FUNCTIONS OF

LEFT BRAIN
Vs
RIGHT BRAIN
Are you Creative or Analytical?
I brain have two halves – the right side and the left side. People using the left part of the
brain are usually logical and analytical. While those who use the right half of the brain are
creative, innovative and imaginative.
Do I want to know whether I am right or left brained?
Try this!
Read aloud, as quickly as possible, the colour in which the words are written but not
the actual words:

If I merely read the words, I am likely to be using the right brain. Whereas, if I read the
colours, I am using the left brain.

This topic is presented in three parts with

detailed information on each
• Left Brain vs. Right Brain - this document provides fundamentals of Left Brain thinking
vs. Right Brain thinking.
• Left Brain and Right Brain Inventory -this document throws light on how left and
right brain control different characteristics of human beings.
3. Left Brain - this document provides information on differences between left brain
thinking and right brain thinking.

Left Brain vs. Right Brain

I am creative and he is analytical.
  Have I ever thought why some people can paint beautifully, but have difficulty
adding two and two? Or why some people can understand the intricacies of
calculus effortlessly, but struggle to write a one-page essay?
 It's all about which side of your brain dominates - the left or the right.
 The human brain is bifurcated (To divide into two parts) down the middle into two parts,
popularly known as the left brain and right brain respectively. I know that
different parts of the brain control different bodily and mental functions.
 Over the years, a theory that has gained in popularity is that the right brain and
the left brain are responsible for different modes of thought and that the way in
which a person thinks will depend on which side of his brain predominates.

Left Brain vs. Right Brain

∝ People who rely more heavily on the right half of their brain tend to be
more imaginative and intuitive. They see things as a whole and are
interested in patterns, shapes and sizes. The right brain is associated with
artistic ability like singing, painting, writing poetry, etc.
∝ Left-brain dominated people may find their thought processes vague and
difficult to follow, for they are quite opposite in the way they think. Left-
brain dominated people tend to be more logical and analytical in their
thinking and usually excel at mathematics and word skills.
But this does not mean that a person who is left or right brain dominated
does not use the other part of his brain. For most people, the two parts of
the brain work in tandem (any arrangement of two things in which one is placed behind the other) to enable them
to function as well-rounded personalities.
∝ The right brain absorbs new information in chunks, but it is the job of the
left-brain to sift and sort it in an organized fashion. However, there is no
clear-cut definition of the functions of the two parts of the brain. Each can
do the other's work, just not as efficiently.
∝ Most people have a tendency to lean towards using the left or right brain
while thinking or learning. For instance, right brain dominated people are
often poor spellers as they tend to rely more on their intuition rather than
actually studying the order in which the letters in a word occur.

Academics and thinking

1. At the time of their birth, babies are not predisposed to be either left brain or right
brain thinkers. Unfortunately, our education system, with its emphasis on rote
learning and exam syllabi, is more tuned to encouraging left-brain activity, often to
the detriment (Something that causes damage) of right brain creativity.
2. School examinations are designed to test left brain activity and encourage
conformity in thought. There is a possibility that if right brain skills are not
exercised, they may not develop sufficiently.
3. When it comes to academics, left brain dominated children do well at school, as
they are more likely to respond to formal learning. They exhibit greater
responsibility, are quite content to study by themselves and have greater
concentration.
4. Right brain dominated children, on the other hand, are less likely to perform well
academically. They prefer to study with company, cannot sit still for very long and
are more responsive in informal settings.

Convergent and Divergent Thinking

Right brain and Left brain dominated people can also be categorized as divergent and
convergent thinkers respectively:
 1. Divergent thinkers are creative and tend to throw the rules out of the window. They
are artistic and always looking for ways to express themselves. They do much
better in exams that require essay-type answers.
2. A convergent thinker has a systematic approach and plays by the rules. He
analyzes everything and reaches a logical conclusion. Thus, scientific and
mathematical activities are more up his street. Such people do very well on
straightforward question and answer type tests.

Note Well : There is no such thing as: it is better to be left brain dominated or right
brain dominated. I need both kinds of thinking to function well. While a person may have a
dominant style of thinking, it would be interesting to see how the other half works and
even learn to develop the skills that I lack so as to strengthen strengths and strengthen
weaknesses.

Left Brain and Right Brain Inventory

An inventory of the different ways the left brain and right brain process information. While
I may have a natural tendency towards one way of thinking, the two sides of I brain work
together in I everyday life. The right side of the brain focuses on the visual, and processes
information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the
details. The focus of the left brain is verbal, processing information in an analytical and
sequential way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole.
Left Brain vs. Right Brain
Definition
This theory of the structure and functions of the mind suggests that the two different sides
of the brain control two different "modes" of thinking. It also suggests that each of I prefers
one mode over the other. Whereas, I as an individual should be well aware and actively
using both sides.

Discussion
Experimentation has shown that the two different sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are
responsible for different manners of thinking. The following table illustrates the differences
between left-brain and right-brain thinking:
How Left-Brain vs. Right-Brain Thinking
Impacts Learning
1. Curriculum--n order to be more "whole-brained" in their orientation, schools
need to give equal weight to the arts, creativity and the skills of imagination
and synthesis.
2. Instruction-To foster a more whole-brained scholastic experience, teachers
should use instruction techniques that connect with both sides of the brain.
They can increase their classroom's right-brain learning activities by
incorporating more patterning, metaphors, analogies, role playing, visuals and
movement into their reading, calculation, and analytical activities.
3. Assessment-For a more accurate whole-brained evaluation of student
learning, educators must develop new forms of assessment that honor right-
brained talents and skills.

Left Brain, Right Brain, Whole Brain?

Basic brain biology
A simplified model of the human brain consists of many parts:
· Brain stem, hind brain, mid brain & cerebellum - the most ancient parts, connected to the
spine, controls movement, breathing and heartbeats.
· Limbic system - consisting of many specialist organs including the Hypothalamus,
hippocampus -developed in mammals. Some memory functions and generation of
emotional responses.
· Cerebral cortex - the distinguishing feature of human brains; the cortex is divided into two
hemispheres, left and right connected by a thick layer of cells called the corpus callosum
(Latin: tough body). Most other parts of the brain are also divided laterally.
The above information helps us to understand the vast range of difference in people’s
thinking and the need to use both sides of the brain effectively…
Med(z)-I-Ta(k)te.