Hemispheres of the Brain

One of the most complex, but amazing, organ of the human body - the brain is basically divided into two hemispheres - the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. When we talk about a person being left brained or right brained, we refer to the dominant hemisphere of that person's brain. Each of these hemispheres have certain functions to their credit, based on which we can determine the dominant hemisphere of the individual's brain. Interestingly, the right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the functions of the left part of the body, while the left hemisphere is responsible for the functions of the right part.

Brain Hemispheres and their Functions

The brain is divided into two hemispheres by a longitudinal fissure. Both these hemispheres are identical as far as the appearance is concerned, but when it comes to the functions, each of these hemispheres behave differently. As we mentioned earlier, the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and vice versa. This means that a person's right hand is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain, and the left-hand is controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain. That in itself means that the left-handed people are right brain dominant, while the right-handed people are left brain dominant.

Left Hemisphere of the Brain
The characteristic traits associated with the left hemisphere of the brain include analytical, logical, sequential, objective and rational. Owing to these characteristics, people with dominant left brain tend to have a rational approach towards the life. They pay more attention to the numbers, words, symbols, etc. With their logical and rational thinking, individuals with right hemisphere dominance tend to do well in fields that require good analytical skills. For instance engineering, accounting, etc. These people are well versed with planning, and seldom do they resort to last minute preparations.

Right Hemisphere of the Brain
On the other hand, the characteristic traits associated with the right hemisphere include intuitive, random, subjective, holistic and synthesizing. Owing to these characteristics, people with dominant right brain tend to be more creative than their left brain counterparts. The fact that these people are more inclined towards the visual aspect means they seldom get into the details of the matter. Individuals with right hemisphere dominance tend to be creative and intuitive, and hence do well in performing arts and other such creative fields. They have a tough time prioritizing things, and hence most of their decisions are made at the very last moment.

If two individuals, one with right hemisphere dominance and the other with left hemisphere dominance, are given as task of assembling a particular thing, the person with right hemisphere dominance will promptly start working without going through the instruction manual, whereas the individual with left brain dominance will do through the manual, understand the concept, and then get to the assembling task. There are several such points of distinction in the right brain-left brain comparison. The brain is undoubtedly one of the most important attribute of the nervous system, and therefore any damage caused to it can result in adverse effects on the individual's body.