Left & Right Brain

SPLIT PERSONALITIES

We are cross-wired. That means, our right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain and vica-versa.

The left brain is widely associated with being the verbal, sorting and details orientated side - and in a high percentage of cases, mostly utilised by females the majority of the time. Whereas, the spatial & physical intuitive side - the preferred side for the male. It's often stated that men and women are wired differently - and looking at the properties that the two sides specialise in, we can see where in many instances, there are truths in how men/women think. But everybody is different and we all have preferences learned or habits formed that only fully utilise some parts of the brain and less so of other parts. This horizon BBC documentary challenges all the stereotypes and signifies that these preferences and habits can be changed.

The two sides of the brain were first identified by neurobiologist Roger Wolcott Sperry, to operate independently for utilising opposite sides of the body by experiments carried out on cats and patients in the 60/70's of which he was to win the Nobel Prize. In his words:

Each hemisphere is indeed a conscious system in its own right, perceiving, thinking, remembering, reasoning, willing, and emoting, all at a characteristically human level, and . . . both the left and the right hemisphere may be conscious simultaneously in different, even in mutually conflicting, mental experiences that run along in parallel." —Roger Wolcott Sperry, 1974

This tells us that not only can both sides of the brain work independently, but they can also deceive each other as well. Our right brain, for example, when taking something in the left hand, can fool the left brain. It is believed that the left brain is our more 'conscious' side. This could be really interesting for those using a fork to eat in the left hand as opposed to the right. In situations where tiredness, intoxication or distraction (talking while eating late at a dinner party) could slow down the left (linguistic and more conscious) brain and therefore result in overindulgence.

To learn a bit more about which side of our brains we draw on the most - take the test here.

Technology

ALL IN THE PALM OF OUR HANDS

In this modern day - we're all becoming ever more reliant on technology - especially the kit in our pockets. There seems to be an app for everything these days. How did we get things done before computers? As it turns out, we got things done just as well thank you very much. This is my new thinking. Tech is great, but we already have a decent device built in - our brains - and I'm going to start using mine more.

The age of imagination

I'm in the age group that grew up BC (before computers) where we used our brains to make the best of our environments. Fun was improvised from combining imagination with a stick, a cardboard box & role play - not an iPad. We were fortunate to live in an era when kids went out to play all day long, doing things like building ramps for our bikes or making tree houses. At 13, I also had a computer for Christmas and I enjoyed playing games on it for limited periods of the day - because I enjoyed hanging out with my friends going for adventures on my BMX more. Whenever I wanted to meet with friends, we'd call, arrange a time and stick to a specific meeting place - and there'd be only really good excuses for a no-show and we'd be rarely more than just a few minutes late. TV would be allowed, but there were only a few channels and films would mean a special trip to the cinema. So Lego and Mechano were good alternatives for creating some fun - a book or drawing were also options readily available on-hand too. 

Memory Man

It seems we've lost the ability to retain info as our smart phones replace our brains. I'd become so reliant on my iPhone lately that I'd struggle to remember the events from the day until I checked my notes. I am in danger of becoming like the character from the film Momento - taking pictures just to remember what I'd been doing on a daily basis. 

Power of the pen

I used to carry a small notebook and pen around with me and jot down everything that I needed to remember. The process of writing - the physical actions of scribing and underlining, used to help cement the thoughts in my mind. With the advent of smart phones and the many reminder-note apps available, the process of making todo lists has become so easy that my phone has loads of them. They remain there still unchecked, likely because there are so many and the value of them has diminished. This is likely in part, because they have become so easy to make that they immediately get taken over by the next reminder. I have to jot down things before sleeping just to remember them in the morning or else they'd be gone from memory and this never used to be the case. 

Time wasting

So I need my phone to write my blog. I've ditched my computer for a few days and only checking emails intermittently and yet I spent ages farting around with my phone yesterday. No signal, wifi not connecting, blog not updating (losing recent changes), low battery, plug socket dodgy so not charging...sound familiar? This consumed valuable minutes yesterday as I tried to do some some tasks that took away from being in the present moment - and wasting time that I could have been enjoying. 

Time and a place

My time is going to be managed much better from now on to restrict using the computer or any smart tech unless it's really needed. I'll use memory visualisation and association techniques where possible or carry a pen and paper so not reliant on battery life. Phones will not be used when I'm in company unless it's a benefit for all...