The Best Jobs For Left
According to the right-brain vs. left-brain theory developed by Roger Sperry in 1981, people are naturally inclined to use one side of their brain more than the other. Sperry theorized that people who predominantly use the left side of their brain are logical, reasonable, and systematic, while those who rely on the right side of their brain are more emotional and creative.
Whether you believe in the right-brain vs. left-brain theory or not, the fact is many people identify as right- or left-brained thinkers, with left-brain people drawn to jobs in analytical fields that require a high degree of processing and routine.
As detail-oriented individuals, people who are predominantly left-brained typically do well in structured environments. Instead of looking for new ways to do things, most left-brained individuals are content to find a system that works and stick to it.
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The Value Of The Left
Although the research has shown that there is not the extreme differential as first thought, there is still value in understanding that people have certain preferences. These preferences are often based on a persons brain dominance. People are typically more comfortable with a specific way of thinking. One person may want to hear directions, while another may want to have them written or drawn on a piece of paper. So, even though the Split Brain Theory has slowly been debunked over the years, it is still true that people have preferences. Therefore, there is still value in understanding the underlying theory.
Takeaway From Left And Right Brain Difference
Despite there being a huge difference between the two sides of our brains, they dont work independently or separately from each other. The different parts of our brain are connected with tiny nerves that create an information path.
Our brain is so adaptable to change and we are continuing to recognize its abilities and capabilities. The fact that someone has a left dominant brain doesnt mean that the right brain doesnt work. Whether or not you are performing a creative action, you receive inputs from both sides of your brain separately and also together.
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Forget The Right Vs Left Myth: Youre Whole
So, if were left-brained, were more literal and, if were right-brained were more creative. Is it true?
Is it really that simple?
As you might expect, the brain isnt that simple. If you used only half of your brain, you wouldnt be able to function properly. For example, the right frontal lobe largely controls the left half of your bodys movementdamage to the right frontal lobe can therefore result in partial or full paralysis of the left side of the body.
Indeed, most of our brain functions all the time, but some areas function more at certain times than others.
These ideas interest me because my expertise is in cognitive changes that can occur secondary to medical events and conditions. My primary area of interest is in adults with brain tumors, but I also see patients with conditions such as Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
I evaluate their performance on standardized measures in comparison to other adults in their age range to determine whether decline has occurred. Then I help figure out why those changes occurred and what patients can do to maximize their everyday functioning and quality of life.
How does the brain work?
The right and left hemispheres communicate significantly via a few different very well-established connections. That communication across hemispheres allows us to function at our best.
So does one side of the brain dominate?
What Is Brain Lateralization
Information that enters the left hemisphere travel across the corpus callosum going to the right side of the brain and vice versa. The two hemispheres of the brain function interdependently.
Each of them has a role to play in the processing of information although the other is more dominant in certain functions. The process is called brain lateralization. The degree of brain lateralization is not the same in everyone.
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Mixing Fact With Fiction
Its true each hemisphere of the brain controls different functions, but this fact doesnt relate to personality. The misleading idea of left vs. right brained people originates from science and has become fictionalized over time.
Take TheStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for example. Robert Louis Stevensons fictional characters represented the duality of human nature and explored the idea of a logical left brain competing with an emotional right brain .
People love to learn about their own psychology, and they crave definitive answers. We love classification schemes like astrology, Myers-Briggs and endless personality quizzes, even though, according to Inc., calling yourself left brained or right brained is totally meaningless.
Brain Hemispheres: Do We Use One More Than The Other
A study from the University of Utah, USA, dismantled these myths:
There is no evidence that people use one of the brain hemispheres more than the other. This group of researchers identified brain networks in charge of process lateralized functions , to see if it was true that some people used more one of the brain hemispheres more than the other.
During the study, the researchers analyzed the brains of 1,000 people and found that no individual was consistently using one hemisphere over another. They concluded that no personality type is related to the greater use of the left or right hemisphere.
Therefore, it is false that some people use one brain hemisphere more than another depending on their personality. Some functions may be specialized in a particular cerebral hemisphere, but the truth is that we use both hemispheres equally.
Some functions may be specific to a particular brain hemisphere however, we use both brain hemispheres equally. Even though one hemisphere is specific for a function, it will always work better in continuous communication with the other hemisphere.Scientists cant even establish that the right hemisphere is our creative brain. Creativity is a very complex process. According to a study, creative thinking does not seem to depend on a single mental process or brain region. Nor is it particularly associated with the right brain, attention, low level of activation, or synchronization with the alpha waves emitted by our brain.
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Common Career Fields And Jobs For Left
Left brain thinkers tend to perform better in jobs that have structure and authority. This appeals to their sense of order and respect for hierarchy. They are logical planners and enjoy work that has schedules, deadlines, and a specific and well-defined set of rules.
They also do well in jobs with numbers and calculations, problem-solving, and jobs that let them find concrete solutions to problems. Below are four career fields that can appeal to left-brain job thinkers and job seekers.
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A 2011 BBC Radio 4 programme debunked the right brain/left brain theory along with other popular brain myths, such as the idea that we only use 10% of our grey matter, or that listening to Mozart makes us smarter.
Now here at BBC Trending we hate to ruin the party, so by all means continue to take those Facebook brain quizzes if you like, but remember it’s a just bit of fun – not a bit of science.
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How The Left And Right Hemispheres Work Together
Both sides of the brain collaborate to handle major functions such as language processing and vision. But they are also, to a degree, specialized. Some areas of the brain are more active than others during particular tasks, and one hemisphere may be more involved than the other in specific parts of a larger mental operation.
For example, Brocas area and Wernickes area are both linked to language and are most commonly located on the left side of the brain. Yet the right hemisphere is also known to play a role in language processing. Meanwhile, the limbic systemwhich includes the amygdalae and hippocampi and is involved in functions such as emotion and memoryresides on both sides of the brain.
Brain Hemispheres: Logical And Creative
Verbal for the left hemisphere and emotional, visual or spatial for the right hemisphere. According to the left or right brain dominance theory of the brain, each side of the brain controls various types of thinking. Furthermore, people are said to prefer one type of thinking over the other.
For example, a person who is left brain is often said to be more logical, analytical, and objective, while a person who is right-brain is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful, and subjective.
The left hemisphere is the analytical part. It is the side of the brain that deals with words and numbers, looking for order and explanation for everything. When people have a highly dominant left brain, they have trouble with uncertainty and ambiguity, they like logic and what is 100% correct.
The left hemisphere of the brain is often described as being better at languages, logic, critical thinking, numbers, and reasoning. The left brain is the rational, intellectual one it is the hemisphere that specializes in processing verbal and numerical information in a deductive or logical way.
This means that the left hemisphere dissects information through analysis and disaggregates the parts of the whole to process the information sequentially in a linear and orderly way.
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What Does Left Brain Dominant Mean
A person who is left brain dominant can be:
- Business analysts
Likewise, here are some tips for left brain dominant students:
- Study in a quiet room to avoid any distractions.
- If you like to take the lead in study groups, you might enjoy volunteer work.
- Participate in the debate team, science fair, or math league.
- You may enjoy non-fiction books more compared to fiction.
- You may be more comfortable with factual questions and assignments, as opposed to open-ended questions.
- Keep your room organized and maintain order in your personal space.
- Try to refrain from arguing with your teachers, even if you disagree.
- When choosing assignments, side with analytical essays instead of creative writing.
Are All Left Brain Dominant People Also Left-Handed?
Thats another question we always get when it comes to left and right brain dominance…
In general, 70-90% of people are right-handed, and it is mainly because of their genetics. However, it is observed that especially kids are able to learn to use the other side while doing some sports like tennis or baseball, so handedness can be improved as well.
According to theconversation.com, our brains right hemisphere controls the left side of our body and vice versa. Around 95% of right-handers are observed to be left brain dominant.
Is There A Problem With Using Left
One problem that has arisen from this mythology is the raft of books, tests, apps, workshops and online games that exploit the myth by promising to help you tap into your creative right brain.
Fine if you want to spend your money on them and expand on skills and knowledge that you may not already have. BUT this simplistic right-brained vs left-brained view is not grounded in our contemporary understanding of how the brain works.
Also, believing that you are creative but not analytical, or logical and unintuitive and that is hard-wired into your brain, is a rather limiting belief and probably becomes self-fulfilling after a while.
Christian Jarrett who writes for Psychology Today sums my thoughts up perfectly:
I suppose the logical left-brain, creative right-brain myth has a seductive simplicity about it. People can ask which kind of brain have I got? They can buy an app to target their weaker half. They can categorise languages and people as right-brained or left.
Its tricky to combat that belief system by saying the truth is really more complicated. But its worth trying, because it would be a shame if the simplistic myth drowned out the more fascinating story of how our brains really work.
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According To The Images You Pick Your Fate Will Be Chosen Are You Logical Creative Or A Rare Case Of Both
Organised, Yet Still Chaos is Present
Organised, Categorized Files of Life
The Mind’s Chaos
Emotions Hidden Away in a Box
I Feel Like This Now – Completely Free
Emotions – Some Are Free, But Others Are Not
Books Vs. Calculator
Analysing And Playing With Equations
A Mixture Of Both Words And Numbers
Writing/Reading Books
Imagine, Yet Still Live Life in Reality
I live in reality
Vivid, vibrant creations in my imagination
Are you a believer?
To Believe When Things Get Tough
Things will get better if you just have faith
Nothing is going to change
Hopes
My hopes will never come true, for life gets in the way
Have Hope When Things Go Wrong
Never lose hope, for there are obstacles that can be overcome
Life is…
Life is a Journey With Ups And Downs
Life is Complicated
Miracles Are Not Impossible, They Can Occur
Happiness
Happiness is always around if the light is on
Happiness is Buried Under A Pile Of Saddness
You can only find happiness if you accept reality
Pick a path
Be adventurous, and you’ll get there
One step at a time, and you’ll get there
Which side of your body is dominant?
Right
Art or Science, or Poetry, or Maths?
The Study Of All Subjects
Poetry
Which Image Most Appeals To You?
How Do You Define Yourself?
Introvert Vs. Extrovert Vs. Ambivert
Introvert
Creative Brain
Creative Brain
Logic Brain
Logic Brain
Neither Logical Nor Creative, But Both
Neither Logical Nor Creative, But Both
How The Brain Works
The brain is our motherboard, storage, operating system, and more. The nuances of its functions canât be summarized in a black-and-white dichotomy, which is how the left-and-right-brain idea came around.
The brain is divided into symmetrical left and right hemispheres. 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.
The brain is segmented into regions called lobes. Your lobes isolate your brainâs functions to specific areas.
- The frontal lobe controls your body movement, personality, problem-solving, concentration, planning, emotional reactions, sense of smell, the meaning of words, and general speech.
- Your parietal lobe controls your sense of touch and pressure, sense of taste, and bodily awareness.
- The temporal lobe governs your sense of hearing, ability to recognize others, emotions, and long-term memory.
- The occipital lobe controls the important sense of sight.
- The cerebellum governs fine motor control, balance, and coordination.
- The limbic lobe controls emotions.
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What Research Says About Brain Functions And Dominance
Several studies have debunked the old brain theory and straightened out information regarding hemispheric differences. Recent research has shown that the human brain has a symmetrical structure for a reason everyone uses both brain regions equally unless one side has been damaged due to a brain injury.
After studying the brains of 1,000 people using an MRI, a 2013 scientific article published by PLOS One concluded that there’s no such thing as a dominant brain because a person uses both sides of their brain, depending on the task that needs to be completed.
How the left hemisphere of the brain emerged as more dominant than the right stemmed from the split-brain study of neuropsychologist Roger W. Sperry in the 1960s, which won him the Nobel Prize. According to PLOS Biology, the study involved patients who had undergone split-brain surgery, wherein the corpus callosum connecting the two hemispheres was removed to address a type of severe epilepsy. After testing each hemisphere, the language centres were revealed in the left and emotional and nonverbal functions in the right.
However, Sperry’s findings were exaggerated by many ill-founded publications that immortalised the popular belief that the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity in the world of art, business and education.
Sperrys Split Brain Theory
The concept of left-brain and right-brain thinking originated in the late 1960s from the research of Roger W Sperry. Sperry developed what is known as the Split Brain Theory. His Split Brain Theory divides the brain into two hemispheres right and left. His research found that each hemisphere is specialized for specific behaviors and controls different types of thinking.
Based on his research, Sperry found that the left side of the brain tends to control many aspects of language and logic, while the right side tends to control spatial information and visual comprehension.
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Is Hemispheric Dominance Different Between People
Hemispheric dominance varies from one person to another. The hemisphere of the brain used in every activity is not always the same for every person. Some experts believed that the activities of the brain are influenced by the persons right-handedness or left-handedness.
Understanding which part of the brain is dominant in a person is essential in determining which learning style is more effective. Left hemisphere dominant people are visual learners. On the other hand, right-hemisphere dominant people are auditory learners.
The Four Regions Of The Thinking Brain Made Simple
my previous postBack-brain and front-brain. physically separated by the motor stripLeft-brain and right-brain. are physically separated by the corpus callosum, perceptual left-back right-backwhat things areconceptual left-front right-frontwhat things mean.my next postPost by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2011. Building Personal Strength .
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How Did The Left
The two hemispheres of the brain are slightly different anatomically and microscopically .
And, the two hemispheres of the brain do perform different jobs. In the industry, we call this lateralisation of brain function. Lateralisation is the tendency for some neural functions or processes to be specialised to one side of the brain or the other
For example, the left side of the brain controls movement on the right side of the body and vice-versa. Speech and language, are typically jobs performed by the left hemisphere. But not ALL aspects of speech are left-sided. Intonation, for example, is found on the right. As an interesting asidelanguage and handed-ness are related. Whereas 97% of right-handed people have their speech centre on the left, only 70% of left-handers do.
Also, studies of patients with tumours or stroke show that our sense of our body and limbs in space is more likely located in the right hemisphere.
Some neuroscientists theorise that these differences and the brain asymmetries of language, spatial perception and handedness probably led to the prevailing myth that personality and styles of thinking are also located to one hemisphere or the other.