Growing up I was always told that if your brain orientation is left-brained that you are book smart and if you were right-brained that you were smart with common sense. According to the Psychology textbook, the myth is that left-brained people are scholarly, logical and analytical, while right-brained people are artistic, creative, and emotional. Although my thoughts of left vs. right brained people and the myth are closely related I see more flaws with the myth than with my thoughts.
Growing up and all through high school I was always the book smart, good grades student but I lacked street smarts and common sense. Therefore according to my observations I always figured my theory of the right vs. left side of the brain was accurate and thought my brain orientation was left-brained. Although once I read the myth in the textbook it made more sense to me why both theories were false. I am both scholarly and artistic. I need improvements on my analytical skills and I am less emotional than most. I observed that I had qualities from both the mythological left-brained and right-brained orientations.
The reading in the textbook, did help me realize that people are not left or right brained because the brain works together in many ways to complete different tasks; although I still do not understand how the brain works to create people that may be book smart but have no common sense, or have little book smarts but have a wealth of common sense. Is it possibly how people are raised in their surroundings and environment or is it something in the brain?
Source: Lilienfeld, Scott O. "Emotions and Motivation." Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding. Boston: Pearson/Allyn Bacon, 2009. 436-37. Print.
I found your blog very interesting. I was also told the same thing growing up and assumed that because I was analytical that I must be strong in my left-brain and weak in my right-brain. I liked getting to hear how both parts of the brain are needed. This makes sense to me from a personal perspective, because I may be analytical, but that does not mean that creativity is not present in my thought process.
I likewise found your blog very interesting. Growing up I help a strong passion for academics, sports, and the arts. However what I had been taught in school was similar to the myth that you described. I always thought of myself as strange for utilizing both sides of my brain in my everyday life.I am glad to finally know that I was not as strange as I perceived myself as given the myth. I truly believe whether it is a conscious or unconscious trait or thought each individual does use the left and right sides of their brain to enhance their lives.
I was told the same thing you were when I was growing up, and I always assumed my teachers and peers were correct when they talked about being right or left brained. Like you, I began to become skeptical of this idea when I noticed my logical and analytical skills as well as being really creative as a young kid. Once I got to high school and took Psychology, I made sure to ask my teacher right away about this myth and she dispelled it quickly. I'm glad you discussed this topic because its very interesting, and I also like the question you left at the end to ponder! Great post.