Talent is Correlated with Brain Dominance: A Widespread Myth

“You’re a creative person, you must have been right-brained!” “You approach things analytically, you are a left-brained thinker!”

What if I tell you that those statements are myths? Well, the difference in our personalities and talents is not a result of the dominance of one half of the brain over the other half. It has also been proven by research using brain imaging technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that there is no such thing as right and left brain dominance (Nielsen et al., 2013). Then, how does this myth even arise in the first place?

Part of this myth is actually based on scientific proof, called brain asymmetry. This means that the different halves of the brain actually have different functions: the left hemisphere specializes in language and logic, while the right hemisphere specializes in creativity and intuition. Despite having different functions, the two hemispheres of the brain work together most of the time. For example, when you are creating a painting, it’s not only your right brain producing emotion and creativity over your work but also your left brain performing rigorous and precise thought processes. Similarly, when you are solving a math problem, your right left brain works hard to perform these analytical thinking processes, but your right brain also works to provide a creative solution to the problem (Corballis, 2014; Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.).

Figure 1. Brain Lateralization (BioNinja, n.d.)

The communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain is mediated by the corpus callosum, the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres). In the 1940s, this bundle of nerves was commonly surgically removed to reduce seizures in epileptic patients, which is then commonly referred to as split-brain patients. While the patients would still have normal intellectual and emotional functioning after the surgery, they showed specific perceptive and cognitive disruptions after a thorough examination. This illuminates the fact that the two brain hemispheres cooperate with each other in performing activities (Corballis, 2014; Gazzaniga, Bogen, & Sperry, 1965).

Interestingly, research has suggested that brain dominance is correlated with handedness, which is the dominant use of one hand compared to the other. This is based on the fact that each hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite side of the body, so your right brain controls the left side of your body, and your left brain controls the right side of your body. An experiment done by Knecht et al. (2000) showed that there is a linear relationship between the degree of handedness and the direction of language dominance.

Figure 2. Handedness and language dominance (Knecht et al., 2000)

Surprisingly, this brain asymmetry and handedness are also observed in inborn! Ultrasound recording showed that during the tenth week of gestation, most of the fetuses move their right arm compared to the left; and from the 15th week forward, most suck the right thumb rather than the left. This preference can actually be used to predict postnatal handedness (Hepper et al., 2005).

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The correlation between brain dominance and talent has been a widespread myth. Now you know the science behind it, don’t let it direct what you should and shouldn’t do. And even better, you can also help to bust this myth by sharing your knowledge!

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References

• BioNinja. (n.d.). Cerebral Hemispheres. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://ib.bioninja.com.au/options/option-a-neurobiology-and/a2-the-human-brain/cerebral-hemispheres.html

• Corballis, M. C. (2014). Left Brain, Right Brain: Facts and Fantasies. PLoS Biology, 12(1), e1001767. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001767

• Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Are There Really Right-Brained and Left-Brained People? Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/story/are-there-really-right-brained-and-left-brained-people

• Gazzaniga, M. S., Bogen, J. E., & Sperry, R. W. (1965). Observations on visual perception after disconnection of the cerebral hemispheres in man. Brain, 88(2), 221–236. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/88.2.221

• Hepper, P. G., Wells, D. L., & Lynch, C. (2005). Prenatal thumb sucking is related to postnatal handedness. Neuropsychologia, 43(3), 313–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.08.009

• Knecht, S., Dräger, B., Deppe, M., Bobe, L., Lohmann, H., Flöel, A., . . . Henningsen, H. (2000). Handedness and hemispheric language dominance in healthy humans. Brain, 123(12), 2512–2518. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/123.12.2512

• Nielsen, J. A., Zielinski, B. A., Ferguson, M. A., Lainhart, J. E., & Anderson, J. S. (2013). An Evaluation of the Left-Brain vs. Right-Brain Hypothesis with Resting State Functional Connectivity Magnetic Resonance Imaging. PLoS ONE, 8(8), e71275. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071275