There’s a Big Difference In How Your Brain Processes The Numbers 4 And 5 : ScienceAlert

Quick, how many apples are in the photo above?

It’s easy to see there are three, but thanks to a distinct processing mechanism in your brain, it might have been even easier than you realize.

According to a new study, the human brain has two separate ways of processing numbers of things: one system for quantities of four or fewer, and another system for five and up.

Scientists have known for a long time that people respond differently when asked to quickly discern quantities above or below this threshold, but until now it wasn’t clear if this was really evidence of two discrete neural…