The eNotes Blog Are You Right or LeftBrained

Are You Right or LeftBrained Ah, the secret life of the human brain. Its hard to imagine that something that exists inside of each of us, that governs our every waking moment (and every sleeping moment for that matter), can be too complex for us to completely understandmore mysterious than the depths of the deepest ocean. In just one second, for instance, our brains can form one million new connections. One million. To keep up with everything your brain does, well, youd need another brain. One aspect of the brain that has always perplexed me is the concept of the left vs right brain. There is a persistent idea that the world is divided into left-brained and right-brained peoplethe former latching onto logic and analytical thinking, the latter made up of loosey-goosey, emotionally intuitive types. Throughout our lives, many of us purport to be either one or the otheran identity that is forged and enforced in school. Students proficient in Math and Science will adopt the idea that they are left-brainers, while those most skilled in Arts will identify themselves as right-brainers. But if youre not certain yet as to whether you are right or left brained, well, theres an infographic for that: Its interesting how this infographic ties in to information that is already quite commonplace. The idea, for example, that left-handed people possess greater creativity (given the fact that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body). I had thought this idea was simply an old-wives tale. It turns out, this is only slightly the case Right-Brain, Left-Brain Theory was actually formed as a result of neuropsychologist Roger W. Sperrys work with epileptic patients. His treatment for epilepsy involved severing the corpus collosum (the membrane that separates the halves of the brain). This effectively reduced a patients number of seizures, but drastically affected other aspects of their lives: Many split-brain patients found themselves unable to name objects that were processed by the right side of the brain, but were able to name objects that were processed by the left-side of the brain. Based on this information, Sperry suggested that language was controlled by the left-side of the brain. (Source) So, it is true that each side of the brain is better able to handle certain tasks. It is simply the theory itself that is over-generalized when speaking of individuals. While the right brain may be better suited to expressing and reading emotions, recognizing faces, and creativity, and the left may focus more on language, logic, and numbers, it is really how the halves of your brain work in unison that makes up the type of learner and thinker that you are. All Mathies are not entirely left-brained, and all creative types are not completely right-brainedsomething that may make you feel better when you find, like I did, that your apparently dominant side doesnt describe what you feel you are truly best at. (Numbers? Who, me) That being said, there is some use for dominance theory in curating good study habits. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses in certain areas can help you develop better ways to learn and study. For example, students who have a difficult time following verbal instructions (often cited as a right-brain characteristic) can benefit from writing down directions and developing better organizational skills. In particular, I can recall a mnemonic that worked well for me all the way back when I was preparing for my AP Psychology exama rhyme centering around numbers that helped me to memorize Eriksons eight stages of development. Maybe I have always been numbers-oriented after all? So, after identifying from the graphic above whether you are   left or right brained, here are some tips to help you learn and study most efficiently: Left Brain Dominant: To Do lists will work well for you, and youre probably already an expert at them! You might find that youre more partial to non-fiction reading You probably work better alone than in a group. If you must be in a group, volunteer as leader Take advantage of your organizational skills in taking notes and scheduling Push yourself to take risks! They can pay off Right Brain Dominant: Youll excel in essays, more so than on factual, T/F-type questions You probably dont always read directions carefullymake that a priority Use images and charts in your studies Use your imagination and creativity to its fullest on all projects Organize your thoughts by getting them down on paper Are you left brain or right brain dominant? Take the test to find out! And if you have any study tips to help others with your learning type, wed love to hear them in a comment!