Artists are always right, and mathematicians always have the other way. This quote has something to do with a natural human tendency of categorization. It is popular that artists are right-brained, and mathematicians are left-brained.
This seems to be a fancy and appealing concept, but science has something else to say. The human body is constructed with an idea of “Equality”, It has positive and negative feedback mechanisms that keep our circadian clock at the same and at the same level.
Certainly, we use both halves of our brain “Equally”, An individual is blessed with both creative thinking and analytical thinking at the same time. Science does not appreciate this human categorization tendency of naming people as right-brained and left-brained.
I learned this at my graduation life and now when I am professionally working in the field of Neurosciences, this experience gave me a boost to think how did this concept with such a basis has taken such a strong root?
Many new ideas are discovered about right and left-brain research, the brain laterality is considered to be a myth, despite all the scientific background what makes this myth so strong, that is hard to shake?
Differentiation in brain dominance has been followed for ages, from early human history. This belief gave a thought about why there is a near-universal preference for the right hand? This question apparently led to bifurcation in human anatomical concepts also led to the direct association of right-handed being with positive values whereas, the left hand being sinister with negative values. Many times, I have heard people saying,” this guy is my “RIGHT-HAND MAN”.
Preferably, we all have a “right-hand man” in our life and your right-hand man can be left-handed? Right-hand man is a phrase used to address a man whom we can trust and with whom we can expect hope, why can’t “left-hand man” can be a norm?
Eventually, the human discovery ensured later that the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of our brain, the straightaway left side of our brain became a hero which is more important and dominant.
Later, the discovery of functional areas of the brain was reported, these initiated experiments exploring brain laterality.
In the history of neurosciences, Phineas Gage, in the 19th century, a railroad worker had and severe head injury damaging his frontal lobe, apparently, the calm man suddenly became frustrated, angry, and irritable, the further experiments proved that the frontal lobe is sensitive to control cognition and emotions.
Brain: A Magnifying Glass….
The brain works as a single unit, the creative, artistic, and calculative thoughts are governed by both hemispheres, some functions are specifically lateralized, but during the complex cognitive process, both hemispheres act together.
Lefties and righties alike use both hemispheres of their brains, still why do people think that we have a dominant side? Although, the answer has to do with an inherent human drive to categorize.
It is categorizing oneself as right-handed or left-handed. It labels itself dominant and non-dominant, saying someone dominant gives a feeling of security and it can explain actions in the past and predicting the future.
This urge of defining yourself and others as right and left-brained, analytical, or creative, emotional, or straightforward. All these qualities are present in us because of which have a great range of human behavior.
So, have tears while watching a sad movie, draft art and be unstoppable because your whole brain is supporting you, Finally, you are not left-or-right brained, you are blessed with a whole brain.