Expanding Brain / Galaxy Brain

The "Expanding Brain" meme, also known as "Galaxy Brain," is a multi-panel image macro that humorously illustrates a progression of thought or intelligence through increasingly elaborate brain imagery. The meme format typically presents ideas in ascending order of supposed sophistication, often culminating in absurd or ironically "enlightened" concepts that satirize pseudo-intellectualism and overcomplicated thinking.

The meme originated from the earlier "Whomst" phenomenon, a fake word that first appeared on Urban Dictionary in June 2016. Created by user "lightning guy," "whomst" was defined as "for times when you want to ask 'who or whom,' but need a fancier connotation" (Daily Dot, 2025). This absurd escalation of English grammar was designed to mock intellectual pretense and gained popularity throughout 2016 as users created increasingly ridiculous variations like "whomst'd" and eventually "whomst'd've'ly'yaint'nt'ed'ies's'y'es."

The visual meme format emerged on January 31, 2017, when Reddit user janskishimanski posted an early example to the r/dankmemes subreddit (Know Your Meme, 2017). This original post gained nearly 1,200 upvotes and featured four panels showing increasingly elaborate brain images paired with the progression "who," "whom," "whomst," and "whomst'd." The first panel showed a simple brain X-ray, the second featured a brain with pink and purple neural activity, the third displayed a larger, more luminescent brain, and the final panel depicted a brain with green beams radiating outward, suggesting cosmic enlightenment (Dictionary.com, 2021).

The brilliance of the format lay in its ironic structure: as the brain images became more visually impressive and cosmically elaborate, the accompanying text became more linguistically nonsensical. This created a humorous disconnect between the implied intellectual superiority and the actual absurdity of the content, effectively satirizing the human tendency to equate complexity with intelligence.

The meme's versatility allowed it to spread rapidly beyond its grammatical origins. Users quickly began substituting the "who/whomst" progression with other topics, applying the format to everything from video games and politics to pop culture references and social commentary (Know Your Meme, 2017). The template proved adaptable to any subject matter where a progression from "normal" to "enlightened" could be established, often with the final panel presenting an intentionally ridiculous or over-the-top conclusion.

Throughout February 2017, Expanding Brain variations continued appearing on r/dankmemes and r/MemeEconomy, with the format spreading to other platforms including Tumblr and Twitter. A video version posted by user BagelBoy in February 2017 gained over 2.1 million views, demonstrating the meme's cross-platform appeal (Know Your Meme, 2017). Media outlets including PopSugar, New York Magazine, and Mic covered the phenomenon, cementing its place in mainstream internet culture.

The meme's brain images typically draw from a mix of sources, including medical imaging (X-rays, MRI scans), stock photography, and digital art depicting various stages of consciousness or spiritual enlightenment. The progression generally moves from realistic medical imagery to increasingly stylized, cosmic, or psychedelic representations, with the final panels often featuring brains that appear to merge with the universe itself, complete with radiating light beams and stellar backgrounds.

The format has spawned numerous variations and inspired similar progression-based memes. The template influenced other multi-panel formats like the Vince McMahon reaction meme (which uses clips of the WWE chairman's increasingly excited expressions) and the Drake preference meme format. The success of Expanding Brain demonstrated the power of visual progression in meme culture, establishing a template that continues to be widely used for ironic commentary and social satire.

The meme's enduring appeal lies in its capacity to satirize the human tendency to overcomplicate simple concepts while simultaneously celebrating genuine creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. It serves as both a critique of pseudo-intellectual posturing and a vehicle for expressing genuinely innovative ideas, depending on how it's employed.