Our brains are far more complex than a left/right split | The Divided Brain
Aeon Video・10 minutes read
The brain's division into left and right hemispheres has been debunked, with both playing roles in reason and emotion, language, visual imagery, and attention. The brain's asymmetry and specialization of functions in each hemisphere enable unique capabilities such as inhibition, empathy, and processing of known versus evolving information.
Insights
- Both hemispheres of the brain are involved in reasoning and emotion, debunking the popular notion of their strict division in the 60s and 70s.
- The left hemisphere of the brain is associated with known, fixed, explicit concepts, while the right hemisphere focuses on evolving, interconnected, implicit entities, showcasing a distinct functional contrast between the two sides.
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Recent questions
Is the brain truly divided into separate hemispheres?
Yes
Where is language primarily located in the brain?
Both hemispheres
What is the main function of the corpus callosum?
Inhibit the other hemisphere
How do birds and animals utilize their brain hemispheres?
Left for focused attention, right for vigilance
What are the main differences between the left and right hemispheres?
Known, fixed, explicit vs evolving, interconnected, implicit
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Summary
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Brain Hemispheres: Myths and Realities
- The brain's division was popular in the 60s and 70s but has since been proven false, with both hemispheres involved in reason and emotion.
- Language is not solely in the left hemisphere; important aspects are also in the right.
- Visual imagery is not only in the right hemisphere; a significant amount is in the left.
- The corpus callosum's main function is to inhibit the other hemisphere, keeping things apart.
- The brain is asymmetric, broader at the back on the left and broader on the right at the front.
- Birds and animals use their left hemisphere for focused attention and the right for vigilance and making connections.
- Humans have frontal lobes to inhibit the rest of the brain, enabling Machiavellian behavior and empathy.
- The left hemisphere deals with known, fixed, explicit things, while the right hemisphere focuses on evolving, interconnected, implicit beings.
