By Bao Truong Yes your brain has a mind of its own, two minds actually. If you ever get that burning desire to study the human mind, you will come across fascinating studies on hemispheric lateralization demonstrating how certain mental functions are better handled by either the right or left brain. Right Hemisphere: Intuition Creativity Emotion Recognizing faces Left Hemisphere: Analytical Thought Logic Language Understanding and producing speech What evolutionary advantage does hemispheric lateralization have? Studies argue that dedicating a concentrated amount of neurological tissue for a specialized mental function allows us to be extremely good at it. For example, we are extremely good at recognizing faces and it turns out that there is a small area in the right medial temporal lobe known as the fusiform face area (FFA) that is dedicated to recognizing faces. Having the FFA lateralized to the right temporal lobe frees up the left temporal lobe to simultaneously carry out a different specialized mental function such as language processing (e.g. Wernicke’s and Broca’s area). For further insight on the evolutionary advantages of hemispheric lateralization, see Advantages of having a lateralized brain. What happens when the left and right brain stop talking to each other? Some treatments for severe epilepsy involve severing the corpus callosum to prevent the right brain and left brain from sending damaging neurological signals to each other. Such patients are known as split brain patients and tend to function normally after the treatment. However, one split brain study highlighted a rare phenomena known as “alien hand syndrome” and described a “right-handed woman who had suffered a stroke affecting her left side from which she had partially recovered by the time she was seen. However, her left arm seemed as though it belonged to another person and performed actions that appeared to occur independent of her will.” One hypothesis for the impulsive behavior of the left hand is that since it is controlled by the right brain (the emotional brain), it will act out the impulses of the right brain unhindered by the methodical and analytical left brain since the two brains are no longer in communication with each other. We now see the different personalities of the right and left brain emerge when they are no longer communicating. Aside from being creative, the right brain also processes negative thoughts, it’s actually really good at it! That might explain why some art tends to be very depressing in nature. (see Depression and the hyperactive right-hemisphere) The left brain on the other hand is quite happy thinking positive thoughts. This is evidenced by past studies on patients with strokes. Strokes that impair the left brain leave patients more depressed because brain function resides in the depressing right brain where things tend to be processed in a negative light. Strokes that impair the right brain leave patients in a positive state because they rely more on the happier left brain. (see Depression and anxiety 3 months post stroke: Prevalence and correlates) The neurological gateway to positivity involves access to the left brain. There are two gateways to the left brain. The physical gateway Note that the right brain controls the left side of the body and the left brain controls the right side of the body. Here is how you might leverage this knowledge. Perhaps conversations are be perceived better when you are standing to someone’s right. Anything perceived by someone’s right side goes to the more positive left brain. Deciding on where to plant that kiss? Make sure you plant it on their right side. Or maybe you want to administer some form of punishment, do it to their left side to ensure that it is processed by the negative right hemisphere. So when it comes to love and affection, do it to their right and it will be perceived in a positive light. The COFFEE gateway It turns out that dopamine (the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure and reward) has the greatest effect on the left brain. See Hemispheric Asymmetry: What’s Right and What’s Left. Studies have long demonstrated the significant effect that caffeine has on dopaminergic transmission hence the addictive nature of coffee. But a recent study examined the link between caffeine and positivity, see Caffeine Improves Left Hemisphere Processing of Positive Words. This study demonstrated the subjects are better at recognizing words about positive emotions when taking coffee. For all you coffee lovers, there’s your scientific evidence. Coffee stimulates the dopamine pathways which lead to the big bright and fluffy positive left brain. Is coffee really healthy? For those of you who think coffee is bad for? You are correct in most cases due to the prevalence of molds and toxins in coffee that is produced for mass market consumption. See Why Bad Coffee Makes You Weak. Isn’t it time you get to know your brain? We’ve only scratched the surface about that mysterious and wrinkly orb the sits between your ears suspended in cerebral fluid. Hold on tight for much more to come on a topic that I am feverishly passionate about: The health connection between nutrition and the brain.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 20:50:59 +0000
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