Characteristics of Left Brained People
The brain is divided into the right and left hemispheres. Each hemisphere controls certain aspects of a person's mental function. The left hemisphere controls language, hearing and handwriting. The right hemisphere controls the other sensory activities and allows for creativity and visualization. While each hemisphere is necessary for a human to have a complete experience of the world around him, some people tend to use one hemisphere of their brain more than the other hemisphere. Psychologists define those people who are analytical and detail-oriented as left-brained.
Other People Are Reading
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In the Extreme
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Left-brain people are analytical, verbal and prefer organization to chaos. In the extreme, a highly left-brain personality may appear obsessive. These people make detailed lists, prefer concrete examples bases in reality, have little understanding of fantasy, philosophy or spirituality, and prefer logical, thought-based solutions to problems. The wholly left-brained person accepts the world around him and adjusts his actions to the situation rather than seeking to change the situation to suit his needs.
In School
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Left-brained students have little trouble adjusting to the current American system of education. Learning objectives based on comprehension of textbook information and regurgitation of memorized concepts work well for the left-brained student. Such students with high verbal and analytical skills thrive in word-based environments and the systematic process of mathematics and science. On the other hand, such students may have difficulty in art or music where structure is less important than creativity. While a left-brained student may understand how to draw a square or read notes on a musical score, he is less likely to draw abstractly or recognize an unmemorized Beethoven symphony by sound alone.
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At Work
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Left-brained personalities thrive in highly structured jobs with clearly defined roles and expected outcomes. Jobs that require direct application of problem-solving skills in a defined environment like accounting or nursing appeal to highly left-brained people. Less well defined positions like graphic designer or psychiatrist, which require the recognition of the abstract and the extrapolation of individual parts, would be less appealing to those who are strictly left-brained.
Of Two Minds
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The brain is not limited to the use of one hemisphere over the other. The human brain uses both sides but may rely more heavily on one side. Left-brained people are not without their ability to be creative. Highly verbal skills may draw a left-brained person to writing. While the extreme left-brain person may prefer technical writing, a less obsessively left-brained person may write the next great science-fiction fantasy. A proficiency in mathematics and a love of drawing may lead a left-brained personality to architecture rather than abstract painting.
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References
- Western Michigan University: Right Brain and Left Brain Characteristics
- Leaping from the Box: Learning Styles and Hemispheric Dominance - Right or Left Brain: Which is Dominant in Your Family?
- Study Skills for All Ages: Right Brain Left Brain
- Business Sanity: Hiring Strategy: Right Brain or Left Brain?
Resources
- Photo Credit BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
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Comments
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Don't know I may be a left brainer.
