The first brain cell of the body, a neuron, begins in the womb. On the forty-second day of life, the neuron begins to develop. During the next one hundred twenty days, the brain will develop approximately 100 billion neurons at a rate of 9,500 neurons per second. Additionally, about 60 days before birth, each neuron begins to establish connections with other cells. 

Unlike any other organ in our body, the brain actually starts to get smaller around the age of three. During one’s toddler years, the neuronal connections, also known as synapses, used on a regular basis become stronger. However, those that are not used regularly, become weaker and may even disappear. 

By the age of sixteen, an individual will have lost around half of their synaptic connections. Their character and values will have been established, and for the most part, they have become who they are as a person. Although the overall number of synaptic connections tends to decline over the course of our lives, the nature of the connections within our brain is constantly changing. 

One major concept that we need to cover today is the idea of “Brain Dominance”. Brain dominance is a theory founded early in the psychology field that strove to figure out why one’s brain works the way that it works. 

The initial theory was that brain dominance is the reason why:

• You act as you do
• You react the way you do
• You learn the way you do
• You feel the way you feel

Every cell in the human body is thought to be ruled by the brain. Therefore, the brain controls how we think, understand, see, hear, and learn. 

In 1996, a study showed that learning styles are alike on all continents, with the proportions of left to right brain learners being relatively similar. During this time, brain dominance was newly defined as the preference to use one hemisphere(side) of the brain, either the right or the left, over the other. When looking at the application of the two cerebral hemispheres in today’s world, a great example is seen in education. Our education system seems to favor a left-brain education style, which focuses more on reality, analytical skills, logic, and linear thinking, instead of a right-brain education style which is based on creativity and a discovery-based learning environment. Each hemisphere of the brain has its own separate and private sensations, its own perceptions, and its own impulses to act. 

Even though most people have a dominant side of their brain, both sides of the brain are involved in nearly all human activity. A key idea to remember when it comes to brain dominance is that our dominance is a preference, and is NOT absolute. When learning is difficult, new, or stressful, we as people PREFER to learn in a certain way, and during these types of situations, it seems that our brain goes on autopilot and automatically gives the controls to the preferred side of the brain.

So, how does brain dominance affect the size of the hemispheres? Most people do use one side of the brain more than the other, and that preferred side grows to be much larger than the less preferred side. In about 90% of the population, it is the left side of the brain that is more dominant and larger in size. Some people grow to have mixed dominance, where they don’t have a preferred side of the brain. For people with mixed dominance, their brain grows and becomes larger on both sides because of how frequently both sides are being used in the same capacity.

No one is totally left-brained or totally right-brained. Just as you have a dominant hand or dominant foot, you also have a dominant side of the brain, but the sides of the brain must be developed equally for you to perform your everyday tasks. The left and right brains process information very differently, so it’s natural that we prefer to process information with our dominant and most comfortable side. An important idea to remember is that our right and left hemispheres control “opposite sides” of our body. This means that the left hemisphere controls the right side of our body, and the right hemisphere controls the left side of our body. 

This brings up the query – what’s the difference between the left and right brain? Well, the left brain is characterized by being more sequential and organized. Left-brain thinkers follow directions, perform well on tests, are able to sit still and focus in school, be organized, tend to be good business people, and are generally serious. Due to these formal and studious characteristics, Western society tends to honor left-brain thinkers. In contrast, the right brain is known for being more creative and emotional. Right-brain thinkers are very creative, empathetic, and spiritual. Eastern society especially values right-brain thinkers because their ideas don’t tend to focus on individuals; instead, their ideas are more worldly and are focused on improving various aspects of our world. 

When understanding brain dominance, it is important to understand how it is formed. Researchers have tried to figure out the complexities involved in the formation of brain dominance, and they have narrowed it down to three potential sources – inheritance through genetics, environmental-early exposure, or choices made based on importance. These all lead to the formation of connections in the brain, thereby developing preferred dominance. 

Let’s talk about how we can use dominance to our advantage in our everyday lives. In terms of posture, when you control your body to sit up straight, you engage the left side of your brain. In order to learn, you can not be too comfortable. It is necessary to experience a little discomfort to remain focused and alert for extended periods of time. When lying down in bed, for instance, you experience a great deal of comfort, which leads to you wanting to lie down and not engage in any activity other than rest or sleep. School chairs, as opposed to a bed or couch, are specifically designed to be slightly uncomfortable to promote attentiveness and focus in a student, thereby creating a better learning environment. Comfort activates the right side of the brain, which is what controls feelings of relaxation. When leaning back and lying down, you are also activating the right side of your brain. 

When it comes to strict school work, such as studying for a test, sitting up straight using a chair similar to a dining room chair is the best option to ensure that you are focused and actively learning. However, if you need to do something more creative, such as writing an essay, making yourself comfortable is the best option. Comfort activates the right side of the brain, the same side that controls creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and spirituality. So, sitting in a beanbag or a recliner is a great option when writing an essay, as long as you don’t fall asleep. 

Knowing what kinds of activities belong to the left or right side of the brain can help you switch back and forth for optimum performance. When you buy a tool, you also receive instructions on how to use it correctly. Therefore, knowing the intricacies of how to use your brain makes sense. 

The hemispheres do complement each other. A brain can be half left, half right, predominantly left, or predominantly right. The left-brain dominant individuals learn the best by listening. For example, listening to a professor’s lecture. Right-brain individuals learn by doing, which means that they need to experience a concept in order to understand it. Once they have that experience, they will remember it. 

Furthermore, when working on a project, left brains arrange the steps in order and begin with the first one on the list. Right brains, on the other hand, use the ricochet method. This means that there is no obvious order needed and that they do the step that comes to mind first. Both methods of working on the project get the job done. Choosing the best method is just a matter of personal preference and how your brain functions.

In testing situations, left-brains are able to memorize facts and information very well. In contrast, right brains can remember images and patterns, such as the design on an American Revolution Soldier’s jacket, but struggle to memorize factual information. With impulse control, left brains are able to more easily control behavior, and they possess the innate ability to weigh out the consequences of their actions. Right brains, however, struggle to control their actions. They are more impulsive and are not always cognizant of the possible consequences of their actions. When looking at gestures, left brains are not very animated while right brains utilize a lot of hand movements in addition to animated facial expressions and voices. The ability to recollect also depends on the left and right brain. Left brains will meet 12 people one day and then remember aloof their names the next day. Right brain dominant people in the same situation as the left brains will not remember the names of the people they met. Instead, they will remember the clothes, behavior, and hairstyle of the people that they met. 

The concept of brain dominance plays a significant role in the development of our everyday lives, and without this idea of a preferred way of learning, our abilities as human beings would be very elementary. Though scientists already possess so much knowledge regarding brain dominance, much more information about the intricacies involved with the formation and maintenance of brain dominance is to be discovered in the future. Our next Biopsychology blog will cover brain structure and function! 

Fun Fact: Some of the most famous thinkers, such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo DaVinci, and Jonas Salk, are all right-brain dominant individuals.