Both sides of your brain actively interact and contribute input when you are solving a challenging mathematical solution or creating an abstract work of art. So when it comes to left brain vs right brain, how do each compare?
Left Brain vs Right Brain: Which One Are You?
A typical, healthy brain is capable of lifelong learning and boundless creativity, especially when it gets fuel from proper nutrition, a dose of physical exercise, and mental stimulation. No one is truly left-brained or right-brained. However, you can play to your strengths and keep expanding your mental horizons.
According to the theory, people are either left-brained or right-brained, indicating that one side of their brains is more dominant than the other. If your thought processes lean more toward analysis and procedure than toward creativity or the arts, you’re left-brained, according to the hypothesis.
Due to the work of psychobiologist and Nobel Prize winner Roger W. Sperry, this idea is based on the discovery that the two hemispheres of the brain operate differently.
The left brain, also known as the digital brain, is more linguistic, analytical, and organized than the right brain and is therefore better at tasks like reading, writing, and calculating.
According to Sperry’s research, the left brain helps you with:
- Logic
- Sequencing
- Thinking in lines
- Mathematics
- Facts
- Thinking verbally
The right brain, on the other hand, is more visually and intuitively oriented. It thinks more creatively and less methodically.
Sperry’s research also suggests the right brain helps people with:
- Imagination
- Comprehensive perspective
- Intuition
- Arts
- Rhythm
- Nonverbal signals
- Sensations, mental images
- Daydreaming
When it comes to left brain vs right brain, we are aware that the two sides of our brain are distinct. But does this necessarily imply that one side is more dominant than the other?
Left Brain vs Right Brain: Functions
Your brain controls everything you think, feel, and do. It weighs about three pounds and has roughly 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion connections. The left and right hemispheres of the brain are symmetrical, and each hemisphere is responsible for controlling the opposite side of the body. For example, your right brain controls your left hand, and your left hemisphere receives sensory information from your right side, and vice versa.
Your brain has two hemispheres, and within each hemisphere, several regions are responsible for various functions. Although the two halves of your brain process information in very different ways, they work together because nerve fibers link them.
If a brain injury disrupts this connection, you may still be able to function normally, but the lack of integration will cause some impairment. As researchers continue to map the human brain, we are learning more about the regions that control important functions. The human brain continually reorganizes itself and is adaptable to change, whether it be physical or brought on by life experience, making this information essential for further study.
Misconceptions on the Left Brain vs Right Brain Relationship
Although we are aware that our brain’s two halves are separate, does it mean that one side is necessarily more dominant than the other?
The right brain myth is based on the notion that your dominant personality traits are related to which side of your brain has more control. Supposedly, left-brained people are more logical, while right-brained people are more creative. Interestingly, this widely held belief has existed for more than 200 years and has become more prevalent in the era of Buzzfeed personality quizzes. But it is simply untrue. People use both parts of their brains equally, and logic and creativity are not mutually exclusive.
Advice for preserving mental sharpness
The Alzheimer’s Association asserts that keeping your brain active through mentally demanding activities, like learning a new skill, may have both long and short-term benefits for brain health, in addition to suggesting that a lack of mental stimulation may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Here are some ideas to get your head working:
- Every day, spend some time reading, writing, or doing both.
- Continual learning like taking seminars, lectures, or making an effort to learn new skills
- Finish challenging crossword and sudoku puzzles.
- Play board, card, video, or memory games.
- Take up a new hobby that requires focus, like learning a language or a musical instrument
An analysis of research from 2022 found that physical exercise benefits the brain just as much as mental ones. In patients with dementia 55 years of age or older, aerobic exercise “positively influences” episodic memory.
Diet
To maintain optimal brain health on both sides of your body (left brain and right brain), try to eat a nutrient-rich diet that consists of the following:
- Whole grains
- Seasonal vegetables and fruits
- Nuts
- Lentils and beans
- Poultry
- Fish
And of course, getting a complete sleep each night is one of the best ways to boost your brain health.
Reminders
Left brain vs right brain: Which is better? Whether you are solving a difficult mathematical problem or producing an abstract work of art, both sides of your brain actively engage and give input. No one is truly left-brained or right-brained, so you can play to your strengths and keep broadening your mental horizons. A typical, healthy brain is capable of lifelong learning and boundless creativity, especially when it gets fuel from proper nutrition, a dose of physical exercise, and mental stimulation.
