In pop culture and social media, we often see a lot about left brain versus right brain, and people have the idea that it’s a set of strengths and weaknesses that dictates who we are as a person, says Tworek.
“That’s actually not as accurate as many people have been led to believe,” she says.
The Myth of ‘Creative Right Brain’ vs. ‘Logical Left Brain’
The concept that most people fit neatly into left-brain or right-brain categories isn’t really backed up by evidence, says Tworek.
“There’s this idea that left-brain thinkers are more logical and rigid, and right-brain thinkers are more artistic or free-spirited. While it’s true that different parts of the brain are responsible for different things, that doesn’t mean that one side is significantly stronger or plays an outsize role in your personality,” says Tworek.
Early studies of how the brain worked may have contributed to this misperception that has since been proved inaccurate.
Individual Differences and Brain Functionality
“In terms of cognitive functioning, there’s a lot of variability from person to person in terms of what their relative strengths might be,” says Tworek.
Some of that we may be born with, as is the case when very young children have a specific preference for one hand over the other, usually their right hand, she says.
“But our brains are also programmed to change and grow in response to our environment and learning because of something called neuroplasticity. Oftentimes I say the more we’re out there living life and being challenged with new experiences, the more our brain is fine-tuning, responding, and flexing itself because of neuroplasticity,” says Tworek.
This concept is really important in people who have damage, such as a head trauma or a stroke, she says.
Because of neuroplasticity, our brains have the ability to adapt and form new neural connections to work around an injury.
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