memes would be weakened, and we little humans might find a better way to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/if-everyone-understood-evolution-then-the-tyranny-of-religious-memes/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [Finally, we might decide that civilisation itself is worth preserving. In that case we have to work out what to save and which people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/finally-we-might-decide-that-civilisation-itself-is-worth-preserving/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [Imagine a world full of brains, and far more memes than can possibly find homes. Which memes are more likely to find a safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/imagine-a-world-full-of-brains-and-far-more-memes-than-can-possibly/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [All other species on this planet are gene machines only. They don't imitate at all well; we alone are gene machines and meme machines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/all-other-species-on-this-planet-are-gene-machines-only-they-don-t/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [“What happens when an animal or person dies? Something seems to have departed--something like a vital spark that makes the difference between life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/what-happens-when-an-animal-or-person-dies-something-seems-to-have/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [I have not come up with anything original. It needs a better brain than mine! I have done what I can do in taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/i-have-not-come-up-with-anything-original-it-needs-a-better-brain/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [Consciousness is an illusion constructed by the memes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/consciousness-is-an-illusion-constructed-by-the-memes/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [ 'Temes' \[technology-enhanced memes\] don't care about us - they simply want to create more of themselves. Don't think we created the internet for our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/temes-technology-enhanced-memes-don-t-care-about-us-they-simply-want/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) [Explore all 24 Susan Blackmore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) ## More Birth quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) Adam Imad > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/) Roxanne Shante > [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/) [Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/) > [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/) [Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In proportion to our body mass, our brain is three times as large as that of our nearest relatives. This huge organ is dangerous and painful to give birth to, expensive to build and, in a resting human, uses about 20 per cent of the body's energy even though it is just 2 per cent of the body's weight. There must be some reason for all this evolutionary expense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Blackmore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain-is-three-times-as-large-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Birth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain-is-three-times-as-large-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/susan-blackmore-24318_birth_in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain_783908.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/susan-blackmore-24318_birth_in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain_783908.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/susan-blackmore-24318_birth_in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain_783908.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In proportion to our body mass, our brain is three times as large as that of our nearest relatives. This…” — Susan Blackmore", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Susan Blackmore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In proportion to our body mass,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain-is-three-times-as-large-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/in-proportion-to-our-body-mass-our-brain-is-three-times-as-large-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```