The Science Behind Left and Right Brain: Understanding Your Brain

Understanding the brain's hemispheres is so important for understanding the complexities of the human brain. For decades, the ideas of left brain and right brain has captured imagination, suggesting that our personalities, skills, and preferences may be influenced by which side of our brain is more dominant. This blog will explore the unique functions of each hemisphere and the truth behind the left and right brain hemispheres.

Brain Hemispheres

Brain hemispheres, also known as cerebral hemispheres, consists of two halves, the “right brain” and “left brain”. Each of these hemispheres has an outer layer of grey matter (enables individuals to control movement, memory, and emotions) and white matter (helps the body process information). The two hemispheres are divided by the longitudinal fissure. Each brain hemisphere plays a role in our cognitive processes, influencing how we think and interact with the world. This division of labor between each hemisphere enables us to navigate complex situations by utilizing both parts of our brains. These hemispheres work together, shaping our unique perspectives and enhancing our ability to learn and communicate. Each hemisphere is in charge of the opposite side of the body, so your right brain controls your left hand. The right hemisphere also takes in sensory input from your left side and vice versa. 

Right Brain

In general, the right hemisphere of the brain plays a very important role in processing creative, spatial, and intuitive information. This hemisphere is primarily responsible for tasks involving imagination, artistic ability, and creativity. This side of the brain also governs motor skills and impulse, helping us navigate our environment and judge distances or directions. It plays a key role in nonverbal communication, such as interpreting body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. Emotional processing is also largely managed by the right brain, contributing to our ability to sense and react to the emotions of others. The right brain is very particular with abstract thoughts and pattern recognition. It is involved in musical ability, rhythm, and sound perception, making it crucial for both music appreciation and performance. The right brain also supports creativity in problem-solving, enabling individuals to come up with innovative solutions to daily events. It contributes to memory formation by linking emotional and sensory experiences to long-term recollection. Overall, the right hemisphere enhances our ability to experience and interact with the world in a deeply intuitive and imaginative way. It's sometimes called the digital brain because it's better at things like reading, writing, and computations. On the other hand, the right brain is more visual, intuitive, and creative.

Left Brain

The left hemisphere of the brain is primarily associated with logical, analytical, and detail-oriented functions. It mainly focuses in tasks that require language processing, including speaking, reading, writing, and understanding grammar. The left brain is responsible for organizing information in a sequence, allowing for step-by-step problem-solving and logical reasoning. It plays a crucial role in mathematical abilities, including performing calculations and recognizing patterns in numbers. Additionally, the left hemisphere is important for processing verbal communication, helping to articulate thoughts clearly and understand precise meanings in speech. It governs motor control for the right side of the body, coordinating movements such as typing, and writing. The left brain is also involved in logical decision-making, relying on facts, evidence, and structured thinking to guide conclusions. It aids in memory recall, particularly for information, such as names, dates, and details Overall, the left hemisphere's strengths lie in tasks requiring order, structure, logic, and precision.

The Left/Right Brain Myth

If someone says they are right or left brained, that is not entirely true. According to a 2013 study done from the University of Utah, brain scans demonstrate that activity is similar on both sides of the brain hemispheres regardless of one's personality. The researchers looked at brain scans of more than 1,000 people between the ages of 7 and 29 and divided different areas of the brain into roughly 7,000 regions to determine whether one side of the brain was more active or connected than the other side. No evidence of "sidedness" was found in the study. The authors concluded that the notion of some people being more left-brained or right-brained is more a figure of speech than an anatomically accurate description, however there can be dominance of a certain side found when considering different brain functions.

Other Lobes of the Brain

Each hemisphere of the brain also consists of other parts that each play a role in the function of the brain, which correlates to human decision making and processes.

The Frontal lobe

• Personality, behavior, emotions

• Judgment, planning, problem solving

• Speech: speaking and writing (Broca’s area)

• Body movement (motor strip)

• Intelligence, concentration, self-awareness

  
  

Parietal lobe

• Interprets language, words

• Sense of touch, pain, temperature (sensory strip)

• Interprets signals from vision, hearing, motor, sensory and memory

• Spatial and visual perception

  
  

Occipital lobe

• Interprets vision (color, light, movement)

  
  

Temporal lobe

• Understanding language (Wernicke’s area)

• Memory

• Hearing

• Sequencing and organization

• Broca’s area: lies in the left frontal lobe If this area is damaged, one may have difficulty moving the tongue or facial muscles to produce the sounds of speech. The person can still read and understand spoken language but has difficulty in speaking and writing (forming letters and words, doesn't write within lines) – called Broca's aphasia.

• Wernicke's area: lies in the left temporal lobe. Damage to this area causes Wernicke's aphasia. The individual may speak in long sentences that have no meaning, add unnecessary words, and even create new words. They can make speech sounds; however, they have difficulty understanding speech and are therefore unaware of their mistakes.

Sources

Bui, Toai, and Joe M Das. “Neuroanatomy, Cerebral Hemisphere.” StatPearls [Internet]., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 24 July 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549789/#:~:text=The%20cerebrum%20is%20divided%20into,%2C%20occipital%2C%20and%20temporal%20lobe.

Robert H. Shmerling, MD. “Right Brain/Left Brain, Right?” Harvard Health, 24 Mar. 2022, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/right-brainleft-brain-right-2017082512222

“Left vs. Right Brain: What’s the Difference?” Edited by Dan Brennan, WebMD, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/brain/the-difference-between-the-left-and-right-brain

“Mayfield Brain & Spine.” Brain Anatomy | Mayfield Brain & Spine Cincinnati, Ohio, https://mayfieldclinic.com/pe-anatbrain.htm#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20the%20left%20hemisphere,%2C%20artistic%2C%20and%20musical%20skills.

“Left Brain vs. Right Brain: What’s the Difference?” Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/left-brain-vs-right- https://www.healthline.com/health/left-brain-vs-right-brain#:~:text=It's%20sometimes%20called%20the%20digital,you're%20left%2Dbrained.