A Tale of Two Cerebral Hemispheres
Words by Katherine C. Eustaquio
Published in Total Fitness Magazine 2012 issue
Most writers are bad at Mathematics; most mathematicians suck at English, and everyone simply assumes that you really can’t get it all. And yet, there are the chosen few who can solve trigonometry problems, write fiction novels, and save the world before bedtime. Since we all know that there are two sides of the brain, we simply assume that one side performs better than the other. Wrong.
HUMAN BRAIN
Two hands, two feet, two eyes, two ears. Our anatomy is divided into two parts, including the brain. The cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that stores the body’s entire collection of functions, is made up of two hemispheres that are connected by a thick layer of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. These act as the transmitters of information between the two transmitters.
The two sides of the brain have the ability to react differently. Perhaps, the ad titled ‘Mercedes Benz: Left Brain-Right Brain, Paint’, which was created by Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv is the best representation of the brain’s two sides. In the illustration, we see that the left brain is more strategic, practical, and analytical, “a master of words and language” that loves to “calculate equations and play with numbers.”
On the other side, the right brain is described as a “boundless imagination” and it responds more to passion, creativity, sensuality, smell, taste, and movement. Ironically, though, the right side of our body (i.e., right vision) is connected to the left side of the brain and vice versa.
Several scientific studies suggest that each of us is actually two persons in a single body because of man’s ability to think opposing thoughts through the brain’s two hemispheres. Nobel Prize Winner Roger Sperry demonstrated the two sides’ ability to react differently though a Split-Brain Experiment wherein the corpus callosum was removed to treat a patient’s unrestrained seizures.
Sperry conducted several tests to see how the patient would react given the two isolated hemispheres. The right side of the body was able to identify a particular object but didn’t know how to use it. The left side of the body was able to explain how to use the object but failed to say what it was.
THE MASTER MIND
Today, a few clicks on an online quiz can tell you if you’re left-brained or right brained. Sometimes, this creates an error in thinking that your left brain is functioning better than the right one. Each side of the brain is simply tasked with different functions. The left is responsible for the logical stuff while the right is responsible for the creative stuff. When a person is required to learn a new task, say baking, his preferences urge his brain to go on autopilot mode to learn the task quickly and effortlessly. If he prefers numbers, his left brain will zero in on the measurements. If he prefers the sense of smell, his right brain will zero in on the distinct aromas. The more we turn to our preferences, the more we “master” one side of the brain.
While it is given that not everyone can serve two masters, there are many ways on how to balance both sides of your hemispheres. And that task is up to you.
