Do you make use of the left hand more often than the right hand? Do you often doodle while taking notes? Do you prefer pictorial representation? Looks like your right brain features are dominant. Wait, don’t jump into the conclusion! Read the right brain characteristics mentioned in this article and try understanding if your right brain is dominant over the left brain.
The concept of right brain and left brain dominance was discovered by Roger W Sperry while he was conducting a series of experiments on cats, monkeys, and humans. As per the theory, the right-brain and the left-brain function differently. The experiment was conducted in the year 1981 and is popularly known as Split Brain. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for research towards the same.
Commonly, the right brain oriented person tends to exhibit creativity, imagination, and artistry. While the left-brain dominant people tend to exhibit the features of being logical and organized. [A] The human body is structured in a way that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, hence the right brained person is often left-handed.
In this article, I will be covering:
What is Split Brain Theory?
Before we try to understand the Split Brain theory, it is important for us to understand the basic anatomy of the human brain.
Basic Anatomy of Human Brain:
The human brain consists of two hemispheres namely the left and the right hemisphere. Both hemispheres are connected together by the corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is a thick band of nerve fibers that helps in communication between the right and the left side of the brain.
Split Brain Experiment:
In the year 1981, Roger W Sperry along with Michael Gazzaniga conducted a series of experiments on a few people who had undergone surgery involving the severing of the corpus callosum. The severing of the corpus callosum was one of the treatments for severe epilepsy.
Patients, who had undergone severing of the corpus callosum were puzzled to name the objects processed by the right side of the brain. The results of the experiment came out in such a way that the patients were unable to recognize the objects processed by the right brain.
Based on this, The Split Brain theory concluded that the language was controlled by the right side of the brain. [B]
Fascinating Right Brain Characteristics or Qualities of Right Brain Person:
1. As a right brain personality, you would love drawing more than writing:
While preparing for a meeting or discussion, you prefer to convey your point or opinion by drawing doodles or by making use of pictorial representations.
Being a right brain dominant person, you have born capabilities of strong imagination which makes you prefer drawing more than writing. You have love towards drawing and it is the most enjoyable hobby for you!
Visualization and creativity are the key strengths of the right-brained people at work. You always solve problems by looking at similarities and patterns.
2. You firmly believe in Intuitions and trust your gut feelings:
One of the strongest characteristics of the right brain dominant individuals is that their intuitions and gut feelings are the North Star in their decision-making process.
Intuition for the right brain oriented person arises as a feeling within their body and the feeling is so personal that no one else can analyze if their gut instinct is right or not.
3. You are a deep thinker:
While intuitions and gut feelings are a boon for you, deep thinking or overthinking comes as a bane.
Your thought process is not natural but will be following strict guidelines to make a decision for something your mind has been prepared for. Sometimes, you are flooded with pros and cons that confuse and make you reach a dizzying circle without a clear direction.
4. Right brain dominant individuals often find difficulty in being organized:
As a right-brain dominant individual, you often see that your laundry is overflowing, your office desks are loaded with unorganized papers and files.
However, this can be easily solved by making use of attractive and colorful file folders, magazine holders, and portfolios. This helps the right-brained person better at information retrieval and they’ll also enjoy working in a colourful environment.
5. As a person, you are more emotional than logical:
Both in humans and even in non-humans, the emotions are expressed and recognized by the right brain.
While emotions are normal, being naturally more emotional is the right brain thinker characteristic. While the left brain dominant individuals tend to be naturally more logical than emotional.
Being highly emotional, you will be able to critically think through – be it a situation or a relationship or a friendship. You analyze everything and make decisions that are rational and sound for most of them.
Being highly emotional, you would be self-aware of your verbal and non-verbal behavior. This makes you skilled in reading and understanding other people’s body language and behavior.
6. You are good at Interpersonal and Intrapersonal intelligence:
Being a right brain thinker, you look at the bigger picture to understand the world.
In the work environment, when organizing files, you would think of a cataloging system to save time for everyone.
In relationships, you would concentrate on the good feelings that a person gives to you each day.
The Conclusion To Right Side Brain Dominance
Don’t conclude that your right brain or left brain is dominant when compared to another side of the brain by solely looking at the characteristics mentioned above.
The characteristics mentioned above help you in understanding your core strengths and weaknesses. A few people are especially logical and a few people are extremely creative, that doesn’t mean that their one side of the brain is dominant over the other. Logic and creativity are faces of a single coin and both are mutually inclusive events.
In fact, in the year 2013 – The University of Utah studied brain lateralization and examined the brains of more than 1,000 individuals and found no evidence for people having a dominant side of the brain.
Also, an article in Harvard Health blog mentions, “if you performed a CT scan, MRI or autopsy on the brain of a mathematician and compared it to the brain of an artist, you probably wouldn’t see a difference”.
Don’t underestimate your potential by thinking of how our brains really work. Also, note that all the left brain or right brain quizzes that you come across online are entirely for fun.
I, hope you enjoyed reading this article. Read our other articles on Mind Wellness and Body Wellness, today!