Left Brain Right Brain Test Explained for Dummies
It is a set of several traits- and feature-related questions that indicate which half of your brain is predominant. The idea is that your personality implies which hemisphere is in charge. So, the test’s goal is to reveal your character and then determine your brain’s preference. Most of the tests offer a personality analysis, too.
There Are Two Types of Tests
You can find two different types of online quizzes, personality-oriented and function-related. (See below).
Left Brain Right Brain Personality Quizzes
Such questionaries focus on your traits and behaviors. According to popular belief, people with certain characteristics tend to use specific parts of their brain. So, some hemisphere tests try to analyze your character to figure out your mind dominance.
Function Quiz
Some online quizzes assess your routine functions. They ask questions about your body language, gestures, or movements. The goal is to determine which side of your body is governing your activities. That is how they decide whether you are a left-brained or right-brained person.
The Science Behind the Left/Right-Brain Tests
Roger Wolcott Sperry was an American neuropsychologist who worked on the theory of spilled-brain. He and his teammate found out that each hemisphere deals with specific tasks. Sperry also proved that humans’ minds work in a contralateral way. That means the left side of the mind controls the right side of the body and vice versa.
However, some psychologists used Sperry’s work to create the idea of left and right brain personalities. He never approved of such functionality. But the concept became popular, anyway. Some articles were soon published in Times and other publications, claiming that your hemispheres define who you are.
The left/right brain tests emerged a couple of years after the popularization of the idea. However, they gained more attention during the internet era as everyone could take them and receive the result immediately.
Why Are Most Brain Dominance Quizzes Not Scientific?
Although Sperry’s studies led him to win a Novel Prize, the mind dominancy theory was never proved. He confirmed that our hemispheres have unique tasks to manage. But he never claimed that such functionality could affect your personality. That is why most left-brained right-brained tests are not scientific.
There is no evidence that people with left or right dominant hemisphere are not able to do specific things. For instance, the popular belief is that people with left-brain dominancy are good at speech, art, and imaginative thinking. However, you can find billions of successful performers, linguists, or ideologists who are not left-brained.
Humans Do NOT Have a 100% Dominant Hemisphere
Corpus Callosum is the area between the two sides of the brain. Its job is to allow the two hemispheres to communicate with each other. So, you are using both sides to think, act, react, and rest. That is why science does not approve of the idea of separate brain functionality. Here are two reasons why you cannot have a 100% leading hemisphere.
Proof #1: FMRI Studies
A group of neuropsychologists used FMRI scans to prove that humans use both parts of the brain equally. They asked the participants to do nothing while their brain is being scanned. The idea was that if one hemisphere is dominant, it will be more active during the resting state. However, the fMRI tests showed no difference between the activity level of the left or right side.
Proof #2: Possible Dominance of Left Hemisphere
We know that the brain functions in a contralateral way. So, right-handed people mainly use their left hemisphere and vice versa. Now, think about the possible consequences. If brain dominancy were real, 88% of the world’s population would be logical, mathematical, fact-oriented, and linear thinkers. And only 10% of the world’s population—aka the left-handed people—would be musicians, artists, and creative thinkers. (That does not make any sense).
So, What Is the Left VS. Right Characteristics Chart?
Dr. Sperry suggested that our brain is a contralateral organ. Some psychologists and psychiatrists used his idea to create a characteristics chart for left and right hemispheres. Their concept is simple. If you are using one side of a brain more than the other, you are better at that hemisphere’s specialized tasks. For instance, if your dominant side is left, you are a better musician, artist, and creative thinker. Here is the chart that the abovementioned psychologists created.
| Left Dominant Personality | Right Dominant Personality |
| Better at arranging and ordering | Emotional |
| Linear thinkers | Creative |
| Better at mathematics | Better at artistic tasks |
| Rational | Better at understanding music |
| Fact-oriented | Holistic thinkers |
Left/Right Brain Test Myth Busting
Hemisphere Dominance Is Not Inherited
You do not inherit your brain performance. It is completely developmental. And there is no particular connection between the preference of a child and their parents.
Your Brains Are Not Solo Workers
Our mind functions as a duo. You will face difficulty deal with some tasks if your hemispheres stop communicating.
Not All Hemisphere Functions Are Contralateral
Some functions, such as smell, are not contralateral. That means your nasal cavities are not connected to the opposite part.
Left Brain Right Brain Games Are Not Effective
Such games might help you develop new skills or brush up on the old ones. However, they cannot accurately target a specific part of your brain.
How Can You Find Your Dominant Brain Without Taking a Quiz?
The simplest way to identify your hemisphere dominancy is to think about your right- or left-handedness. Since our mind is contralateral, let-handed people are mainly right-brained, and right-handed people are left-brained.
