What is Left and Right Brain?

Personal Development

The human brain is a wonderful organ. With about 3 pounds, it contains more than 100 billion neurons and more than 100 trillion connections. Our brain is the command central of all we think, feel, and do. It is divided into two halves (called the Left and Right brain) and within each half particular regions control certain functions. Though the two sides of our brain look alike there is a huge difference in how they process information but they don't work independently.

You may have heard or read articles about people being right-brain or left-brain thinkers? Or maybe you have taken an online test to determine which type best describes you. Or you may have read articles or seen videos of how to unleash your right brain's creativity.

History

The right brain left brain theory originated in the work of Roger W. Sperry, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1981. He studied brain functioning in patients who had their corpus callosum (the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain) surgically cut to treat refractory epilepsy. For example, many split-brain patients found themselves unable to name objects that were processed by the right side of the brain but were able to name objects that were processed by the left side of the brain. Based on this information, Sperry concluded that language was controlled by the left side of the brain.

But today, neuroscientists have proved that the two sides of the brain collaborate, instead of operating individually, to perform a broad variety of tasks and the two halves communicate through the corpus callosum. Now let us look at what each of the halves does.

Left Brain