The function of the right brain and left brain, what is the difference?

You may have heard or read about the right or left brain. In a concept popular in society, people who are right-brain dominant tend to be more creative, while those who are left-brain dominant tend to be more analytical and think logically. Is that right? Then, what is the function and difference between the right and left brain? Here's the explanation.

Recognizing the difference in the function of the right brain and left brain

The brain is a vital and complex organ that controls all systems of the human body, from thoughts, memories, speech, feelings, sight, hearing, movements of the arms and legs, to the functions of other organs in the body. This part of the nervous system consists of 100 billion neurons or brain cells weighing up to 3 pounds or the equivalent of 1.3 kg in an adult.

If you look further into the anatomy of the brain, this organ is divided into two parts, or what is known as the hemisphere of the brain. In general, the right side brain or right hemisphere controls the left side of your body and the left side brain or left hemisphere controls the right side of your body.

Although the two parts of the human brain appear similar, they function differently. The difference in the function of the right brain and left brain was first revealed by the Nobel Prize winner, Roger W. Sperry, through his research in the 1960s. Furthermore, here are the differences in the functions of the two parts of the brain:

Left brain

In most people, the left hemisphere is responsible for regulating language, reasoning, and speech. This part of the brain is often connected with logical things, facts, numbers (mathematics), to analysis.

Therefore, people who are left brained tend to be more quantitative and analytical. This group of people is believed to pay more attention to details and think using logic.

If your left brain is injured, speech and movement on the right side of your body will generally be affected. This can be observed in someone who has left hemisphere damage, such as a stroke, which often causes difficulty in language production or is called aphasia. Similar damage to the back of the right brain is much less likely to cause aphasia.

Right brain

Meanwhile, the right-sided brain plays a large role in interpreting visual and spatial information. For example, your right side of the brain is involved when you are making a map or giving directions to the nearest bus station.

This part of the right brain is generally associated with imagination, art, creativity, expressing emotions, facial recognition, and music. Therefore, someone who dominantly uses the right brain tends to be a free and creative thinker.

However, reported by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, in about a third of people who are left-handed, speech function may be located on the right side of the brain. If the brain injury occurs on the right side of the brain, movement of the left arm and leg, vision on the left, and / or hearing in the left ear may be affected.

The importance of the brain falls into two parts

Research published in the journal Neuron in 2017 states that the brain will be easier and more efficient if each part is devoted to performing a specific task.

It also makes it easier for the brain to perform several tasks simultaneously (multitasking). For example, one part of the brain plays a role in speaking, then another part plays a role in recognizing faces, places, objects, and maintaining your balance.

Apart from that, there are also other advantages to the two-sided division of the brain. For example, human studies have also suggested that these divisions of the brain benefit cognitive skill development, including affecting IQ, speaking fluency, and reading ability.

Are the functions of the right brain and left brain connected to each other?

It is important to know that even though the brain is divided into several parts, there is always constant communication between all parts of the brain. All the parts of the brain that work in harmony with one another are what allow you to experience life as it is, that is, to perform all functions simultaneously.

The two sides of the brain are connected by a group of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum, which allow you to efficiently process and share data between different parts of the brain. If the two sides of the brain are not connected to each other, there will be a disturbance in the process of transferring information in the brain which will have an impact on the disruption of daily life.

For example, a person will not be able to name an object in his hand even though he can recognize the object. This is because the object recognition information that comes from the right side of the brain cannot move to the left side of the brain which plays a role in language functions. Thus, he will only be able to recognize the object, but not the name of the object.

Therefore, it is less accurate to say that the right and left brain functions of humans are separate. Even though they both have their respective focuses, the two parts of the brain must work together with each other so that you have a normal brain workings.

Is it true that the theory about the dominance of the right brain and left brain?

The right and left brains of humans do have different functions. However, as explained earlier, the functions of these two parts of the brain are still connected. So, basically, both sides of your brain are used equally, neither side is more dominant than the other.

In addition, based on various studies after Sperry, the theory about the dominance of one side of the brain cannot be proven. However, the fact to the contrary is still lacking in proof. Based on a 2013 study, MRI imaging tests performed on the human brain showed that brain activity on both sides was not related to a person's personality.

The researchers concluded this after conducting a study of 1,000 young people between the ages of 7 and 29 years. In that study, there was no evidence of predisposition, partiality, or dominance on one particular side of the brain.