Are you left brained or right brained?
by Nandita Subbiah
Did you know that the left side of your brain and the right side of your brain control different parts of your thinking? For most people, one side of your brain is more dominant than the other side. A person who is ‘’left-brained’’ is supposed to be logical, analytical and objective and more organized and cautious. A person who is ‘’right-brained’’ is supposed to be intuitive, thoughtful and subjective and more likely to follow their feelings.
The right brain is used for:
•Recognizing faces
•Expressing emotions
•Music
•Reading emotions
•Color
•Images
•Intuition
•Creativity
The left brain is used for:
•Language
•Logic
•Critical thinking
•Numbers
•Reasoning
Some people actually use both sides of their brain equally. They will have qualities from both sides of the brain. The right brain-left brain theory came from the work of Roger W. Sperry who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1981. When he was studying the effects of epilepsy Sperry found out that cutting the corpus collosum (the structure that connects the two sides of the brain) could reduce or eliminate seizures. Unfortunately, patients experienced other symptoms after the corpus collosum was cut. Some patients were unable to name objects processed by the right side of the brain, but were able to name objects that were processed by the left side of the brain. Sperry thought this meant that language was controlled by the left side of the brain. This doesn’t mean you only use one side of your brain at a time, though. Research has shown that abilities in subjects (for example math) are stronger when both the left side and right side of the brain are working together.
