It goes without saying that he brain is a magnificent human tool. It’s a complex series of systems all working in unison to allow us to carry on several functions those in the animal kingdom could only dream of. But there are also different hemispheres of the brain that operate in their own unique ways so that we may analyze life with a relative balance. More commonly we have right brain vs. left brain thinking. This is likely a term you have heard in both your schooling and working environments, but do you really understand what it means? Here is a brief guide to understanding right brain vs. left brain thinking.
How does it work?
If you've ever seen pictures of the brain, you'll notice a long groove that runs right through the center separating the brain into two different cerebral hemispheres. The groove is known as longitudinal fissure. While each side appears to be identical to the other, they in fact carry out different operations of the brain. And in a broader sense, the right side is considered to be the “creative” thinker; while the left side is considered to be the “logical” thinker.
Most people will have a particular side of the brain that their thinking normally favors. While others may be more balanced, thinking with both halves almost equally. Some even strive to be more balanced like this.
What are the differences? Obviously, now that we know that there is two halves of the brain that are reasonable for processing information; so what are the differences? Knowing that the right side of the brain is the creative side, it handles things such as: creative thought, randomness, seeing things in bigger pictures, and philosophy are a few. The right side is kind of like the think tank, seeing the visions of things. While the left side of the brain handles: logic, fact based results, detail orientation, and is typically more guarded than its counterpart. The left side is considered to be more of the practical thinker.
No matter which side of the brain you use more, people should embrace that uniqueness. Or if you've ever wished to have the other side be the more dominant, that's kind of the real beauty of it, you can actually train your brain to be process information in a particular way. It requires some work but is certainly doable.
Emily is a health writer and blogger with a particular interest in health and psychology. She is also a contributing writer for a site that describes a variety of treatment options for those living with IBS, including taking Imodium for IBS relief.
