AG20: The Big Left Brain Right Brain Shoot Out

Download Episode 20

This week Chris and Russ take on the topic of left brain vs. right brain.

Saying that someone is left brained or right brained has become something of a cliche: We all know that left brained people are analysing, logical and good with numbers and technology. Think Mr. Spock, Dr. Frankenstein (the scientist, not the monster) and the entire male cast of The Big Bang Theory. Right brained folks, by contrast are supposed to be artsy and holistic, passionate and feeling. Think Dr. McCoy, Frankenstein (the monster, not the scientist) and virtually everyone on Project Runway. Is this all just some faulty popular psychology or is there something to this right brain/left brain stuff?

In a word, yes. It is both a myth and there is something to it. Certainly every human brain has two major chunks, one located on the left and the other located on the right. Certainly there is a lot of specialization going on: For most people the left brain does much of the work when we are talking or doing numerical things. The right half of the brain (again, in most people) does seem to specialize in spacial and artistic endeavors. And clearly, many people are better at math than painting (Russ) or better at sculpture than programming (Chris). So there is a lot to this left brain/right brain stuff.

Well, sort of. The thing to keep in mind is that every normal person (and a lot of abnormal ones too!) come equipped with a whole brain, complete with both sides. To dismiss someone - or even yourself - as completely left or right brained is to miss the fact that people can do absolutely extraordinary things. Right brained people learn to program, to do math and to assemble stereo equipment; left brained people learn to draw, sing and decorate birthday cakes.

Russ first learned about this left brain/right brain stuff - and learned to draw - from the book Drawing On The Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. You can find out more about the whole left brain/right brain thing at WikiPedia

You can learn more about QTips here (no, I'm not making this up). Work on that two handed technique.

Russ and Chris