The Myth of The Biased Brain

The neuromyth that people are left/right brained.

We use our left brain for logic and our right brain for creativity.

We use our left brain to create language and our right brain to comprehend speech.

Our left brain is analytical, and our right brain is holistic.

If you have had elementary education in biology or psychology, you must have read about the localized functions that the two hemispheres of the brain play.

The hemispheres have become the subject of much research ever since the human brain decided it wanted to study itself scientifically.

Sperry Burned The Bridge

The most influential studies into the human brain came from the brain of Dr Robert Sperry who worked with patients with epileptic seizures.

See our brain is like two large hemispheres being connected by a bridge-like collection of nerves called the Corpus Callosum. Dr Sperry decided to study what would happen if this bridge was cut off.

Interestingly, the people who had this procedure lost some unique skills. For eg. When one of the subjects was shown an object in the right eye (which feeds the left hemisphere of the brain) they could identify the object verbally and in writing but if they were presented with the same object in the left eye (feeding the right hemisphere) they would say that the object is indescribable.

Sperry’s work proved that there is a localization of some specific tasks in each hemisphere of the brain and for this, he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

But since then, his studies have seeped into the corporate culture and become a shadow of what they were supposed to be.

Left/Right Brained Myth

You might have come across a test which determines whether you are right/left-brained. If you have not, you can access one here. While the test claims to have scientific backing, there is no study to prove that people are indeed left or right-brained or that there is a hemisphere which is more dominant in every person.

The idea behind the right/left brain dominance comes from our natural observations. People tend to prefer one hand to write over the other. Footballers have stronger feet and weaker feet. It makes sense that the brain would have one dominant hemisphere as well but research proves that is not true.

A brain is a collective unit that works together. The information that is received by either side of the brain is communicated to the other to ensure synchronicity among the two halves of the brain is maintained.

A study by the University of Utah on 1000 people found that there is no specific region of the brain that is more dominant than the others in people. Moreover, our brains have the property of neuroplasticity which means that some parts of the brain can adapt to do the work of another damaged part of the brain.

Imagine you had to have a hemisphere cut out in childhood. This procedure is known as a hemispherectomy and if a person was truly dominant in one half of the brain, this would imply a severe loss in quality of life in adulthood.

But that’s not what happens.

It has been observed that those who had a hemisphere cut out at a young age continued to develop in life with a very little handicap. They could sometimes take a bit longer to think of a word or walk with a unique gait but at face value, you could not tell a person with one hemisphere missing apart from a person with a full brain.

The brain adapts. Constantly. It is possible that we develop competencies in our life based on what is reinforced in the brain instead of the brain guiding our competencies.

Why This Myth Matters

So what if people are not right/left-brained? Why should you care?

Well, the problem arises when we make big decisions based on shoddy or no science at all. Students are often administered the left-brain/right-brain test to check their aptitude. A right-brain dominant person is pushed into the creative arts like poetry or literature while a left-brained person is pushed towards computer programming or engineering.

We are making huge decisions about the lives of children based on something that holds no water when scrutinized.

As neuroscience gains popularity in the mainstream, courses are coming up that promise to ‘nourish’ your right brain to unlock your true potential. It was just yesterday that I came across a course that promised to make marketers explore their right brain for the paltry sum of Rs. 4000 ($50)

That’s the thing about neuromyths. Anytime the brain gets involved in anything we just assume that the person knows what they are talking about. We are trying to hack into the brain at all times even though we barely understand how 10% of it works.

The world is full of people selling you bullshit in the name of neuroscience or by prefixing neuro into everything else.

Dont let your brain be fooled into anything that involves the brain.

Our brains are suckers for themselves. Don’t fall for it.

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And that is it for this week! Sorry this got a little late in coming out. I have had the craziest few days. Going the extra mile for your friends is always worth it though. How have you and your friends been? How has life been in general? I want to know a bit about you as well. Cannot let it be a one-way dialogue only can I?

You can send in your thoughts by replying to this email or in the comments below!

Yours,

Arjun

🛣🖋🎯