{"id":93788,"date":"2023-02-19T00:17:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-19T04:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=93788"},"modified":"2023-02-28T16:56:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T20:56:48","slug":"two-hemispheres-of-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/two-hemispheres-of-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"The Two Hemispheres of the Brain: Left & Right, Alone & Together"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s the difference between the left brain and the right brain? How do they work together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two hemispheres of the brain work in unison. But each one has its own abilities, perception, and personality. Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor provides a simple explanation of the left brain and right brain<\/a> in her book My Stroke of Insight<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to understand the two sides of the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Two Hemispheres of the Brain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When functioning normally, the two hemispheres of the brain are an inseparable whole. And, every cognitive activity\u2014such as reading, talking, painting, or driving\u2014takes place in both hemispheres, with each side contributing to the thought process in a different way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Taylor, you experience the differences between your brain\u2019s hemispheres as different sides to your personality. The left brain is the seat of logic and judgment, while the right brain is the home of intuition and empathy. Here, we\u2019ll consider the specifics of how each hemisphere contributes to cognition and then focus on how the two halves work in tandem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As information flows in from your senses, the <\/strong>right<\/em><\/strong> brain collates all that data into a full sensory picture of your surroundings in the present moment<\/strong>. Taylor claims that, to the right hemisphere, there\u2019s no sense of time\u2014everything is now<\/em>. While your right brain lives wholly in the moment, it also perceives things as they relate to each other, with little or no conception of boundaries. The right brain doesn\u2019t impose value judgments and is therefore open to new information and possibilities. It\u2019s enthusiastic about new sensations. And, because it perceives itself and the world as part of a continuum of existence, it\u2019s the source of your feelings of empathy for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The <\/strong>left<\/em><\/strong> brain is your cataloger and storyteller. It takes the flow of impressions from the right brain and classifies it all via language and numbers<\/strong>. Unlike the right, your left brain understands time. It sorts your memories into chronological order and is able to plan ahead for the future. Taylor says the left brain is the source of your internal monologue<\/a>, that voice you hear in your head that continually tells you the story of who you are<\/a>. This can be both good and bad\u2014the left brain creates your sense of identity, but the stories it tells can get stuck in a loop that often includes negative judgments. When you dwell on things, it\u2019s your left brain\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brain Lateralization<\/strong>

The differing functions of the left and right hemispheres\u2014also known as brain lateralization\u2014were originally mapped in the 1930s<\/a> by Canadian surgeon Wilder Penfield as he was studying the brains of epilepsy patients. Penfield was strongly against the practice of frontal lobotomy<\/a>, which was common at the time, and explored the brains of patients while they were awake and conscious<\/a> in order to search for a more humane treatment. Our understanding of the left and right brain\u2019s functions was further advanced by Roger W. Sperry in the 1960s<\/a>, and it still serves as the underlying paradigm of research for many psychologists and neuroscientists, including Taylor.

However, the extent to which different functions in the brain are localized and segregated is still subject to debate. Some research suggests that left\/right lateralization isn\u2019t as significant as previously believed<\/a> and can even vary depending on a person\u2019s gender or left-right handedness. Critics of the left-brain\/right-brain model argue that while there is evidence that certain functions are localized in the brain, the concept has been misconstrued outside the field of science<\/a>, giving birth to the myth that one hemisphere dominates the other in most people, or that creativity and analytical thought are diametrically opposed to each other. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite their different jobs, your two halves work together. And, from that cohesion, your consciousness emerges. The left brain needs inputs from the right to create its comprehensible view of the world, while the right brain needs the left\u2019s logic and structure in order to focus amidst a sea of distractions. In terms of communication, the left brain provides your vocabulary and syntax, while the right brain adds interpretation and intuitive understanding of nonverbal cues<\/a>. While we sometimes characterize people as mainly \u201cleft brain\u201d (logical but rigid) or \u201cright brain\u201d (imaginative but flaky), Taylor says that a balanced brain is both open to new experiences (right brain) while disciplined enough for self-management (left brain).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In Maps of Meaning<\/em><\/a>, psychologist Jordan Peterson describes in narrative terms how the right and left hemispheres work together<\/a> in any given situation. The left brain contains your mental \u201cmap\u201d of reality, based on prior learning and experience. When something unexpected intrudes on your reality, the right brain uses its abstract creativity to devise a response. Once your right brain assigns the proper meaning and reaction to whatever new factor encroached into your world\u2014whether that be a minor inconvenience or a major, life-changing occurrence\u2014it passes that understanding to your left brain, which encodes it into language, memory, and reason.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise: Balance Your Left and Right Brains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Taylor writes that the mental wiring for compassion, connection, acceptance, and inner peace already exists in your brain\u2019s neural patterns, but that your left brain\u2019s rational, judgmental nature often gets in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n