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For long I've seen uncountable number of blogs, websites, tutorials, booklets about career-guide, self-improvement, meditation, parenting etc. claiming;

  1. "Right hemisphere loves to work random, creative way; in contrast left-hemisphere loves to follow instructions and discipline."

  2. "Right hemisphere takes part in lateral-thinking; in contrast left-hemisphere takes part in vertical thinking."

  3. "Right hemisphere deals with pictures, visions, senses, feelings etc; in contrast, Left hemisphere deals with formula, equation, numbers, names, letters, calculations etc."

  4. "Right hemisphere works in nonlinear, meshy manner; in contrast, Left hemisphere works in linear, rigid, sequential way.

  5. "Right hemisphere see the whole, big-picture. Left hemisphere see one part only".

etc.

Some example here , here, here , here, here, here et cetera.

Thus I developed a concept about behavior of 2 hemisphere.

Now While I was going through following research article (of 2000):

Cerebral specialization and interhemispheric communication by M. Gazzaniga (pdf) ,

I stuck on a diagram telling the exact opposite.

From research paper (URL: https://d1gqps90bl2jsp.cloudfront.net/content/brain/123/7/1293/F16.medium.gif)

(I've slightly edited the screenshot to enlarge the text and utilize the whitespace).

The only thing of the paper maches with popular view, is; the right hemisphere is taking important part in understanding pictures, geometric shapes, extrapolating to fill a gap in an image, etc.

But according to this diagram; actually Left hemisphere is site for viewing the 'big-picture' of a subject ('living things'), finding 'similarity' (sings, eats, has a etc). Also From personal experience, the way of thinking shown as relational-map at left hemisphere, is the cause of 'randomness' in me, so that I keep many books and files scattered while working; or was broken line (que) in school to collect a grass or stone. The thing shown at left side forces me to collect various objects and arrange them... not the rightward one. Also I zone-out too-much and day-dream because of the left-one... not the right-one.

In contrast, clearly the right-hemisphere in this diagram, is processing information in much rigid, linear or sequential, disciplined way; and looking a small-part... not the big-picture.

So, please could anyone explain me, why should I still have to consider left hemisphere as a rigid linear servant and right-hemisphere as rulebreaker daydreaming artist?

(P.S. most of these popular-series's tell that Right hemisphere is intuitive and Left hemisphere is logical. But I can't believe this because I can't separate logic and intuition. Logic is the bridge between intuition and reality.)

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  • $\begingroup$ My point is; the popular-information is not-only myth; perhaps it is opposite in gross view. $\endgroup$
    – user13859
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 13:26
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    $\begingroup$ The only difference that is associated with the two cerebral hemispheres is that the left, is more suited to process language and language tasks, and the right is suited for spatial and visual tasks – which is known as lateralisation. $\endgroup$
    – Ebbinghaus
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 14:32

1 Answer 1

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You shouldn't. It is one of those stubbornly persistent myths. It is almost entirely false. It is true that in some tasks one half of the brain is more prominent (although even in supposed classic cases like speech both halves are actually involved, just one half more than the other).

But the idea that one half of the brain is logical and the other intuitive or emotional is simply false. At most, one half the brain is slightly more prominent in processing some tasks that may be perceived by us as more logical or more intuitive, but that is really as far as it goes.

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  • $\begingroup$ "Intuitive vs logical" was just a comment that I wrote in post script. My question was about "Random Vs Disciplined". $\endgroup$
    – user13859
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 1:45
  • $\begingroup$ as above - its a case of the media and ill informed persons trying to simplify an incredibly complex topic down to a couple of taglines that anyone can understand. that kind of interpretation would only make sense if the two hemispheres didn't connect and exchange information continuously. $\endgroup$
    – Sebaileyus Hope
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 8:55
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    $\begingroup$ @AlwaysConfused: The answer is the same. $\endgroup$
    – TheBlackCat
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 12:13
  • $\begingroup$ @SebaileyusHope even if the 2 hemisphere don't connect; if even people would harshly simplify; according to that diagram; they should simplify it as the right hemisphere is not 'random', not 'big-picture thinker' but rather linear, sequential, and small picture... and should tell the left hemisphere is the major site for 'big-picture-thinker', 'lateral-thinker', 'similarity-finder' and 'more intuitive'. That I could conclude from the diagram. $\endgroup$
    – user13859
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 13:16
  • $\begingroup$ @TheBlackCat Its ok I've understood that, so I already accepted the answer. Since you wrote 'But the idea that one half of the brain is logical and the other intuitive or emotional is simply false' so I wrote that comment... however since that whole concept is false and mythical... whether you directly mention or not the target-behaviours... I could conclude that they too are false. So I accepted the answer. $\endgroup$
    – user13859
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 13:22

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