Have you ever been asked whether you think with your left brain or right brain? Have you ever been declared as one or the other based on certain traits about yourself? If no one has bothered to explain the meaning to you, it must be terribly confusing to suddenly be called left brained and told to enroll in a medical and health sciences program in Malaysia. You must be wondering how sides of the brain and career paths are linked. 

Let’s break down what people mean when they say left brain thinker or right brain thinker. We’ll also take a look at what’s fact and what’s not.

Left Brain

People who dominantly think with their left brain are said to be more analytical. This means that they are more logical and clear cut when ruminating and making decisions. Think Hermione from Harry Potter and her encyclopedic memory of facts and figures. People with strong left brain thinking tend to be good at mathematics and science subjects as they see the world clearly and are good at reasoning.

Right Brain

Inversely, right-brained thinkers are thought to be more creative and intuitive. They are said to be artistic and have a flair for imaginative and emotional pursuits. Think arts and crafts, drama and history. People with dominant right brain thinking are believed to be great artists, writers or even psychologists are they are thought to be very empathetic and sensitive to other’s emotions.

Is The Left Brain And Right Brain Theory True?

It’s important to note that this side of the brain theory is just that; a theory. It is not actually proven with real scientific research. This theory’s notion that left-brain or right-brain dominance controls different types of thinking is untrue. 

Roger W. Sperry, an American neuropsychologist, is the originator of this theory. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1981. He came up with this theory after studying patients who had their corpus callosum (the structure that connects the two hemispheres of the brain) surgically severed. This was done through lobotomy in order to treat refractory epilepsy back in the old days.

Since these patients had problems remembering certain words that had to be processed by the left side of the brain, he concluded that language was controlled by that part of the brain. However, recent research has proven that the brain works at its best when both sides are engaged. Even though technically each side of the brain does process certain things that the other part does not, the brain isn’t nearly as lateralized as Roger W. Sperry would have us believe. 

Final Thoughts

It may be fun to figure out whether you’re a left brain thinker or a right brain thinker, but remember that it’s just for fun. In truth, all humans think with both parts of the brain at all times. Just because you tend to be artistic does not mean that you think dominantly with your right brain. Similarly, just because you’re interested in becoming a healthcare practitioner by learning medical and health sciences program in malaysia, does not mean you’re a left brain thinker.

Humans are far more complex than that!