Left brain right brain

Left brain right brain

April 2016

Learn how to function more effectively, realise your hidden potentials and become balanced and complete, says Anil Bhatnagar

Two brains, one body

Nature gave the human being one brain and bisected it into halves that not only look different but have exclusive functions as well. The grayish left half is logical, analytical, verbal, lineal and sequential; the right white half is emotional, spatial, visual and holistic.

The hemispherical preference of our personalities—left or right-dominant—depends on our genes and psychological conditioning.

This preference has a direct bearing on our style of thinking, which in turn influences our skills, our inclinations and ability to gather particular kinds of knowledge. It also affects our attitude towards life, the quality of our performance, and our relationships with people, work, money, material possessions, and nature. One hemisphere grows in skill only at the cost of the other. The consequences are unnerving: impoverishment of the right brain could lead to denial of our intuitive faculty, the paranormal, ESP and other hidden powers of man. Impoverishment of the left brain can incapacitate our will and logical prowess.

The brain bridge

Left to themselves, the two halves are civilised neighbours, constantly gossiping across the fence. A poet first gets a bolt of inspiration from his right brain. Second, he organises these thoughts and puts them down on paper or hard disk by scooting to the left half. Third, to add finesse to the final product, back to the right half. Fourth, for badgering publishers, back to the left half. Fifth, to weep copiously at the unkindness of critics, back to the right half. Sixth, to plan and exact vengeance—the left half. And so on.

Develop your left Brain

Present yourself like a left person.

Pay attention to the way you dress. Make yourself more formal. In essence, fake it till you make it.

Fill in the details

It is natural for the right-dominant to start with a global view with glaring holes in it. Fill details into the picture, but methodically. Notice the details of the details. Jot down the whole rigmarole.

Measure the treasure

Keep records of everything — your belongings, car mileage, investments. Plan your day like clockwork. Develop awareness of time, space (in terms of height, area, volume), weight, money.

Work out at the mental gym

Try to go deeper into all that interests you. Draw up an impressive family tree. Gather more knowledge. Become systematic, scientific and organised. Try to learn something new every day. Don’t let things be taken for granted. … Give yourself puzzles and koans to solve.

Work like clockwork

Periodically dump, sell or donate all the junk you don’t use. Put every activity that you do on trial. Evaluate. Eliminate. Replace. Set goals—yearly, monthly, weekly, and start your day with a ‘to do’ list. Remember that a second gone is gone forever. Monitor your progress, regularly review your actions.

Learn to speak publicly

Beat stage fright by going onstage. Plan your speech meticulously, even your ad libbing. Making points elaborately upon each of them, forming effective sentence and summarising will exercise your left brain effectively. Melt the ice with internal and private conversations: practice in front of a mirror.

Know that bad is bad

Know that, like smoking, what is bad is bad—no matter where it’s done, or how or when or why. Also, things like morning dew and grass are always good to walk on. Know that ruts were designed to be got out of, not wallowed in. Set yourself daily challenges. Make rules only for yourself—give the rest of the world a break. Switch off your TV at a pre-appointed time every day for the rest of your life. Will power is left-brain territory.

Develop your right brain

Write with your other hand

I wrote my desires first with my right hand and then with the left, and found to my surprise that they were quite different. Many others have tried this. Now, it is your turn to find out your deep, hidden right-brain desires.

Associate freely with dreams

First thing every morning, record all that comes to your mind—preferably after recording the dream itself. This will give you some right-brain insight into your unconscious.

Fantasise about your future

Think about 20 years from now. Sometimes, this projection can hold up to light important clues about why and how to change your life this moment onwards.

Meditate

Meditation or anything that facilitates under- or over-stimulation of the left actually activates the right brain.

Try self-hypnosis

You can hypnotise yourself by rolling your eyes upwards till the whites show. Watch your breath deeply and slowly entering, filling your lungs and receding. Start examining your body toes upwards to the crown and then back to the toes again. Stop briefly at junctions such as ankles, calves, knees, thighs, etc., loosening knots of tension. Our right brain is at its best when our body is relaxed.

Mind your muscles

Long-distance runners and aerobics freaks often experience intuitive insights and emotional revelations, sometimes from the body’s release of feel-good endorphins. Extreme physical comfort and discomfort, long, boring lectures, sleep deprivation, hunger and passivity can stimulate your right brain.

Develop intuition

Flashes of intuitive insight can arrive unexpectedly while bathing, tying shoelaces, shaving, driving. Pay attention to them. Don’t hesitate to use them.

What Brain Type are you?

If you are more left, you…

• Analyse everything, love the structure of
  research and need supporting evidence
  before accepting new ideas.
• Like stability and order.
• Are willing to adhere to rules and adapt to
  structures.
• Don’t feel easy with spontaneous decisions.
• Would like to plan your time.
• Dislike taking risks.
• If you do, you try to analyse the situation so
  much that it no longer necessitates a
  decision.
• Focus on words and not on the tone, or on
  gestures while receiving a verbal message.
• Keep your left thumb up while clasping your
  hands.
• You prefer algebra to geometry, are more
  likely to play with a sense of competition.
• Have definite goals to achieve.

 

If you are more right, you….

• Are imaginative.
• Go by hunches and gut feelings.
• May not need empirical evidence in order to
  accept new ideas.
• Love change and like anything that is
  unusual.
• Don’t like to plan and are impulsive.
• Often take decisions without thinking much,
  simply because you `feel like’ doing that.
• You enjoy taking risks.
• Focus on body language, emotional tone and
  other subtleties.
• Concentrate on the overall message.
• Keep your right thumb up while clasping
  your hands.
• Prefer geometry to algebra.
• Dread competition.
• Thrive on freedom

Check your orientation

Keep your finger a foot away from your eyes and align it with the distant vertical edge of a door, window or almirah. Now close your left eye. Does the finger seem to move away from the edge? Try with the other eye. The eye that is predominant will make a difference when closed and make the finger appear to move away from the vertical edge—right one in the case of left-brained people, and vice-versa.

 

To know more read : Whole Brain Thinking by Jaquelyn Wonder and Priscilla Donovan, The Right Brain Experience by Marilee Zdenek.