Have you ever heard someone you know talk about how they
believe they use one side of their brain more than the other? Chances are, most
of us have. But if you haven’t, or if you don’t quite understand this concept,
let me enlighten you.
First of all, the 'left brain vs. right brain' theory is just
that. A theory. It has yet to be 100% proven, but it is a relatively simple theory based on stereotyping that most
people accept because of general observations. The theory developed from the epilepsy
research of Roger W. Sperry, receiver of the 1981 Nobel Prize.
Basically the theory
hypothesizes that one side of their brain holds dominance over the other and
this affects the person’s personality and his or her strengths of intelligence.
The side of dominance is different from person to person. The theory is based on an aspect of psychology
referred to as lateralization of brain function.
People will say things like “I’m left brained” or “I’m right
brained”. If a person believes they are left brained, this is probably because
they identify their thought patterns as logical, analytical, and critical. While
the person who believes they are right brained they identify with being more
thoughtful, subjective, and intuitive. In academics, this usually means that the
left brained person is better at math than they are with English because they
like to be organized and rational, while the right brained person enjoys English
because of its potential to be abstract and promote deep thought and feelings.
Even though you may have dominance towards one side, remember
that the two cerebral hemispheres do work together. The left side of the brain
is responsible for words, numbers, analysis, lists and controls the right side
of the body. The right side of the brain is responsible for color, rhythm,
spatial awareness & depth perception, daydreaming and controls the left side
of the body.
While the 'right brain vs left brain' theory makes sense and is
a very interesting consideration of how our Creator made our brains to work, it
is important to remember that scientific theories do no define us. Below is a set of pretty poetry that sums the importance of them both working together to make life beautiful while casting out the typical stereotypes of the two sides.
(Quote collected via tumblr, original source wasn't noted)
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