Does your brain crave balance between left and right brain thinking?
I have spent maybe 85–95% of my time over the last 4 months studying and doing scientific stuff. There are five more days until final exams and the semester ends. I love what I’m studying, but right now all I want to do is listen to music, watch TV and movies, read about fashion. Heck I would love to spend 12 hours in an art museum or making art – sculpting, painting, photographing, even just gluing some glitter on a card! Is there a scientific explanation for this? What is it? Do people work more efficiently when they balance their time between left/right brain thinking?
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It has to do with “attention fatigue”. Activities that require sustained concentration depend on the brain’s ability to suppress competing stimuli. This ability to keep distractions at bay is subject to fatigue, and needs periodic regeneration. When it runs out of juice, distractions rush in and overwhelm whatever we’re trying to focus on.
The kind of activities you’re calling “right-brain activities” may engage the attention, but they do so in an effortless way that doesn’t involve suppression. You’re not shutting anything out when you’re engaged in those activities, so your brain’s suppression mechanism gets a chance to recharge.
Fascinating, thank you!!!
I’m smack in the middle, took a test once after always considering myself to be more of a right brained, abstract, non-linear thinker, lots of artistic and free association ability…but…the test I took put me at right 52 and left 48. Guess I’ve balanced out in my middle age. haha
I’m also fairly pragmatic and have critical thinking abilities as well.
I work best in flexible situations with room for creative solutions and hate being micro-managed.
I gotta be free! :-)
I think most of the left brain/right brain concept has been debunked.
@Coloma What test is that? I would be interested in taking it! I have heard (not sure if it is true?) that the halves can gain/lose mass depending on use so if that is true it would be interesting to see if they change over time.
@YARNLADY Yes apparently so! I really enjoyed watching @Aethelflaed ‘s video (above). I’m going to watch the other ones after finals :) Love “sketch videos”. I am sure there is a more technical term for that style lol. I have always wondered how you make them…
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