Which Side of The Brain Draws The Best

Which side of the brain draws the best?
What does research in the neurosciences tell us about the specific functions of the
right and left brain hemispheres?
One idea that's often heard in popular discussions of psychology is that the left brain
is the seat of language and more "logical," while the right brain is more creative. Is there any
truth to this idea? One problem with answering this question is that we would first have to
agree on what "logical" and "creative" even mean. So let's consider a (relatively) more well-
defined case: math skills, which are often taken to be part of what the "logical" left
hemisphere would be good at. There are different kinds of math skills, ranging from being
able to estimate which of two sets of things has a greater number of items, to counting, to
various types of calculations. Research shows that, overall, the abilities that make up math
skills arise from processing that takes place in BOTH hemispheres (especially the brain area
in each hemisphere that is known as the intraparietal sulcus) and that damage to either
hemisphere can cause difficulties with math. A left hemisphere advantage for math is mostly
seen for tasks like counting and reciting multiplication tables, which rely heavily on
memorized verbal information (thus, not exactly what we think of as "logical"!). And there are
right hemisphere advantages on some math-related tasks as well, especially estimating the
quantity of a set of objects. This kind of pattern, in which both hemispheres of the brain
make critical contributions, holds for most types of cognitive skills. It takes two hemispheres
to be logical – or to be creative. The claim that the left hemisphere is the seat of language,
however, is a little different. That idea comes from observations that damage to the left
hemisphere (for example, due to a stroke) is often associated with difficulties producing
language, a problem known as aphasia. Similar damage to the right hemisphere is much
less likely to cause aphasia. In fact, for most people, the left hemisphere does play a much
more important role in the ability to speak than the right hemisphere does. However, this
does not mean that the right hemisphere is "nonverbal." My laboratory studies the
hemispheres' ability to comprehend (rather than produce) language, and we, like others,
have shown that both hemispheres can figure out the meaning of words and sentences –
and that they have differing strengths and weaknesses when it comes to comprehending.
So, like other complex skills, the ability to understand what we read or what someone is
saying to us requires both hemispheres, working together and separately. Early studies of
hemispheric asymmetries often relied on "split-brain" patients who had the corpus callosum
— the bundle of neural fibres that connects the two hemispheres — severed as a treatment
for severe epilepsy. In such studies, information could be provided to a single hemisphere at
a time by presenting people with input to one side of the visual field, since the right visual
field is processed by the left hemisphere, and vice versa.
What is meant by the split brain phenomenon?
The “split-brain” phenomenon is a phenomenon in which people with severe forms of

epilepsy have had the two halves of their brains surgically separated. This is done by cutting
the bundle of nerve fibres that connects the hemispheres. The result is somewhat shocking,
particularly to our assumptions about what it means to be an individual. For example, using a
computer, a split-brain patient may be shown an image of a church in the left half of each
eye, and a blank screen in the right half. When asked what they saw, they will answer
“nothing.” That’s because the visual information from the left half goes to the right
hemisphere of the brain, which has no speech center, and thus can’t say what it saw. With
the communication lines severed, it can’t tell the left hemisphere, which claims it saw
nothing. The question remains, did this person see the church or not? Can half your brain
disagree with the other half? Oddly enough, the split-brain patient did see something, it’s just
that the speaking half of the brain isn’t aware of it yet. This can be demonstrated by asking
them to draw a picture of what they saw. The non-speaking hemisphere can still control a
hand for drawing. Surprisingly, the split-brain patient watching her own hand draw a picture
and trying to figure out what she is telling herself.
What is the result of split brain surgery?
Split-brain surgery, or corpus calloscotomy, is a drastic way of alleviating epileptic

seizures, the occurrence of sporadic electrical storms in the brain. The procedure involves
severing the corpus callosum, the main bond between the brain’s left and right hemispheres.
After a split-brain surgery the two hemispheres do not exchange information as efficiently as
before. This impairment can result in split-brain syndrome, a condition where the separation
of the hemispheres affects behavior and agency. Michael Gazzaniga and Roger W. Sperry,
the first to study split brains in humans, found that several patients who had undergone a
complete calloscotomy suffered from split-brain syndrome. In patients with split-brain
syndrome the right hemisphere, which controls the left hand and foot, acts independently of
the left hemisphere and the person’s ability to make rational decisions. This can give rise to
a kind of split personality, in which the left hemisphere give orders that reflect the person’s
rational goals, whereas the right hemisphere issues conflicting demands that reveal hidden
desires. Gazzaniga and Sperry's split-brain research is now legendary. One of their child
participants, Paul S, had a fully functional language center in both hemispheres. This
allowed the researchers to question each side of the brain. When they asked the right side
what their patient wanted to be when he grew up, he replied "an automobile racer." When
they posed the same question to the left, however, he responded "a draftsman." Another
patient pulled down his pants with the left hand and back up with the right in a continuing
struggle. On a different occasion, this same patient's left hand made an attempt to strike the
unsuspecting wife as the right hand grabbed the villainous limp to stop it. Split personality is
a rare consequence of a split brain. In some cases, impaired interhemispheric
communication leaves personality intact but still allows people to use the two hemispheres to
complete independent intellectual tasks. An MRI scan of the savant, Kim Peek revealed an
absence of the corpus callosum, the anterior commissure and the hippocampal commissure,
the three cables for information transfer between hemispheres. As a consequence of this
complete split, Peek, who passed away, was able to simultaneously read both pages of an
open book and retain the information. He apparently had developed language areas in both
hemispheres. Peek was a living encyclopedia. He spent every day with his dad in the library
absorbing information. Among his most impressive feats was his ability to provide traveling
directions between any two cities in the world.
Resources:
1. https://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/the-split-brain-
phenomenom/
2. https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2013/12/02/248089436/the-truth-about-the-
left-brain-right-brain-relationship
3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-superhuman-
mind/201211/split-brains

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Which side of the brain draws the best?

What is meant by the split brain phenomenon?

The “split-brain” phenomenon is a phenomenon in which people with severe forms of

What is the result of split brain surgery?

Split-brain surgery, or corpus calloscotomy, is a drastic way of alleviating epileptic

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