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The two halves of the brain's cerebral cortex execute different
functions. The cerebral cortex is a part of the brain that exists only in humans
and higher mammals, to manage their sophisticated intellect. The Lateralization theory developed by Nobel prize winners Roger Sperry and Robert Ornstein helps
us understand our behavior, our personality, our creativity, and our ability to
use the proper mode of thinking when performing particular tasks. The two halves
or hemispheres, are joined by the corpus callosum. This is a bundle of more than
200 million nerve fibers that transmit data from one hemisphere to the other so
that the two halves can communicate. Even though this nerve connection would
seem to be vital, it is severed in a surgical procedure for some people who have
epilepsy. The corpus callosum is up to 40 percent larger in women than it is in
men.
Specifying the functions of the two hemispheres.
The following descriptions apply to most right handed people, for left handed
people, this information is typically reversed.
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The left hemisphere specializes in analytical thought.
 It 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, 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. As Marshall McLuhan
speculated, "The day when bureaucracy becomes right hemisphere will be
utopia".
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 The right hemisphere specializes in the softer aspects of life. This
includes intuition, feelings and sensitivity, emotions, daydreaming and
visualizing, creativity, 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 mode of perception that recognizes patterns and
similarities and then synthesizes those elements into new forms.
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Developing Lateralization.
| This is the use of the proper hemisphere for the task that we are doing. When
we are playing a friendly game of softball, a right hemisphere activity, we
would lose the fun of the game if we were overly apprehensive regarding left
hemisphere matters such as rules and discipline. 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. We
do have strict 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. 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. This 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 may be annoyed by our right hemisphere as
though it were an undisciplined child. A right hemisphere person may consider
his or her left hemisphere to be a spoil sport. These same attitudes can be
projected onto other people. 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 favour the left hemisphere, we probably view our
right hemisphere co-workers as unreliable and disorganized. 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 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 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 such as 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 that predominantly calls for one
hemisphere, and then switch to an activity that 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. When we are house cleaning, we
may think it is a left hemisphere task because we are attending to details
and goals. When 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 that are
simpler and more delightful when we do them from the right hemisphere, with
a sense of play, adventure, spontaneity, and creativity. Or, conversely, 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.
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". This statement invites
the right hemisphere to cooperate and to find its little unobtrusive
pleasures while we do our work. If the right hemisphere demands more
attention than the task allows, we can simply promise to attend to it later,
"When I finish my work, I'll relax with a snack.". |
| We can make alterations in our lifestyle. 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. We can enjoy some personal
conversations during our coffee break at work instead of discussing business
matters. |
|  We can 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 can make some concessions to
the fact that one 90 minute 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 similar to the 90
minute Rapid Eye Movement cycle. During sleep, the brain proceeds through a
90 minute cycle that 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 that occur when we use the
improper hemisphere for a task. We habitually use the same hemisphere
for virtually everything we do. 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
people to relax, enjoy, and 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 are 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 their 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. 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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Next topic: Inner Child
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