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. Similar damage to the right hemisphere is much less likely to cause aphasia. 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. The claim that the left hemisphere is the seat of language, however, is a little different. ![]() It takes two hemispheres to be logical – or to be creative. This kind of pattern, in which both hemispheres of the brain make critical contributions, holds for most types of cognitive skills. And there are right hemisphere advantages on some math-related tasks as well, especially estimating the quantity of a set of objects. 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"!). 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. ![]() 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. 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. One problem with answering this question is that we would first have to agree on what "logical" and "creative" even mean. ![]() (And, full disclosure, she was also one of my first scientific mentors and co-authors.) Federmeier is a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she's also affiliated with the Neurosciences Program and The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Federmeier, whose research focuses on language, memory and hemispheric asymmetries throughout the lifespan. To get a clearer picture of what we do and don't know about hemispheric brain differences in humans, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to interview a leading cognitive neuroscientist, Kara D. The real story, as you might expect, is a bit more complicated - but arguably more interesting - than the infographics and popular headlines seem to suggest. ![]() So while there's something deeply compelling about the clear-cut, right-brain versus left-brain classification (or is that just my left hemisphere speaking?), we have good reasons for skepticism. Wayne Miller argues that the left / right brain divide is largely bogus, and should instead be replaced by a top brain / bottom brain distinction. One highly publicized paper, summarized at The Guardian, failed to find evidence that individuals tend to have stronger left- or right-sided brain networks. On the other hand, some recent headlines challenge the left brain / right brain dichotomy. An infographic reproduced just last month at, for example, promises to explain "why you act the way you do" by revealing "which side of your brain you tend to use more." An article at explains " how to tap into right-brain thinking." And decades of research using behavioral and neuro-scientific techniques do reveal fascinating and systematic differences across brain regions.
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