As someone with a myriad of passions and interests when it comes to academics and continuing education, I’ve always wondered about the importance of using both sides of your brain. The brain is divided into two hemispheres, each side with various lobes that control different parts of who you are and your body. The left side of the brain is associated with pattern perception, stability, control, logic, rationality, and the academic subjects associated with left-brained dominance are math and science. On the right side of the brain, the associated aspects are emotional and social intelligence, risk-taking, creativity, empathy intuition, and is favored more in English and social studies classes.
One of my favorite moments in college so far has been discovering that I tend to favor the left side of my brain. I went into college declaring Public Health as my major on the Pre-Medical track, initially feeling fulfilled with the straightforward and logical nature of those subjects. Recently, I added English as my second major since I missed the creative, emotional, and subjective aspects of the humanities (and after joining HerCampus and loving writing).
So, what’s the importance of using both sides of your brain? How can you start?
First, you should probably figure out which side you use more (I linked a fun quiz below!). Afterward — if you resonate with the outcome of the test — you can explore options to go out of your comfort zone and reach the other side of your brain. For example, I know that I spend most of my days doing chemistry labs, studying health care, and learning cell biology. There’s nothing I love more than doing some art or singing (badly) in my room at the end of a STEM and left brain-filled day.
The importance of using both sides of your brain is to deepen the connection between both hemispheres, which is called the corpus callosum. Synching and working both hemispheres of your brain can lead to increased “neuroplasticity”, which is basically your brain’s ability to form new connections over time and adapt to whatever environment you’re in. Furthermore, a deeply connected brain can increase your focus, inner peace, and overall cognitive performance. Sounds pretty nice, right?
Overall, no one is either left or right-brained, we’re all a mix of both and rely on the connections between both hemispheres to make us who we are. It’s fun to know which side you gravitate towards because then you can go out of your comfort zone and explore what you like!
The brain test! https://www.mentalup.co/blog/right-brain-left-brain-test