Your Brain is the centerpiece of your existence.
Functionally, it can be split into two distinct categories that complement each other in all activities of your day. The whole brain which is the power behind that lump of nerves. The Brain that powers you, its core, and its services all add up to one important fact: that it just can't survive without you, and you can't work without it. This mesh of flesh is one of the most complex organs in your body, and also one of the most responsive. It is a thing that can be weighed, measured, looked at, and studied. On the surface, most human brains look pretty much the same: light-pink-and-grayish-white, wrinkled, and squishy. The whole mind is presenting the force beyond simple recognition of words. Your mind is open and free. Free to think whatever it wants, with your express permission of course. You are your mind, and your mind is all of you. It is a window into all that is thought, and uses the physical attributes of your brain to function. You can't pick up a mind, toss it into a jar, and label it. Humans are conscious beings. We share a common experience of a sense of self, of conscious awareness - a trait some believe is uniquely human - yet the quest to explain consciousness is one of the last remaining great adventures of science and philosophy.
Just as some people are left-handed or right-handed, have a dominant right or left eye, chances are they probably have a brain hemisphere as well. So what does it mean to be "left-brain" or "right-brain" dominant? What the heck does "left-brain" or "right-brain" mean in the first place?
Despite the fact that both the left and right hemispheres of your brain work together, they are not exactly the same. Each side differs from the other slightly in its functions and processes. While no one is totally left-brained or totally right-brained, most people tend to favour their dominant side. Strangely, about 90 percent of humans in all societies, even prehistoric humans, are left-brain dominant. Why the left hemisphere should come to dominate is not clear, although scientists believe it is linked to the left hemisphere's large role in speech and motor tasks.
There are many types of cognitive processes that the brain can choose hemispherical dominance. For linear thinkers, a left-brain trait, they process information in a linear order — in a straightforward logical progression from part to whole. They can easily take details and make an outline. Right-brain individuals have a holistic approach. Information is processed from whole to part (holistically), beginning with the general picture first, not the details. They require to know why or what a task means before they begin it. Sequential, for left-brain dominance, includes learning, thinking and tasks, which are done in order from first to last. Organization and planning is done prior to beginning tasks. They can easily follow directions, schedules, and routines. Right brain dominated people prefer random jumps. They generally jump from one task to another, disregarding priority or whether they are fully complete. They like to correct and adjust things as they are doing them. They also tend to work on multiple tasks and assignments at the same time. Symbolic references show how left-brains can easily process symbols such as letters, words, as well as notation in mathematics and music. Spelling of words and mathematical formulas tend to be memorized. However, right brains prefer concrete, where they like to processes things that can be seen, heard, touched – anything real. They need to understand how mathematical formulas work and like to visualize ideas and solutions. The logical approach is taken by left-brains, where information is handled piece-by-piece using logic to solve a problem. Conclusions require reasoning and proof. They pay attention to the mechanics of writing, such as spelling and grammar. While the right side is heavily intuitive, where solutions to problems are based on their intuition – whether or not it feels right. Many times, they know the answer to a problem but are not sure how they found it. In written work, they pay attention to the ideas and meaning. The left-brain works on verbal stimuli. They can easily express their thoughts and ideas as words, being able to explain instructions or directions well understood by others. Alternatively, right-brains are much more nonverbal, where their thoughts and ideas are often illustrated. They have trouble with writing assignments, which generally take them longer to complete. Reality-Based Information is processed based on reality or the way they are, for the left-brains. They know and follow rules and guidelines, doing only what is required. They solve problems on the basis of available data and facts. And lastly, the right-brain is fantasy-oriented, as information is processed with creativity. Problems are often solved through imagination and discovery. They approach things with a creative perspective. However, they often bend the rules or guidelines of assignments or situations, often times, not realizing the consequences.
Sources:
Drubach, Daniel. The Brain Explained. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2000.
Eiffert, Stephan D. Cross-Train Your Brain. New York: Amacom, an imprint of AMA
publications, a division of American Management Assoc., 1999.
Greenfield, Susan A. The Human Brain. Science Masters Series. New York: BasicBooks,
1997.