Can You Be Left or Right Brained? (NO!) 🧠
The Left-Brain/Right-Brain Myth That Just Won’t Die (8min Read)
TL;DR Summary:
Myth: Left-brain logic, right-brain creativity
Origins: Dr. Sperry’s split-brain research in the 1980s
Media’s role: Fueling the fire
The truth: Hemispheres harmonize
Tools to unleash your whole-brain potential
Embrace whole-brain thinking: Unlock a fulfilling, purposeful life!
Picture This…
You’re at a party, and someone asks you whether you’re more left-brained or right-brained.
I don’t know about you, but I get asked this a lot, actually…
It’s a question rooted in the popular belief that one side of our brain is more dominant than the other, which supposedly influences our personality, skills, and cognitive abilities.
According to the myth, left-brained individuals are logical, analytical, and excel in mathematics and language.
While right-brained individuals are creative, intuitive, and have a knack for the arts and music.
It’s meant to be playful. But here’s the catch: that question assumes a myth that modern neuroscience has completely debunked.
And yet, the story of left- vs. right-brain dominance just won’t die.
Why? Maybe because we love simple categories.
Maybe because it feels nice to explain away our strengths and weaknesses.
Either way, let’s dive deeper into what the actual science is and why the truth is even more empowering.
The Origin of the Left-Brain/Right-Brain Myth
The left-brain/right-brain myth can be traced back to the work of neuropsychologist Roger W. Sperry, who won the Nobel Prize in 1981 for his research on split-brain patients.
These patients had their corpus callosum, the bundle of neural fibers connecting the two hemispheres, severed to alleviate severe epilepsy.
Dr. Sperry discovered that when the connection between the two hemispheres was disrupted, each side of the brain operated independently, processing information and controlling different functions.
This groundbreaking research led to the idea that each hemisphere might have specialized abilities.
However, Sperry’s findings were taken out of context and overgeneralized, giving birth to the left-brain/right-brain myth that endures to this day.
The Oversimplification of Sperry’s Findings (and Science in General…)
The leap from his work with split-brain patients to the popular myth was the result of an oversimplification and misinterpretation of the scientific findings.
It is important to remember that Sperry’s research focused on a unique population with a specific medical condition, split-brain patients, and it is not appropriate to extrapolate these findings to the general population without further investigation.
The media played a significant role in the spread of this myth.
Articles, books, and self-help materials emerged, claiming that understanding one’s “dominant hemisphere” could “unlock untapped potential and lead to personal and professional success.”
Cue skeptical eyeroll…
These resources often lacked a strong scientific foundation, instead relying on anecdotal evidence and overgeneralizations to support their claims.
This is honestly part of the reason I write this blog…
It feels like my responsibility to debunk harmful “self-help” tactics that have no science behind them!
That being said, modern neuroscience has come a long way since the 1960s, and we now have a more accurate understanding of how our brains function.
In reality, your brain is more like an orchestra than a tug-of-war.
Every section may have unique instruments, but the magic only happens when they play together.
What Research Actually Supports
Fast-forward to today: with functional MRI and connectomics, neuroscience paints a much more integrated picture.
Resting-state fMRI (Nielsen et al., 2013) showed no evidence of people being “left-” or “right-brained.” Instead, the hemispheres are highly interconnected across tasks.
Network neuroscience reframes the brain not as two halves but as a dynamic system of networks (like the Default Mode Network, Executive Control Network, Salience Network) that flexibly recruit regions across hemispheres.
Plasticity research (Pascual-Leone et al., 2005) shows that if one hemisphere is damaged, the other can often adapt, revealing deep redundancy and cooperation.
Another example debunking this myth was published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, and it explored the dynamic audio-motor system in pianists.
This group is often considered to be “right-brained” due to their musical and artistic abilities.
However, the study demonstrated that the act of playing the piano engages both hemispheres of the brain in a highly coordinated manner.
The left hemisphere is involved in processing the musical structure and controlling fine motor movements, while the right hemisphere contributes to emotional expression and spatial processing.
Hemispheric Collaboration: How Your Brain Really Works
Modern research like this has shown that our brains are not as divided as the left-brain/right-brain myth suggests.
In reality, the two hemispheres of the brain work together in a highly integrated manner to process information and execute tasks.
Although it’s true that each hemisphere has some specialized functions, for example, the left hemisphere is typically involved in language processing.
While the right hemisphere plays a role in spatial awareness, these specializations are not as rigid or exclusive as the myth implies.
Still don’t believe me?
Fine, let’s break down the most “right-brained” and “left-brained” activities then, art and math!
Painting Isn’t a “Right Brain” Activity
Think about the act of painting a beautiful landscape, which might be considered a right-brained activity according to this myth.
In reality, both hemispheres of the brain are actively engaged in this creative process.
The right hemisphere contributes to the artist’s ability to visualize the scene and determine the composition and color palette.
Simultaneously, the left hemisphere is responsible for planning the sequence of brushstrokes, calculating the proportions, and even recalling the names of colors and techniques.
Math Isn’t a “Left Brain” Activity
Similarly, when solving a complex mathematical problem, a task typically attributed to the left brain, both hemispheres are at work as well.
While the left hemisphere handles the logical and analytical aspects of the problem, the right hemisphere helps visualize the problem, identify patterns, and formulate alternative approaches.
As you can see, our brains function more like a cohesive orchestra, with each hemisphere playing its part, rather than a divided entity with one side dominating the other.
So if someone tells you they’re “a right-brained creative,” you can smile and say: “Actually, your whole brain is creative.”
The Power of the Whole Brain
With this evidence in mind, we can conclusively say that this myth is busted.
If you were sold on this idea, I can promise you that embracing the idea that our brains function as a whole, with both hemispheres collaborating in harmony, opens up a world of possibilities for personal growth, creativity, and problem-solving.
If you’re still skeptical, that’s alright, here are some tools you can use to embrace your newfound knowledge!
Harnessing the Power of Your Whole Brain
Now that we’ve debunked the left-brain/right-brain myth, let’s explore some practical ways to harness the power of your whole brain and tap into its full potential.
Engage in Diverse Activities:
One way to encourage whole-brain thinking is to engage in a variety of activities that challenge both your analytical and creative skills.
For instance, you could alternate between solving puzzles and engaging in artistic pursuits, such as painting or playing a musical instrument.
This balanced approach will help you develop a more integrated and flexible mindset.
Collaborate with Others:
Working with others who have different skill sets and perspectives can help you develop a more integrated approach to problem-solving.
By collaborating and sharing ideas, you’ll be better equipped to tap into the full potential of your whole brain.
Practice Lateral Thinking:
Lateral thinking is a problem-solving approach that involves looking at a situation from a new, creative perspective rather than relying solely on traditional, logical methods.
The easiest way to explain this is with an example…
See if you can solve the problem below!
The Chicken, Fox & a Bag of Grain Problem
You have a fox, a chicken, and a bag of grain, and you need to transport all three across a river using a small boat.
However, the boat can only carry you and one of the three items at a time.
You cannot leave the fox alone with the chicken, as the fox will eat the chicken.
Similarly, you cannot leave the chicken alone with the grain, as the chicken will eat the grain.
How do you get all three across the river safely?
Traditional, logical thinking might lead you to consider various combinations of transporting the items, but you would quickly find that none of them seem to work without leaving one item vulnerable…
STOP!!! Try to Solve It Without the Answer First.
Lateral Thinking Solution:
Take the chicken across the river and leave it on the other side.
Go back and take the fox across the river.
Take the chicken back with you on the boat to the original side.
Take the bag of grain across the river and leave it with the fox.
Go back across the river and bring the chicken across
Here’s one more.
The Three Switches and a Light Bulb Problem
You’re standing outside a closed room with three light switches.
Inside the room is a single light bulb.
Only one of the switches controls the bulb.
You can flip the switches as much as you like, but once you enter the room, you can’t touch the switches again.
Question: How can you figure out which switch controls the bulb?
STOP!!! Try to Solve It Without the Answer First.
Lateral Thinking Solution:
Turn Switch A on for ~3–5 minutes (to heat the bulb).
Turn A off, turn Switch B on, then enter the room.
Bulb on ⇒ controlled by B.
Bulb off but warm ⇒ controlled by A.
Bulb off and cold ⇒ controlled by C.
Did you get either one without looking?!
There are tons of problems like this that you can find and practice this skill of out-of-the-box thinking, otherwise known as lateral thinking!
This will engage both hemispheres of your brain and foster a more flexible and innovative mindset.
The Impact of Whole-Brain Thinking on Your Life
The left-brain/right-brain myth is seductive because it’s simple.
But you deserve more than simplicity… You deserve accuracy.
When you embrace your brain as an integrated, adaptive system, you stop limiting yourself to categories and start exploring your full range of potential.
So next time someone asks if you’re more left-brained or right-brained, smile and say: “Actually, I’m whole-brained.”
And as always, until next time… Live Heroically 🧠
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Supporting Research:
Nielsen, J. A., Zielinski, B. A., Ferguson, M. A., Lainhart, J. E., & Anderson, J. S. (2013). An evaluation of the left-brain vs. right-brain hypothesis with resting state functional connectivity MRI. PLoS ONE, 8(8), e71275.
Gazzaniga, M. S. (2000). Cerebral specialization and interhemispheric communication. Brain, 123(7), 1293-1326.
Pascual-Leone, A., Amedi, A., Fregni, F., & Merabet, L. B. (2005). The plastic human brain cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 28, 377–401.
Gotts, S. J., Jo, H. J., Wallace, G. L., Saad, Z. S., Cox, R. W., & Martin, A. (2013). Two distinct forms of functional lateralization in the human brain. PNAS, 110(36), E3435–E3444.
Jäncke, L. (2012). The dynamic audio-motor system in pianists. Annals of the NY Academy of Sciences, 1252(1), 246–252.