One of the earliest discoveries of the Left-brain/Right-brain phenomenon was made by a French doctor way back in 1860. He had a patient with a diseased left brain. The man could speak only a few words, one of them was "Tan" (believed to be the first few letters in his actual name). Some of the doctor's original notes shed some light on how this man was able to function as a result of his left brain condition.
Before I go any further, I need to say that there's a lot of controversy over how compartmentalized the behaviors discussed here are. Some say the phenomenon and the resulting characteristics are not exclusively found in just one side of the brain or the other. What may be happening is one side is dominant while the other side plays a supporting roll, depending on the situation at the time. Others characterize the phenomenon as a metaphor used in an attempt to simplify the understanding of the results.
So now let's get down to basics. The left brain is said to be the logical brain, dealing in reality and details. The right brain is the artistic brain, the brain half where imagination rules and views the over all big picture. Here's a metaphor that tries to show the differences between the two brain halves: The left brain is like someone standing in the middle of a forest clearing where all the individual trees can be seen in detail. But that half of the brain can't see the overall forest canopy. The right brain is like someone stand on a hill overlooking the forest. Here it can see the canopy, but not the individual trees.
Next blog I'll cover a list of the different characteristics of the Left-brain versus the Right-brain. PS; it helps to scroll down to see my overall statement at the top.
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