Are You a Left or Right Brainer?

After reading about comfort zones in our cerebral system, I was drawn to reading about our left and right hemispheres. Researchers say the left hemisphere of our brain is the control centre for our problem solving ability while the right hemisphere is where our creativity centre resides. Are you predominantly left or right brained?

A Left Brainer
A left-brained person generally processes information in a linear and sequential manner. He takes the pieces, lines them up in a logical order then draws the conclusion. He also takes pleasure in making lists and checking them off when they are accomplished. If you are more comfortable with linguistic and mathematical endeavours, can memorize vocabulary words or mathematical formula with ease and will pay attention to mechanics such as spelling, agreement, and punctuation, you’re likely to be left-brained. People who are left-brain dominant deal with things the way they are, with reality and when affected by the environment, they usually adjust to it. Left brain people want to know the rules and will follow them. if there are no rules for situations, they will probably make up rules to follow. In other words, rules cannot be broken.

A Right Brainer
A right-brain dominant person processes information from whole to parts holistically. He starts with the answer and sees not the details but the big picture first. He can randomly flit from one tack to another, without having addressed priorities. For those who have difficulty following a lecture unless an assigned chapter was read before hand, you’re likely to be right-brained. You need to know why you are doing something and want things to be concrete i.e. you prefer to see, feel or touch the real thing. You may have trouble learning to read using phonics, preferring to see words in context, to see how the formula works. If it’s not written down, you probably can’t remember it. You basically need to make a mental image of things as you read or hear them. Those who process solutions using intuition and have difficulties explaining how the answers are derived are also likely to be right-brained. You are creative and will probably remember well anything you become emotionally involved in as you are trying to learn. When affected by the environment, you will try to change the environment. If you’re right-brained, no rules is the rule.

After learning a little bit about the functions of these two hemispheres, I can understand better why certain people behave in certain ways. People who are regimental or orderly and stick by the rules are probably left-brain dominant while people who are disorganised and free with feelings are likely to be right-brain dominant.

I took several online tests myself and strangely enough, the results seem to indicate I’m a balanced-brained auditory learner. Some famous balanced-brained auditory learners include Madonna, Mozart and Robin Williams. Hmmm…that makes me quirky and yet can be dead serious when I want to. I am supposedly able to pay attention to both small details and larger issues when circumstances require and am able to capitalise on the left hemisphere’s skills in verbal communication as well as on the right hemisphere’s focus on patterns and association making. The result says this combination makes me a creative and flexible thinker. Really? Somehow I feel that I was born a right-brainer. I am naturally quite disorganised and can work with mess. Studying logically was never easy for me. I am more analytical and prefer to look at things from a wider perspective. I have the habit of doing a lot of things at one go without any focus and end up achieving nothing.

In the past, I’m sure teachers prefer the left-brain dominant students. But today, creativity is encouraged and the in-thing. Personally, I think there is no such thing as good or bad, right or wrong brain dominance. We’re born with two hemispheres for a good reason. So let’s try to maximise the use of both sides and take the middle path.

Want to know more traits of a left or right-brained? Here they are:

Left-brained
Rational
• Responds to verbal instructions
• Solves problems by logically and sequentially looking at the parts of things
• Looks at differences
• Is planned and structured
• Prefers established, certain information
• Prefers talking and writing
• Prefers multiple choice tests
• Controls feelings
• Prefers ranked authority structures
Sequential
• Is a splitter: distinction is important
• Is logical, sees cause and effect
Conclusion: Draws on previously accumulated, organised information.

Right-brained
Intuitive
• Responds to demonstrated instructions
• Solves problems with hunches, look for patterns and configurations
• Looks at similarities
• Is fluid and spontaneous
• Prefers elusive, uncertain information
• Prefers drawing and manipulating objects
• Prefers open-ended questions
• Free with feelings
• Prefers collegial authority structures
Simultaneous
• Is a lumper: connectedness is important
• Is analogic, sees correspondences, resemblances
Conclusion: Draws on unbounded qualitative patterns that are not organised into sequences but that cluster around images.