What's the Difference Between the Right Brain and Left Brain?

What is up with this idea of people being left-brained and right-brained? Is it a myth? Actually, no. The thing is some people are more left-brained and others are more right-brained. We found out what determines which side has dominance happens before we are even born. In the womb, when our genes develop, the way they wire up to our developing brain determines which side is dominant.

Why Do We Have a Dominant Side?

Why do we have a dominant side? Lateralization. This refers to some brain functions taking place in one hemisphere or one side rather than the other. Each hemisphere controls a different body side as well. Your dominant brain side connects to your dominant body side. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. And the right side the left. This cross-wiring neural pathway means if you are left-handed you are more relying on the right side of the brain. And vice versa.

How Does This Affect Our Thinking Style?

How does this affect our thinking style? The left side and the right are responsible for very distinct thinking patterns. Generally, the right brain thinks in pictures instead of words. Using intuition and focusing on the bigger picture. The left focuses on actual words. Thinking in a very verbal way. Holding onto details first, and then putting them together to form a whole picture. It's why we agree upon that the right side is creative and the left is logical.

How Is Language Affected?

How is language affected? The left side is good for vocabulary, grammar, and literal meanings. The right side is great for intonation and accentuation, basically, how we speak.

How Is Music Heard in the Brain?

How is music heard in the brain? We already know the right side is more creative. Music processing takes place in the entire brain. With the right side focusing on the melody while the left side focuses on the motor skills your hands need to play the instrument.

Is Math a Left Brain Business?

It's true that math is a left brain business. We assume the left side being more logical does more math. Things such as adding, counting, subtracting, etc. The right, however, actually helps us with estimating the amount of a set of objects. While your left brain might help you take a test, the right brain can tell you how many boxes are still on the delivery pallet at work.

Which Side Handles the Memories?

Which side handles the memories? The hippocampus is actually the part of the brain associated with memory. And it occupies both sides of the brain. The left side has been deemed more important for storing memories, as its strength is in retrieval. The right side is good for reciting, like multiplication tables.

Which Side Will Help Me More in Surviving in a Survival Camp?

Depending on our situation, the sides we depend on change. Studies have shown that, in warm places with more relaxed moods and less risks to your life, the right side is better. The left kicks in when it's cold. The food is scarce and threats to your life like a wild polar bear are abundant. Survival skills are based more on spatial awareness and logic. Not creativity. So the left side controls more of our ability to survive.

How Does Damage to the Right Side Affect a Person?

How does damage to the right side affect a person? Damage to the right side can lead to depression and even suicide. An over-activated right side can cause feelings of depression and anxiety. It can also cause problems with language and perception. Such as the lack of emotion while speaking.

How Does Damage to the Left Side Affect a Person?

How does damage to the left side affect a person? Left side damage affects vision. There is a reduction in spatial frequency. So we only see the larger part of an image. Speech also seems to be littered with grammatical errors. This is called aphasia.

So, Which Side Is Superior?

It is important to stress that there is no right or wrong way to think. Both sides have their advantages and simply represent two ways of thinking. If you want to increase your creativity, you can try to stimulate your right brain more. If you want to improve your logic, you can work on your left brain more. But the best way to think is to use both sides of your brain in noggin.