5 People Who Gained Amazing Superpowers after Brain Trauma

Most of us have wished we might suddenly wake up better-looking, richer, happier, or smarter at some point. But these people really did wake up changed. Recovering from a brain injury is usually a very difficult and long process. Actually, patients have to relearn even the very basics like walking and talking, so the idea of obtaining a new or even incredible skill in the process seems quite unlikely.

Amazingly, there have been some surprisingly rare cases where individuals have recovered from critical brain injuries to discover that they have somehow developed an extraordinary new talent they could have never had before their trauma. This ‘miracle’ is known as Acquired Savant Syndrome and it is extremely rare, with only 32 known cases.

In fact, scientists aren’t sure of the exact cause of this syndrome, but it’s believed to originate from damage to the left anterior temporal lobe (the area responsible for processing sensory input and recognizing objects.)

While a head injury is certainly a horrible experience, for some it offered an unexpected mental superpower, turning normal people into geniuses. Meet these 5 people who woke up with a new ability that changed their lives in the most unexpected and strangest ways. continue reading through the slides to discover their unbelievable stories .

© healthsfitness.com

#1 – Ben McMahon – Mandarin Language

Daily Mail

In 2012, Australian Ben McMahon was left in a coma after a severe car crash. His parents feared he might never wake up. Thankfully, he woke up after one week. The first person Ben saw after waking up was a nurse of Asian appearance at his bedside, he uttered the words ‘Hi, it really hurts here! What happened to me?’ in Mandarin Chinese! Interestingly, he also managed to write perfectly in this new language. Ben was fully recovered, but he was left with a completely new skill; now that he’s fluent in Mandarin.

Actually, Ben had studied the language in high school and failed it. He was never fluent until after his brain trauma. ‘It was like a dream,’ he said. He opened his mouth and Chinese came out, while his parents were worried that they would need to learn the strange language as well, but Ben eventually recalled English.