You may already know that you only use about ten percent of the brain, but did you know you could be left or right brained? There is a theory that people can be a dominant right brain or a dominant left brain based on personality and interests.  A dominant right brain person is more expressive and creative, while a dominant left brain is more logical and analytical. Both sides have a set of pros and a set of cons. The Right-Brain, Left-Brain Theory was often discussed by scientists back in the 1800s, when they were first learning about how our brains work. The theory can also help people better understand their strengths and weaknesses in certain areas, which will help them develop better study and learning habits. In many ways, we all have both right and left brain characteristics, but deciding which one you are can be tricky.

Someone who is right-brain dominant is best at expressive and creative tasks. Some of the abilities you can have include recognizing faces and expressing emotions. You may also like listening to music, coloring, and taking pictures. When you are talking to people, you are good at reading emotions and have fun, crazy conversations. A good way to tell if you are more of a right-brained person is if you are often considered creative and emotional. Junior Alex Tena says she is more right brain dominate saying, “…because I have always been interested in arts, any form of arts! It has always been my main drive.” If you think that you are more of a right-brain person, then there are some things you can do to study and learn that are more effective for you. For example, you may have a difficult time following verbal instructions, so you might benefit from writing down directions and developing better organizational skills if needed. You can also work on big projects in school which may help you learn the subject easier.

If you are a left-brain dominant person, you would be someone who can able to adapt to tasks that involve logic, language, and analytical thinking. Junior Chi Smalls believes he is more of a left brained person saying, “When you look through the world through numbers, it just makes more sense.” If you are someone like this, you may like language arts and math more than other subjects. You are also very good at tasks that involve logic and numbers such as crossword puzzles. Critical thinking is right in your ballpark as a left-brain dominant person, as is reasoning. Studying techniques you can use include things like repeating things out loud to yourself or copying down your notes multiple times to let things sink in.

The right-brain left-brain theory is a little outdated, but it can help people find better ways to study and learn. It can also help people understand the best way to better themselves when it comes to communicating and working with other. These two polar opposites can also show people new interests they can try and new hobbies they might like. Also, by recognizing the two different sides of the brain, you can try to expand the less dominant side. For example, if you are more of a right-brain person, you can work on expanding your comfort zone. By activating both sides of your brain, you can become a better learner and an overall more rounded person.