| You may have heard that your left brain, or rather | | | | their strengths. Some claim that meditation |
| the left hemisphere of your brain, is different from | | | | accomplishes this, and there is some evidence at |
| your right brain. What are the differences, and how | | | | least for the balancing of electrical activity between |
| do you use both more effectively? | | | | the two sides during a meditative state. Alternately, |
| The terms "left brain" and "right brain" refer to the | | | | you could develop whichever hemisphere seems |
| left and right hemispheres of your brain. They each | | | | weakest in you. |
| tend to process things differently, as explained in the | | | | Left Brain Right Brain Dominance |
| following two paragraphs. However, the following are | | | | You will usually favor one style or another of thinking, |
| generalizations. They hold true for over 90% of | | | | and this may be an indication of the dominance of |
| right-handed people, and only 70% of left-handed | | | | either your right brain or left brain. It seems likely, for |
| people. In the cases where they aren't true, the | | | | example, that the choice between joining the |
| division of labor and processing styles is usually still | | | | debating team or the art class in school would have |
| there, but reversed, with the right side handling the | | | | something to do with which side is dominant. You |
| things that most people's left side handles, and | | | | may have noticed that left-handed people, who |
| vice-versa. | | | | presumably have a more developed right hemisphere, |
| The left brain processes thing more sequentially and | | | | are more often artists. |
| systematically than the right. It is more rational, or at | | | | What if your left brain is dominant, and you want to |
| least more logical, analytical and objective. It tends to | | | | work on developing your right brain? You could try |
| look at the parts more than the whole. Finally, it was | | | | singing, a right-side activity. By the way, those who |
| learned early on in studies of the hemisphere that the | | | | stutter often don't stutter singing, because singing is |
| left side handles speech for most of us. | | | | handled differently than regular speech (right brain |
| The right brain is the "artists" brain. It handles thing in | | | | versus left brain). Writing or, even better, reciting |
| more random and subjective manor. It is generally | | | | free-form poetry and studying maps may help as |
| responsible for "hunches" and other intuitive | | | | well. These are not proven to be beneficial to "right |
| processes. It looks more at wholes, and is best at | | | | brain development" by scientific studies yet, but |
| pattern-recognition, making it the "map reading" part | | | | there is no danger in experimenting in these areas. |
| of the brain. | | | | To stimulate and strengthen the thinking processes |
| How distinct are the two halves of your brain? | | | | of your "left brain," talk about things as logically as |
| Consider the amazing experiments involving people | | | | you can. Picking apart an argument or something you |
| who have had the corpus callosum cut. This surgery | | | | read, and analyzing it can exercise this part of the |
| is performed on epileptics to reduce the incidence of | | | | brain too. Again, there is little hard evidence as to the |
| seizures. It isolates most of the right hemisphere | | | | effects of these specific exercises, but talking or |
| from the left hemisphere. | | | | working on your analytical skills are safe things to do, |
| In a typical experiment, a divider lets a subject see | | | | so experiment freely. Writing this article is almost |
| two objects - say, a cup with the right eye and a | | | | certainly a left brain activity, by the way. |
| lemon with the left. Asked what they see, they'll say | | | | To be more "whole brained" in your approach to |
| "a cup," because their left brain process both | | | | things, work on your weakest areas, using some of |
| language and information from the right eye. When | | | | the tips above. Try to also bring both sides into |
| asked to write down what they see, however, using | | | | whatever you do. Metaphors, for example, are a |
| their left hand, they'll write "a lemon," because both | | | | right-hemisphere process, but can be used in logical |
| their left hand and eye are controlled by the right | | | | (left-hemisphere) debate. Your artistic work could |
| side of the brain. | | | | include more analysis. Can these practices really help |
| The two hemispheres normally work more closely | | | | balance your thinking? Time and more research will let |
| together. These split-brain experiments show how | | | | us know, but it seems likely, and it seems equally |
| distinct the two sides really are, though. Many people | | | | unlikely that more fully using your right brain and left |
| think that there is some benefit to getting the two | | | | brain will hurt you. |
| sides working better together, as they each have | | | | |