Pokémon was our childhood, but at the same time affects our brain

Did you grow up with Pokémon? Then your brain changed forever, according to scientists. Something very strange is happening. The researchers explain.

If you grew up from the 90s, you can’t miss Pokémon. It started of course with Red and Blue games on Game Boy and later came series, cards and movies.

ever popular pokemon

In fact, not much has changed in 2022. Pokémon cards and games are still popular. Additionally, streaks are still being made that can be caught using Pokéballs (not to be confused with Poke Bowls you can eat).

And Pokémon is now literally an indispensable part of your life, according to research by scientists at Stanford University. The little monsters that Ash Ketchum wants to catch from Pallet Town have a special place in your brain.

How your brain is affected

This spot in your brain is the inferior temporal cortex, a part of your temporal lobe that sits at the side of your head. The main task of this part is to recognize things. Another part is mainly intended for face recognition.

Recent studies have shown that a special neural cell is activated when a particular person is recognized. This is also known as the “grandmother cell”. But not only parents, but also Pokémon are recognized.

From Your Grandma to Pokemon

Scientists have a publication about it in the scientific journal Nature Human behavior. They discovered that such a grandma cell region was activated by images of Pokémon.

They did this by comparing test subjects with each other. One group had watched Pokémon as children, while the control group had not. The grandmother cell was not activated in the latter group.

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Important Research

This may seem like useless research, but according to scientists, it definitely isn’t. These findings are important because they support theories of brain development. This could suggest that visual deficits like dyslexia could be the result of the way people look at objects. It is therefore possible to prevent it.

It turns out that Pokémon are perfectly designed for the human brain. What explains the success of the series. People appreciate it and at the same time they remember it and recognize it because they appreciate it.