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Brain Lateralization
What is the theory of "brain
lateralization?"
By James
Harvey Stout
Lateralization is the idea that
the two halves of the brain's
cerebral cortex -- left and
right -- execute different
functions. The lateralization
theory -- developed by
Nobel-prize-winners Roger Sperry
and Robert Ornstein -- helps us
to understand our behavior, our
personality, our creativity, and
our ability to use the proper
mode of thinking when performing
particular tasks. (The cerebral
cortex is a part of the brain
that exists only in humans and
higher mammals, to manage our
sophisticated intellect.).
The two halves ("hemispheres")
are joined by the corpus
collosum. This is a bundle of
more than 200 million nerve
fibers which transmit data from
one hemisphere to the other so
that the two halves can
communicate. Although this nerve
connection would seem to be
vital, it is severed in a
surgical procedure for some
people who have epilepsy. The
corpus collosum is up to 40
percent larger in women than it
is in men.
We can specify the functions of
the two hemispheres. (The
following descriptions apply to
right-handed people; for
left-handed people, this
information is reversed; for
example, it is the right
hemisphere which processes
analytical thought.)
The left hemisphere specializes
in analytical thought.
 The
left hemisphere deals with hard
facts: abstractions, structure,
discipline and rules, time
sequences, mathematics,
categorizing, logic and
rationality and deductive
reasoning, knowledge, details,
definitions, planning and goals,
words (written and spoken and
heard)productivity and
efficiency, science and
technology, stability,
extraversion, physical activity,
and the right side of the body.
The left hemisphere is
emphasized in our educational
system and in our society in
general, for better or for
worse; as Marshall McLuhan
speculated, "The day when
bureaucracy becomes right
hemisphere will be utopia."
The
right hemisphere specializes in
the "softer" aspects of life.
This includes intuition,
feelings and sensitivity,
emotions, daydreaming and
visualizing, creativity
(including art and music),
color, spatial awareness, first
impressions, rhythm, spontaneity
and impulsiveness, the physical
senses, risk-taking, flexibility
and variety, learning by
experience, relationships,
mysticism, play and sports,
introversion, humor, motor
skills, the left side of the
body, and a holistic way of
perception that recognizes
patterns and similarities and
then synthesizes those elements
into new forms.
Ideally, we develop
"lateralization." This is the
use of the proper hemisphere for
the task which we are doing. For
example, when we are playing a
friendly game of softball (a
right-hemisphere activity), we
would lose the essence of the
game -- the fun -- if we were
overly apprehensive regarding
left-hemisphere matters such as
rules and discipline. And when
we are balancing our checkbook
(a left-hemisphere activity), we
don't want to be distracted by
the right hemisphere's
fascination with creativity and
emotions. In every task, one
hemisphere is dominant, but the
other hemisphere participates to
some extent; for example, we do
have rules during the softball
game, and we can feel happy when
we notice that our bills are not
as costly this month. When we
understand lateralization, we
become more efficient: we can
consciously allow and emphasize
the correct hemisphere, knowing
that the sense-oriented right
hemisphere is a better softball
player, and the analytical left
hemisphere is better in math. We
also benefit from knowing which
hemisphere to use during a
particular stage of a task; for
example, during problem-solving,
we use the left hemisphere for
the information-gathering stage,
but we use the right-hemisphere
during brainstorming and
incubation of the ideas.
We tend to use one half more
than the other. During
childhood, we develop "brain
dominance" -- the inclination to
act and think in the mode of
either the left or right
hemisphere. The decision is
affected by our genetics,
childhood experiences, and
family environment. The
dominance is not total; whether
we are "right-brained" or
"left-brained," we permit the
other hemisphere to lead
occasionally.
We tend to distrust or even
dislike the non-dominant half.
If we generally use our left
hemisphere, we might be annoyed
by our right hemisphere as
though it were an undisciplined
child; contrarily, a
right-hemisphere person might
consider his or her left
hemisphere to be a spoil-sport.
These same attitudes might be
projected onto other people. For
example, if we favor the right
hemisphere, but our co-workers
are oriented toward their left
hemisphere, we are likely to
judge them as boring and rigid;
if we favor the left hemisphere,
we probably view our
right-hemisphere co-workers as
unreliable and disorganized. But
both types of people can be
effective if permitted to work
in their own way, as some
employers have discovered.
We need to develop both
hemispheres. This is necessary
because, as stated previously,
some tasks require the left
hemisphere primarily, and others
predominantly call on the right
hemisphere. Our brain dominance
stays the same -- a
right-hemisphere person does not
change into a left-hemisphere
person -- but we can develop the
skills of the other half, so
that that half will be more
effective when we need to use
it. We can enhance our
non-dominant hemisphere in the
following ways:
First, we can become more
aware of the two modes. What do
we feel when we are in a
right-hemisphere mode, and what
do we feel when we are in a
left-hemisphere mode? Refer to
the lists of tasks that
correspond to each hemisphere,
and then note the various
sensations throughout your mind
and body while performing the
tasks; while monitoring
yourself, be certain that you
are using the proper hemisphere
(e.g., the right hemisphere
while singing). We need to be
able to sense the differences in
order to ascertain whether we
are indeed using our dominant or
non-dominant hemisphere.
We can become aware of
the shift itself. To develop
this perceptiveness, we can do
an activity which predominantly
calls for one hemisphere, and
then switch to an activity which
uses the other hemisphere, and
pay attention to the feeling of
transition in mind and body.
When we know what the shift
feels like, we can use this
knowledge to verify that a shift
has occurred on any occasion
when we want to willfully change
hemispheres.
We can sense the requirement of
each task as we perform it. We
can change back-and-forth
between hemispheres (by
approaching the job playfully or
analytically), to determine
whether we feel better (and are
more efficient) when we are in
the right or left hemisphere
during this task. For example,
when we are housecleaning, we
might think that that is a
left-hemisphere task because we
are attending to details and
goals; however, because we are
engaged in physical activity,
the task is easier if we do it
in the right-hemisphere mode --
relaxing and enjoying our body's
movements and rhythms (and the
aesthetics of a clean home). If
we become more sensitive to the
differences between the right-
and left-hemisphere modes during
our day's activities, we will
become more aware of the needs
of each task -- and we will
probably be surprised by the
number of tasks which are
simpler and more delightful when
we do them from the right
hemisphere, with a sense of
play, adventure, spontaneity,
and creativity. Or, conversely,
perhaps we will discover that
some of our chores need to be
switched from the right to the
left hemisphere. If we do not
yet have sensitivity regarding
the appropriate use of
hemispheres, we can make a
logical estimation by asking
ourselves, "How much analytical
thought is required for this
task?" In many cases, we are
probably "thinking too much"
about a chore that instead
requires imagination and
feeling.
We can acknowledge the
presence of the other hemisphere
during any task. For example,
while engaging the left
hemisphere, we can be careful
not to be too "serious" (and
repressive of the right
hemisphere); we may permit some
creativity and delight while
still accomplishing our goals.
One way to involve the right
hemisphere is to change our
attitude from "I have to do this
job now" to "I get to do this
job now"; the statement invites
the right hemisphere to
cooperate and to find its little
unobtrusive pleasures while we
do our work. However, if the
right hemisphere demands more
attention than the task allows,
we can simply promise to attend
to it later; for example, "When
I finish my work, I'll relax
with a snack."
We can make alterations
in our lifestyle. For example,
if our job keeps our left
hemisphere engaged (particularly
in an occupation such as
accounting or computer repair),
we can plan our free time and
home life to utilize the right
hemisphere. At work, we can try
to schedule some times (however
brief) to let the other
hemisphere express itself; for
instance, we can enjoy some
personal conversations during
our coffee break at work,
instead of discussing business
matters.
We might become aware of
the 90-minute cycles in which
the brain tends toward one
hemisphere and then the other.
There is no practical way to
schedule our lives around this
cycle, but we might make some
concessions to the fact that one
90-period will allow us a
sharper intellect (from the left
hemisphere), while the
subsequent 90-minute period will
grant us more creativity (from
the right hemisphere). This
cycle is probably identical to
the 90-minute sleep cycle (i.e.,
the REM cycle); during sleep,
the brain proceeds through a
90-minute cycle which is
characterized by various levels
of brain activity, with REM
dreams commencing at the same
point in each cycle.
We can notice the
frustration and exhaustion which
occur when we use the improper
hemisphere for a task; perhaps
we habitually use the same
hemisphere for virtually
everything we do. For example,
for some people, sex is a
left-hemisphere activity because
they are concerned with
performance, goals (such as
orgasms), size of body parts,
and duration of time. The result
can be impotence in the man, and
frigidity in the woman. One
approach in sex therapy is to
teach the people to relax and
enjoy, i.e., shift to the right
hemisphere, which is the proper
mode for sex.
We can acknowledge other
people's hemisphere-preference,
to enhance our communication.
After just a few minutes of
conversation, we might be able
to discern their preference by
observing the following
qualities in their speech. A
right-hemisphere person tends to
exhibit more feeling, emotion,
visual imagery, humor, and a
musical quality in the voice. A
left-hemisphere person prefers
logic, details, and a
conversational structure that
has an obvious direction and
purpose. When we talk to either
type of person, we can use the
respective qualities so that we
will be understood more easily.
However, we need to give our
listener a balance; many public
speakers intentionally make
frequent changes between the
left and right hemisphere --
facts and emotions -- to keep
the audience interested.
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