It is very likely that in someone’s lifetime they will be posed with the question, “So, do you think you are left-brain or right-brain dominant?” I certainly have, and on multiple occasions. However, I had no idea how to answer the question. The brain is composed of a left hemisphere and a right hemisphere, which are connected by and interact through the corpus callosum. The left hemisphere is said to control mathematical calculations, language, and logical thought whereas the right hemisphere is said to control visual perception, emotional thought, and pattern and facial recognition. A lot of people simply rely on handedness to confirm left- vs. right-brain dominance, such as if you are right handed then you are left-brain dominant.
Although this is an on-going question, I tend to agree with the opinion that it is not as simple as left vs. right. When I study the list of specializations between left and right hemispheres, I associate with many points from both sides. First, I am right handed, which from the handedness perspective would say I am left-brain dominant. The fact that I am good with calculations and logic agrees with this conclusion. However, I also am very strong with pattern and facial recognition (right-brain dominance). If I saw someone from my freshman seminar ten years later, I can almost guarantee that after some thought I could come up with how and why I recognize them.
To add to this complicated question, last semester, I was presented with the dancing ballerina (link at bottom). The direction in which you see the ballerina dancing is supposed to determine your hemisphere dominance. If she is dancing clockwise you are right side dominance, counterclockwise is left side, and if you see her going both ways the sides are equally dominant. I thought, “Ah ha. This will prove that I must be equally dominant.” Not exactly. I would see 5 clockwise, then 15 counterclockwise and so on with no sense of a logical pattern.
So even though this fun and interesting question will still continue to be posed by your peers, I am in agreement with Michael Gazzaniga from the textbook who stated, “People are not really left- or right-brained, they are whole-brained.”1 For me, there is no physical or personal proof that these simplistic characterizations can distinguish left- vs. right-brain dominance.
Ballerina link: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/right-brain-v-left-brain/story-e6frf7jo-1111114603615)2
1 Ciccarelli, Saundra K., and J. Noland White. Psychology. 3rd. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2012. 78-79. Print.
2 “Right Brain v Left Brain.” Herald Sun News. News Ltd, 9 Oct. 2007. Web. 1 Feb 2014. <http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/right-brain-v-left-brain/story-e6frf7jo-1111114603615>.