by Jillian Battista
Are you more creative and artistic? Or more logical and mathematical? These questions have puzzled scientists for years as they have studied the “left-brain, right-brain” theory. This theory states that if you are artistic, you tend to be more “right-brained,” but if you are more logical, you are more “left-brained.” This means that your skills, interests, and hobbies could be directly influenced by which side of the brain you use more often (see Figure 1). For example, an artist, such as Vincent Van Gogh, would be labeled as more “right-brained,” whereas a mathematician, such as Albert Einstein, would be labeled as more “left-brained.” However, this may not be as true as we think!
Our brain is split into two hemispheres, the left and the right. As two halves of a whole, the brain is responsible for our most basic actions, such as waking up in the morning, but also our most complex actions, such as solving calculus problems. From a quick glance, each side of the brain is quite similar in shape and size, but these hemispheres have unique physical properties and functions. For example, the left side of the brain largely controls the right side of your body, including your right hand and right foot. This side also contains a structure called Broca’s area, which controls our ability to talk. On the other hand, the right side controls the left side of your body, including your left hand and left foot.
The two sides of your brain are intricately connected by a bundle of nerve fibers known as the corpus callosum (see Figure 2 and Figure 3). Through the corpus callosum, the hemispheres communicate with each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even while you are drawing a picture or solving a math problem. Due to this connection, the likelihood of you being more “left-brained” or “right-brained” is unlikely since your brain functions as a whole rather than as separate parts. Recently, neuroscience researchers examined brain images from 1,000 people and found no relationship between personality traits and usage of particular halves of the brain. This means that even though someone may be more creative, they are not using the right side of their brain more than the left side. In fact, it may actually be the entire brain forming connections across both sides that leads to unique interests and traits.
So, instead of being “left-brained” or “right-brained,” you can be proud to know you are “whole-brained” no matter what your interests are! If you enjoy art class, math class, science class, or all three, you are using every part of your brain and not just one side. Keep your creative and/or logical thoughts flowing by pursuing hobbies that pique your particular interests!
