Can you really be left-brained or right-brained?

There’s a strong chance you understand what it means to be left- or right-handed. But what about left- or right-brained? The terms refer to the idea that people have a dominant side of the brain, which in turn influences their personality. Those who are left-brained are said to be logical, precise thinkers, while those who are right-brained are said to be more creative and free-spirited. However, these personality characterizations are a myth. There’s no such thing as being left-brained or right-brained, and there is no evidence to suggest that one’s personality traits are caused by a dominant brain hemisphere. The myth is rooted in a bit of science, as the left and right sides of the brain do specialize in different tasks. Much of what we know about the division of activity between hemispheres comes from “split brain” patients: people whose brains have had their corpus callosum severed. Cutting the nerves connecting the hemispheres causes disruptions in perception and cognition that reveal some of the differences between the two sides of the brain. Certain cognitive functions, including language and problem-solving, are focused in the left brain hemisphere. By contrast, the right hemisphere is more responsible for visuospatial tasks, such as reading maps and mentally rotating objects. But evidence from brain imaging technology has shown that people don’t have a dominant side of their brain. Instead, people tend to use both hemispheres of their brain equally. So instead of being left-brained or right-brained, you could say the average person is “brain-ambidextrous” instead.