How can you tell if you are a right brain? It is not difficult to determine. Learn the characteristics of the right brain.
Right Brain Traits
Right brains are honored in eastern cultures more than western. They are seen as less smart because of the manner in which they process information. Rights don't go from Point A to Point B. Right brains don't like to listen to directions and don't like to read them. They scan quickly and figure out what to do without reading details. Reading directions carefully is a detailed activity for the left-brain.
How Rights Learn
Rights think and learn in visual, kinesthetic and audio images. They don't memorize well and need to visualize a picture so they can recall the facts. Abstract math is often not brain compatible. Their thoughts are frequently in code and they may have bizarre images in night dreams leaving them confused as to what they mean.
When right brains talk to you, they look at you while listening and look away to the left when answering a question. This is a brain shift from one side to another. This is not a sign of fabrication. They are listening with one side and now switch over for the response. They are not creating an answer in an attempt to deceive.
Word Association
On a spelling test, a right brain hears the word "dog." Their mind wanders to the thought of the neighbor's dog which barked most of the night, that reminds them of the fact that the neighbors are in the Bahamas, which takes them to an island with palm trees and sandy beaches, which reminds them that they need a bathing suit for this weekend, which reminds them that they will need to take spending money... Teacher says, "Word #7 is house." Student raises hand and asks what word #6 was. They've checked out for a while.
Rights Are Misunderstood
Right brains don't explain what they feel well and are misunderstood. They think of one thing, say another because their brain has already moved on to another thought. Unfortunately, their mouth is still moving. Rights often don't realize they have done so. The result is that they don't realize what they said and may even deny saying it or argue they said something else. Because they know what they "intended" to say, they are confused when individuals state otherwise.
See The Big Picture
Right brains don't like to jump through the hoops to get something done. They also don't like to follow rules which don't make sense to them. They see the big picture quickly and what you are asking them to do in steps doesn't seem necessary because they are at the end of the process already.
Right brains are non-judgmental and often have no opinion on many topics. They can see both sides and are often seen as wishy washy or lacking values. They see the whole person and are less likely to condemn a person because of a flaw. They often have an interesting group of friends.
Careers
Rights select careers as:
entrepreneurs,
athletes,
sales,
artists,
musician,
craftsmen,
dancers.
Trusting
Rights are trusting--too trusting. They easily have patents and ideas stolen from them, usually to a left. Lefts know how to use an idea. They just can't come up with them on their own.
Speech and Music
Rock and Roll music is preferred by rights. They are also easily distracted by music. Baroque music is soothing for a right. Music by Yanni, Enya, and Mozart are good for right brain waves. Their speaking voice may have a singing quality and their faces may be quite animated when talking. They often use their hands when they speak and may have difficulty speaking if they are not allowed to use their hands. Right brained teachers often move around the room while speaking and leave standing still behind the podium for the left brains.
As Teachers
As teachers, right brains are non-evaluative. They don't like giving grades and would rather see people just show them results. Their teaching style reflects their own learning style so they use:
stories,
diagrams,
pictures,
drawings,
skits,
educational games,
gestures,
elicit action from students,
demonstrations, and
illustrations.
That's how they learn, so that's how they teach.
New Ideas
Right brains embrace new ideas. They are future thinkers and enjoy introducing controversial ideas. They believe that everything is possible, tend to be very creative, and don't see the pitfalls along the way. They leave those little details to the lefts.
Copyright article 2006 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
The copyright of the article Right Brain Characteristics in Educational Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Right Brain Characteristics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
This is good information, however, the part that says "They are seen
as less smart because of the manner in which they process
information." IS VERY miss-leading. I don't agree that Left-brained
people are smarter than Right-braiend people. It makes it absurd.
Sep 9, 2008 8:32 PM
Barbara Pytel :
If you read carefully, you will see that it is a perception that rights are
seen as less bright. Perception and the actual ability are two different
things. Because left-brains cross their "t"s and dot their
"i"s, they are seen as people that play by the rules. Rights
forget about the rules and end up making mistakes--giving the perception
that they are not as capable.
Sep 12, 2008 6:48 AM
Guest :
Is it that way i get mentally tired very easily??? finishing a long term
task is so mentally exhausting to me. i dont seem to finish anything i
start unless i have to, really forced to. is this what it is??? thanks
may
Nov 15, 2008 2:13 PM
Guest :
My husband has told me again and again (as he's tried to help me learn
algebra for my degree) that I'm TOO right brained to learn algebra, I tend
to agree with him now that I've read this article so thank you.
Nov 18, 2008 2:27 AM
Guest :
i'm a right brained person....but i'm also good in academics.........is it
abnormal??????????????
Nov 18, 2008 6:40 AM
Barbara Pytel :
No, not at all. Rights just seem to daydream more and give the impression
that they aren't paying attention.
Nov 23, 2008 6:29 PM
Guest :
right brained people just think in a different way than left brained people
thats all. & if you noticed most right brained people are water signs-
scorpio, pisces, cancer. & if you know anything about astrology
it'll tell you the same thing. about how creative and artistic water
signs are. like albert einstien - pisces, leonardo divinci - pisces, jonas
salk - scorpio = all right brained. +++ if you like this you should
really look into astrology it'll tell you alot more specific information
about yourself.
Dec 6, 2008 9:56 PM
Guest :
I am right brained and i do all of these. Sometimes i am understood,
sometimes I am not. I am mostly musical and i dance to every type of music
available. I love being different and being right-brained :)
Feb 19, 2009 7:19 AM
Guest :
Stephen Perkins: I am both right brain and dykexic. My life has been
very brutish over my fithty two years. But it has never made me give up,
when it seemed all was lost. Most people do not understand me, except who
are like me. I am an Artist, Historian, Philospher, lover of books, and a
person who cares about others, andthe world that we live in. I am not
greedy or selfish. I would like to teach others what true life is all
about. That is a thirst for knoweldege, that is never ending. In my mind
right brain people are the leaders of today and tomomorw. Think of it as a
blessing that we have the creative mind to think outside of the box.
Feb 28, 2009 8:00 PM
Guest :
I agree with some of this. I have always thought I was a left brainer, but
I found out I am right brained. Basically, I am not artistic at all. In
fact, I feel sorry for any one who looks at my drawings of things. I also
do not care for history or philo. It is true I am athletic, and creative
writing and music come very easy to me. My articulation is a strong point
of mine. I am overly sensitive to environment and am too emotional. I
excel in certain areas of biological science and was good at statistics. I
was average in algebra. If I don't understand why something is important
or the point, I will be totally lost. The following is ineteresting: My
father is a doctor, and is an artist. my mother is a nurse who loves
creative writing. My sister has a degree in bio and is extremely
athletic,and is an artist. Her ex boyfriend is going to medical school and
is gifted in painting. my brother is a hair dresser and is excellent with
numbers, my other brother is a math genius and is a good athlete. You
cannot assume that someone is a certain way just because they are right or
left brained, it is not that black or white, as I used my family as an
example. Either that or all my family members are mixed brain sides.
Mar 18, 2009 1:52 AM
Guest :
'am right brained & all these informations r true and well
written. - Abhishek Das
Apr 6, 2009 6:53 PM
Guest :
Is it true that the vast majority of right brained people are left handed?
Apr 12, 2009 7:16 PM
Guest :
I really enjoyed reading this!! it was something that really described me!
i found it amazing!! haha although i find some of the things funny,
reffering to how right brained individuals tend to wander off subjects. I had been trying to look for a website that had all this information and
here i found it!! now i know i'm right brain! hm so what about you? are you
a right or left brain?
Apr 16, 2009 11:19 AM
Guest :
Wow, I'm right brained, and I know I'm definitely just as smart as someone
who is left brained. I'm creatively smarter, and being called
"stupid" by someone who writes articles for such a notable
website is a disgrace.
Apr 23, 2009 1:37 PM
Guest :
I am right brained and was diagnosed with ADHD, but after reading this I
dont think i have ADHD I think I am just right brained!! And yes I am left
handed!
Apr 30, 2009 2:00 PM
Guest :
wow, I am amazed....I always thought right handed people were left brain,
and left handed were right brained.... I have always been in a dilemma
wondering why I could bat left handed when I am a right handed
person...This article is really good..but not all apply to every right
brain, I am great in math...and have always done well in school....now I do
daydream like you wouldnt believe, and there are 2 especially true
statements here that I found VERY amusing for me, and they are..."they
may have bizarre images in night dreams leaving them confused as to what
they mean"... and the one about the dog....wow, thats very true for
me...lol....I am still conflicted because I am right handed, but can also
clearly write left handed...I am also very artistic, I play the guitar and
sing well...I also have written childrens books not yet published....wow, I
guess, I had alot to say....thanks for listening
Apr 30, 2009 2:02 PM
Guest :
wow, I am amazed....I always thought right handed people were left brain,
and left handed were right brained.... I have always been in a dilemma
wondering why I could bat left handed when I am a right handed
person...This article is really good..but not all apply to every right
brain, I am great in math...and have always done well in school....now I do
daydream like you wouldnt believe, and there are 2 especially true
statements here that I found VERY amusing for me, and they are..."they
may have bizarre images in night dreams leaving them confused as to what
they mean"... and the one about the dog....wow, thats very true for
me...lol....I am still conflicted because I am right handed, but can also
clearly write left handed...I am also very artistic, I play the guitar and
sing well...I also have written childrens books not yet published....wow, I
guess, I had alot to say....thanks for listening
May 4, 2009 7:20 AM
Guest :
Does anyone know if a left brain, right brain domiance has any correlation
to democrats and republicans.
For example, a person who is right
brain dominant would have a tendency to be more republican. While a left
brain dominant person would have the tendency to be more democratic.
May 11, 2009 1:34 AM
Guest :
what's weird is that I'm right brained and I write with my right hand. I'm
slightly left brained. I'm very good with words, I love words and learning
different languages. I was diagnosed with ADHD and a math disability, I
now know that you just need to try a different learning method and review
or relearn the basics. I took neurofeedback for a couple of years and it
really helped. You can do it either way. WOO HOO Albert Einstein and
Davinci were right brained,now I feel really smart! -L.H.
May 27, 2009 8:46 AM
Guest :
I'm right handed and totally right brained guy. i'm such a dreamer. When
other people ask me what to do its very easy to tell'em what to do very
logically. Is it possible to change my brain dominant side? and how?
Jun 4, 2009 4:50 PM
Guest :
Lol, this is so true, after reading this my first thought was that my
tuition teacher is probably teaching geared for left brainer which is why I
don't get him. Then I wondered about creating a right brain anime character
and then I realised there are actually right brain types in anime, more
commonly known as 'my pace' people. That's cool... :P
Jun 30, 2009 5:07 AM
Guest :
This article is making the hairs stand on my neck. This article is
describing exactly who I am. Even the career choices I made are here. Well
written. I do not fit in the left-brain work space. I struggle with the
details. I'm always missing a detail. On the other hand, I am a lead
musician with left-brain musicians that frustrate me because they don't
have creative ability to follow me. This causes great tension because they
never waiver from standard musical format of a song and I'm always seeking
to improve the song and challange it outside its bounderies. I also work
with left brained jazz musicians, who are very technical, but have no clue
in making a performance affect an audience.
Jul 6, 2009 8:06 AM
Guest :
:] I'm a right-brained, that's for sure. I day dream constantly and the
word association things is just like me. I took a test for school that gave
me a very high score on word association things (by the way, word
association is great for students -- if you can remember the words that
sparked a daydream following a lecture, you can remember the information).
I daydream like you would not believe. And I can't stand working out
the details, but I'll come up with a brilliant idea for you.
However, I can be logical. I'm positive that it takes practice. For the
past year or so, I've been trying to think things logically when I know I'm
being irrational and now it's kind of stuck.
As far as the
right-brain, left hand; left-brain, right hand, it doesn't have to do with
what side of your brain you use. What hand you use is according to your
genetics. If you're a lefty, someone on your mom AND your dad's side is a
lefty, because left handedness is a recessive gene. It could be a
grandparent or your parent, perhaps even further into the gene pool. :)
Just thought I'd clear that one up.
Aug 4, 2009 11:28 AM
Guest :
wow. this is insnae!! haha, i am a right brain all the way, i use a
lot of gestures when i speak, I am always coming up with new ideas and i am
a very trusting person and i love rock and roll. I am so in love with
this website right now. I am going to nationals for my science fair
project. and it has to do with left-brain right-bran stuff and this website
helped me a lot. thank you :)
Aug 15, 2009 6:58 AM
Guest :
Guest: Hi dere!i am right brained and i have mixed feelings-i am in
med school and the amount of time and effort it takes to stick something
into ur right brain with detail notes and illustrations is reeeeaaaallly
exhausting- and frustrating tooo-becos majority of ur time is sucked up by
lectures wich mean nothing to you until u have sized it up at home with ur
so called creative learning methods-and its maddening to be so different
and u think u ended up in the wrong place and the examination system simply
failed to eliminate u from getting into med school-and suffering for just
being little different-pls console me!!1
Aug 20, 2009 11:35 AM
Guest :
DAMN! I'm a right brain. Sun of a gon...
Aug 28, 2009 11:16 AM
Guest :
I'm right brained & lefthanded w/ family history of ADHD. I'm hesitant
to be tested as I don't know how much of me can be attributed to ADHD and
how much to just being right-brained. I took psych 101 as part of my
creative advertising diploma. We learned about brain hemispheres; how they
relate to strength/weakness and thought process. The teacher noted most of
us were in the creative advertising program. She asked how many of us were
left handed. More than half the class was! For those who argued not ALL
these characteristics apply to EVERY right brained person, we have to
recognize that the author of the article is not saying it is not possible
for right brained people to be great at algebra/chemistry, to be doctors,
that they are ALL great artists, all great musicians, etc. but simply
providing insight into what is average for right-brained people. Research
has proven that MOST of us (not ALL) happen to be stronger in music, art,
sports etc. than in math, statistics, physics, etc. Of course there ARE
exceptions. It does not need to be said.
My right-brained
father PUSHED me to pursue science/math (because he had dropped them to
become a radio broadcaster and never found huge success) vs. fostering MY
strengths in art/music/drama. I didn't listen. I am not athletic, but that
may be because neither of my parents encouraged me to be in childhood and I
had a heart issue from birth. As an adult I have forced myself to go to the
gym and started to like it quite a bit. So maybe I have it in me but just
never fostered that part of who I am? I am interested in/good at biology
(and wonder if biology is actually ruled by right brain, as many of us here
have said we are good at it). I hate accounting, math, chemistry and
physics with a passion. I can do it but it frustrates me trying as it is
not inherent for me. I love art, music and drama. My skills there are above
average but I'm far from GREAT. Again it could be because it was never
nurtured. I dropped art after gr 8 not wanting to learn the techniques. I
thought art was about freedom of expression and didn't understand then that
you have to learn the techniques before you can be GREAT. I've always been
a writer. It takes me longer to process data than my left-brained
colleagues/friends but I am capable and I am ok at analytics which is part
of my marketing job. I am forgetful, easily distracted and love to
daydream. I've often been misunderstood in the workplace. Right-brained
people deserve more credit! Thx
Sep 2, 2009 10:48 PM
Guest :
This seemed bias towards left-brainers. people aren't just right or
left brained.. we use both halves. I'm disappointed because they're
are so many people who claim to be right brained. I think its because the
writer attributed possitive attributes to being right brained open to
idea friendly artsy the things people want to be. I
took that illusion test with the dancer and she was spinning clock-wise
which ment that I use more of my right brain then my left. I thought that
made me unique but apparently not.. look at all the people who answered
saying they're right brained. I'm sure some of you are but eeeeh... ~.~ no I am not good with word.
Sep 9, 2009 10:48 PM
Guest :
I am a right brainer and life is very confusing right now. I went to
college and majored in biology and did pretty well. I also did very well in
high school. But right now in choosing a career I am lost. I don't want
to be stuck in a dead end job that I hate. At my last job I got in trouble
quite a bit because it was hard for me to follow the rules. I just want to
do something I will love and make a big difference while doing it. Can
anyone help me?
Sep 16, 2009 2:28 AM
Guest :
So true, so true. I wish people get educated in this subject. We would
understand better to each other and I believe it would even eliminate
violence. We get introduce to violence already in cartoons and it continues
throughout our lives. Why? Because the right-brained people usually don’t
have the chance to decide what film to be produced.
Thank you
for the article,
Kirstan
Sep 26, 2009 3:55 PM
Guest :
i always notice myself drifting off when someone talks to me. i try to
correct this day in a nd day out, with no result. they talk, but after a
while, i end up just seeing their face, and not hearing any of the words. i
drift off, bite my nails, think about my failures and triumphs,whatever.
but im always trying to catch up with the conversation. my friend also told
me every time he says something, i turn my head. and doing it right now, i
know its to the left because its way easier to turn my head left than
right. wow.
Oct 6, 2009 11:47 AM
Guest :
i've got a lot of characteristics of both brain sides and i'm right handed
but i do a lot of stuff with my left hand and when i played sports i always
led with my left foot. i'm actually thinking i'm pretty equally right and
left brained. and i suck so much at linear equations. i just don't
understand them. but trig and geometry are absolutely a piece of cake for
me =] and i'm super creative and smart and suck at physics but do well in
bio and chem and i'm awesome with music and i just... idk i'm just both lol
:D:D
Oct 11, 2009 6:02 AM
Guest :
Is it possible to be both?
Oct 11, 2009 6:32 AM
Barbara Pytel :
Yes, it is. Most people are a combination of left and right. Being
right-brained merely means you are probably more right than left but you
still have left characteristics. A person could be 60% right brained but
still have 40% be left brained.
Oct 22, 2009 10:20 PM
Guest :
I'm 60% right-brained and most of things things apply to me, I often can
see the whole sentence by glancing at it and then later taking out the
details. I daydream a lot about things that trigger more memories, but the
left-brain 30% of me tends not to use gestures but I will say something
unrelated and realize it later, I will find out problems so quickly I will
not understand how will get to that solution.
Oct 27, 2009 10:26 AM
Guest :
i'd rather be right brained than left. the left brain seems kind of boring.
but i'm a kid so, sorry. no offence to the left brainers out there.
Oct 30, 2009 9:14 PM
Guest :
thankyou SO MUCH for this info. this really decribes everything about me
and it helps so much! I am sporty and arty at the same time so it makes
perfect sense. The part i read about looking at the person while istening
to them and turning your head while anwsering is a relief as i always think
i would be perceived as rude or shy but it now makes sense. oh and the word
associations in a spelling test part is way too true for me! - however im
not a bad speller, im actually do pretty well in spelling tests! thanks again
