The universe between our ears
Think of your brain as a universe that weighs 1.4 kilograms - divided into two parts - right and left. They share subtle differences, just like fraternal twins.
‘Right-brained’ people are visual feelers with a lot of imagination, and what some may consider to be ‘airy fairy’. The ‘left-brained’ people on the other hand are practical, logical and down to earth thinkers. They generally have a mastery of language. That said, this is not strictly how things work. Language and imagery flow throughout both parts of this universe. Both the left and right can process anything that they pay attention to.
The right brain, although less adept in language, is more powerful than its twin. The right sees the big picture and sets the vision while the left brain gets down to developing the process, looking into all the nitty gritty details. The left is bright and efficient so naturally, it tends to think that it knows everything.
Information picked up by the brain is processed between the left and right. The right grounds our experience and the left processes the information, getting familiar with the content and categorizing it. Left then returns the organised information into a larger context and applies it, in some cases, to a global context. Should there be a breakdown in that process, like the left being in a bad mood, then problems can arise. These would present as a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
The right and left have different takes on the world - they prioritize differently, have different values and by themselves, can construct a different version of events.
Within this universe, there are significant parts that explain how our behaviour could be somewhat erratic. Taking the lead at the front of this universe is the pre-frontal cortex. Very much like a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the prefrontal cortex is in charge of several executive functions in the brain, let’s call them the C suite. These C suite jobs include complex processes like reasoning, problem solving, planning, and memory. The prefrontal cortex also decides where attention is directed to, develops and pursues goals, and inhibits impulses such as anger, aggression and binge drinking, ensuring that we exhibit proper social behaviour. The pre-frontal cortex is the last part of the brain to fully develop - which helps to explain our teenagers behaviour.
Fear overrides the capabilities of the pre-frontal cortex, paralyzing our ability to make decisions. Deep within our brain are two almond shaped features called the amygdalae, one in the left and another in the right. The amygdala is the most primitive part of the brain. It is tucked inside its center and amplifies our emotions. When we are operating from the amygdala, we react instead of respond. We fight, flight, or freeze. The amygdala also forms memories associated with fearful, or strongly emotional, experiences. It is not surprising, given its role in fear processing, that the amygdala is also thought to play a role in anxiety. While fear is a response to an existing threat, anxiety is the dread that accompanies thinking about a potential threat - one that may or may not ever materialize. When the amygdala is triggered it overrides any action that the pre-frontal cortex may desire to activate. Although the amygdala is well-known for its role in fear responses, more recent research has found that it is active not only when one is experiencing something aversive, but also during positive experiences.
For a long time, society has considered the products of the left hemisphere superior, marginalizing, undercutting and pretending that the products of the right are insignificant. Education today misunderstands the nature of our embodied existence, forcing things into either black or white. Education ignores everything that is implied and intuitive, yet these often are the most valuable qualities in society today. To give an example, when we communicate the meaning of a message, the words are just as important as the tone of voice, the humour, irony, metaphors and imagination. Understanding all of that needs a contribution from the right. The left makes things literal and explicit, reducing our ability to see things in a skilled and nuanced way. The left is great at manipulation but lacks context. It is the right that sees the whole picture. If we get too focused on the minute world then what we construct seems rather mechanical - we start to see people like machines, and this can create fear, among other negative outcomes.
Uniting the right and left sides of our brain allows us to maximise our potential by thinking of big innovative ideas and then being able to make them a reality. People who are predominantly left-brained can bring creativity to their already astute capacity to problem solve, market products and manage teams. Those who lie more on the right side can feel more confident in their ability to negotiate in the business world, working with numbers, logic and details (Adeigbo 2017).
So I encourage you to reflect: What does your inner universe look like?
References
Adeigbo, A. (2017, April 16). Reconcile Your Right And Left Brain To Become A Better Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/autumnadeigbo/2017/03/04/reconcile-your-right-and-left-brain-to-become-a-better-entrepreneur/#314d89667df7
Doidge, N. (2016). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. Vision Australia Information Library Service.
Jarrett, C. (2015). Great myths of the brain. Wiley Blackwell.