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The myth of the left and right hemispheres
The myth of the left and right hemispheres

Video: The myth of the left and right hemispheres

Video: The myth of the left and right hemispheres
Video: Continuity Class 12 | Chapter 5 | NCERT Maths | Ex - 5.1 | Introduction of Continuity | 2024, March
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"The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for logical thinking, and the right hemisphere is responsible for creative thinking" - this "saying", like many others like it, is very common not only among ordinary people, but also among specialists - even in books devoted to correct thinking, self-development and some other similar topics, you can find a lot of them.

But most of all it is interesting, surprising and strange that the true state of affairs, these, it can be said bluntly, myths are very, very weak.

The myth that the cerebral hemispheres are functionally asymmetric is one of the most popular brain myths that can be found today. Along with the myth that a person uses his brain only 10%, he is, perhaps, a leader.

Despite this, even seemingly professional specialists with serious scientific knowledge and all kinds of degrees and titles often argue that this myth is the purest truth, and "stuff" the minds of ignorant people with it. The good news is that the myth of functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres has been dispelled for quite some time. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The basis for the myth of the functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres

The myth of the functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres appeared for a reason. By and large, the reason for its occurrence was the results of studies conducted with people with a "split brain", which were organized by the American neuropsychologist and professor of psychobiology Roger Sperry and a team of his colleagues.

In the process of research, scientists performed surgical operations on people with “split brains”, during which they cut the corpus callosum, which connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain to each other. Through such an operation, which, by the way, was the most extreme option for help, it was possible to save patients with a severe form of epilepsy from severe epileptic seizures.

Thanks to laboratory studies of patients with the above-named disease, it was possible to identify their behavioral changes, which indicated that the cerebral hemispheres worked independently of each other. For example, patients, when they felt an object with their right hand, could recognize it and point to its image, but were not able to pronounce the name of this object. And if you install a partition between the eyes of a person with a “split brain”, and then show the left eye (right hemisphere) a photograph of a naked person, he will immediately begin to laugh. If you ask him what caused his fun, he will answer something like "in the photo I saw my cousin, who always jokes superbly." The left hemisphere of the brain does not recognize a photo, but given the fact that it is mostly responsible for processing verbal data, it will independently form some plausible explanation.

So, presenting different stimuli to different hemispheres, separately from each other, scientists were able to find out that they are capable of performing various mental actions with relative success. For example, in a larger number of people, those areas that are responsible for the primary processing of speech data (word formation, grammar, etc.) are located in the left hemisphere, and the right hemisphere takes part mainly in the processes of emotional evaluation of phenomena, events and objects. …

In addition, the right hemisphere of the brain was very active when the task given to a person was solved by him with the help of insight, where the awareness of the problem and the search for a solution is carried out spontaneously, one might say, at the level of intuition, which is similar to creative thinking.

But, despite this, the differences between the left and right hemispheres cannot be considered clear and clear enough to draw any specific conclusions. And in most cases, the conversation is not about the fact that some hemisphere is not capable of performing some function, but about the fact that some one hemisphere can perform this function more efficiently and faster. For example, despite the fact that the main role in speech processing belongs to the left hemisphere, the right hemisphere also takes part in this process, dealing with intonation processing, etc.

Moreover, there are cases when the brain was either globally damaged, or as such was absent altogether, but this did not affect cognitive abilities.

The real state of affairs

Everyone should understand that in a healthy person, the right and left hemispheres are interconnected, and information is constantly exchanged between them, which means that what is available to one hemisphere is also available to the other. In addition, the analysis of the data presented by functional MRI showed that both hemispheres in the process of solving most of the tasks "communicate" with each other.

Based on all this, the nuances that indicate the difference between the two hemispheres of the brain are incomparably less than those who hold the opinion about the functional asymmetry of the hemispheres say. The functions performed by both hemispheres are more similar to each other than different.

Neuroscientists of the new generation express their disagreement with representatives of their science, who hold the opinion about the "dissimilarity" of the two hemispheres and argue that they see the surrounding reality in different ways - that the left hemisphere is responsible for logical thinking, and the right hemisphere is responsible for everything related to creativity …

Among other things, complex forms of activity (creativity, etc.) can include not only creative tasks, but also quite ordinary and routine ones, so even if you look at the issue of the difference between the hemispheres from the perspective of people who separate the functions of the right and left hemispheres, success in the same creativity, of course, is due to the successful functioning of both hemispheres.

Reasons for the popularity of the myth of the left and right hemispheres of the brain

So what is the reason for the myth of the functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres so firmly ingrained in the minds of people and received enormous distribution?

One of the reasons is the very simplicity of the interpretation of the work of the brain, which, among other things, quite easily fits into the framework of common sense. On the one hand, a person has to perform various types of activities that are fundamentally different from each other, but on the other hand, the brain has two similar halves. But why are they to the brain? Most likely, precisely so that they perform various tasks.

Another reason is that the myth we are considering is actively cultivated by popular scientists who are trying to make money on it. Pointing to the fact that modern society is not able to fully appreciate the emotional perception of reality, which is a property of the right hemisphere, adherents of the difference in hemispheres began to advertise intricate schemes for increasing the activity of the hemisphere, as it were, responsible for creativity. Numerous seminars, trainings, publications and books of these people promise those wishing to develop to remove from their path of personal development any barriers that are imposed on a person by the ossified system of basic education, which specifically approves of "left-sided" thinking.

Those who strive to develop the right hemisphere have at their disposal a huge number of exercises, which in themselves are completely harmless and even extremely positive, however, they have nothing to do with this "development" of the right hemisphere. But the situation is aggravated by the fact that many "specialists" often suggest that people start using some kind of special devices that harmonize and synchronize the work of both hemispheres.

Of course, there is no evidence that a person is able to learn to use a particular hemisphere of the brain separately from the second, or, conversely, learn to use them harmoniously, does not exist. In fact, if the human psyche is working normally, then this work requires the activation of various parts of the hemispheres, and not their synchronization at the first request of the "owner".

So, remember that during the work of the brain of a healthy person, his hemispheres are in the process of interacting with each other, and the work of these hemispheres itself is harmonized exactly as needed. So you shouldn't be doing "it is not clear what" - it is better to get rid of the idea that the cerebral hemispheres are responsible for different functions, and just start developing your thinking, no matter what kind of activity you are doing - logical or creative.

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