If you don’t already know, you can follow this link (http://www.livescience.com/39373-left-brain-right-brain-myth.html) along with a plethora of others.

    Many sources found on the internet today suggest that there are individual differences pertaining to laterality; that is, that some people are left-brained, thus predominantly use their left hemisphere, while other people are right-brained, thus predominantly use their right hemisphere. In fact, one of our homework assignments in our first week of class was to complete an online test to determine whether each of us was left-brained or right-brained. This test, as well as similar tests that can be found online, asks a series of questions such as, “is it easier for you to remembers people’s names or faces?” and “is it easier for you to read for main ideas or to read for specific details?” In essence, these sorts of questions seek to determine whether the test-taker has more qualities typical of left hemispheric dominance (strong logic, language and analytical skills) or of right hemispheric dominance (strong expressive and creative tasks). Upon completion of the test, you are told whether you answered with more left-brain typical responses or with more right-brain typical responses. Whichever brain hemisphere was implicated by your responses is said to be your dominant brain hemisphere. Do you buy it?

    Considering the current abundance of these sorts of online quizzes and articles discussing laterality, it seems that popular culture buys into this concept. However, this opinion is not necessarily accepted by everyone. In 2013, Christopher Wanjek wrote an article in livescience entitled “Left Brain vs. Right: It’s a Myth, Research Finds” that challenges this popular sentiment. Wanjek cites a University of Utah study which, after analyzing more than 1,000 brains, found no evidence that one hemisphere is dominant over the other in a given individual. Throughout the course of the experiment, participants of the study used their entire brains equally across hemispheres. So, what do you think? It is hard to deny the concept that certain people are more detail oriented and analytical while others are more artistic and focused on the bigger picture. However, to what extent can we designate these behaviors to one brain hemisphere or the other and better yet, to what extent can we assume people who possess these behaviors predominantly use their left or right brain respectively? The aforementioned article suggests that current science is unable to prove that people preferentially use their right or left hemispheres, but as popular culture proposes, maybe there is some legitimacy to these laterality tests. We will leave it up to you to decide.

1. http://www.web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm

2. http://www.web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm

3. http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/left-brain-right-brain.htm

4. http://www.livescience.com/39373-left-brain-right-brain-myth.html