THERE is no doubt that we are all universally drawn to classification systems. This can be seen when we take that new trendy personality quiz, the Myers-Briggs test and even finding out your astrological sign. This fascination with categorisation reflects our desire to better understand ourselves.
Many people believe that the traits of an individual have to depend on which side dominates; the right brain is creative, and the left is analytical. However, how accurate is this notion when we break it down?
Maybe it is almost intuitive to think of our brains as dominantly favouring one side, much like our hands, feet, or eyes.
But is it true?
Verdict:
FALSE
The idea that there are entirely right-brained and left-brained people is actually a myth.
The origins of such an idea can be linked back to Roger Sperry’s Nobel Prize-winning study in the 1960s.
His research centred on epilepsy patients who had their left and right brain hemispheres medically separated for therapeutic purposes.
The findings did show that different parts of the brain are accountable for distinct functions, however the study never claimed that the right hemisphere is only responsible for emotions and the left hemisphere is solely responsible for logical thinking.
A different research of over 1,000 children and adults discovered no evidence of overall left- or right-hemisphere dominance in brain connectivity.
In actuality, the left and right sides of the brain play distinct tasks, yet they work collectively to enable overall body function.
Similarly, when individuals meet more difficult scenarios or topics, it is not because one hemisphere is weaker; rather, it often indicates variations in brain development from what is typical.
Regardless of how much we wish to be classified as more right or left brained, there is no reason to assume that the dominance of one side of the brain is the cause of someone’s personality traits.
References:
1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/right-brainleft-brain-right-2017082512222
2. https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/left-brain-vs-right-brain
3. https://www.verywellhealth.com/left-brain-vs-right-brain-7093257
4. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071275
