Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Left = logical. Right = creative. Right? I mean, left. I mean, wrong?
The idea that the right half of the brain is the creative half and the left half is the analytical half—and that our individual traits are determined by which half is dominant—is widespread in popular psychology.
But the idea that there are right-brained and left-brained people is a myth. Although we all obviously have different personalities and talents, there’s no reason to believe these differences can be explained by the dominance of one half of the brain over the other half. Research using brain imaging technology hasn’t found any evidence of right or left dominance (check it out here: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071275).
Learn more from Britannica:
Why you're not really left-brained or right-brained: britannica.com/story/are-there-really-right-brained-and-left-brained-people
Why we all want to categorize our personalities: britannica.com/science/Barnum-Effect
Do we really only use 10% of our brain? britannica.com/story/do-we-really-use-only-10-percent-of-our-brain
How much does your brain weigh? britannica.com/topic/How-Much-Does-a-Human-Brain-Weigh
~~~
#EncyclopaediaBritannica
Inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning since 1768.
Web: britannica.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Britannica
Twitter: twitter.com/Britannica
Instagram: instagram.com/Britannica
Left = logical. Right = creative. Right? I mean, left. I mean, wrong?
The idea that the right half of the brain is the creative half and the left half is the analytical half—and that our individual traits are determined by which half is dominant—is widespread in popular psychology.
But the idea that there are right-brained and left-brained people is a myth. Although we all obviously have different personalities and talents, there’s no reason to believe these differences can be explained by the dominance of one half of the brain over the other half. Research using brain imaging technology hasn’t found any evidence of right or left dominance (check it out here: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071275).
Learn more from Britannica:
Why you're not really left-brained or right-brained: britannica.com/story/are-there-really-right-brained-and-left-brained-people
Why we all want to categorize our personalities: britannica.com/science/Barnum-Effect
Do we really only use 10% of our brain? britannica.com/story/do-we-really-use-only-10-percent-of-our-brain
How much does your brain weigh? britannica.com/topic/How-Much-Does-a-Human-Brain-Weigh
~~~
#EncyclopaediaBritannica
Inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning since 1768.
Web: britannica.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Britannica
Twitter: twitter.com/Britannica
Instagram: instagram.com/Britannica
