EduNews Magazine Summer '15/'16 | Page 26

T his is generally how the 2 hemispheres of the human brain are depicted. The one on the left is that of the right-hand dominant person (shades of grey; compartmentalised; predictable), and the one on the right is of the left-hand dominant person (twirls of colour; different fonts; full of imagination). They go further to say that those character traits mentioned, can be aligned with that of a right or left-hand dominant person. This is just a generalisation, but there are always some nodding heads as I show this slide, in agreement with the fact that lefty’s show signs of creativity, musicality, imagination, etc. “ ...research also showed that when one side of the brain became overloaded and slowed down... “ In the brain we find something called the Corpus Colossum. This is where the 2 hemispheres of the brain communicate with each other. Their brains are more flexible-their understanding of music could be on the left, and maths could be on the right. Research has shown that in lefty’s this area is 11% larger than in the righty’s. The main reason for this is because the lefty is exposed to much more right-handed challenges than the righty is exposed to left handed challenges on a daily basis. These are things like bottle tops, buttons, zips, reading and writing, to name but a few. This advantage gives the lefty more bilateral brain activity-according to dr. Amar Klar-which can be an advantage in visualization and problem solving. So theoretically they use both hemispheres to manage stimuli, resulting in faster overall processing and response time. The research also showed that when one side of the brain became overloaded and slowed down, the other side could pick up the slack without missing a beat. The theory then also stands that lefty seniors could retain mental quickness for longer than the righty’s. Growing up with everything right-handed, lefty’s give their nondominant side more exercise than the average righty. Bio mechanic research has revealed that training the nondominant side actually enhances the dominant side. This is known as the cross training effect-since the body’s neural network is integrated on both sides. Studies in the US, UK, and Australia have revealed that processing of language, special relations, and emotions takes place in more diverse and creative ways. It also showed that lefty’s are more gifted in music and maths. Chris McManus says that historically lefty’s have produced an above average quota of high achievers. He says it’s because their brains are structured differently, with an increased range of abilities. In an article in the journal of Neuropsychology 2006, it was suggested that lefty’s are faster at processing multiple stimuli, for e.g. a jet fighter pilot; talking and driving at the same t