I was reading someone else’s blog today and I came across this test that is suppose to show you whether you are predominately left or right brained. The test shows a silhouette of a spinning female dancer. If it appears that she is spinning counter-clockwise, you’re using the left side of your brain. If she spins clockwise, you’re using the right. The article with the test shows the general characteristics that you can expect a left or right brained individual to have:
| LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe |
RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling “big picture” oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can “get it” (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking |
| –source |
I read through the list before viewing the test and figured I would easily fall into the left brain category given my degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Information Technology. However, when I viewed the test, she was spinning clockwise, indicating I was a right brain person. That surprised me so I did some more reading on the subject. Apparently, everyone uses both sides of their brain at different times, but most people tend to favor one side over the other most of the time. I thought maybe I had just viewed the test at the wrong time so I rechecked it at various times throughout the day. Nearly every time, she was spinning clockwise. Only once was she spinning counter-clockwise and that was after I had just finished writing a bunch of C# code for the web project I’m working on at work. If I stare at it long enough I can get her to switch back and forth, but it’s easier to go from counter-clockwise to clockwise (left to right brain) than it is to go from clockwise to counter-clockwise (right to left brain).
After reading some more and taking a few other tests I found on the web, it appears I’m pretty equally distributed between my left and right brain with only a slight favoring of the right brain. I guess I shouldn’t have been that surprised. Reading through that list of characteristics again, there are some on both sides that apply to me. The left brain characteristics just seemed a little more obvious to me initially. The functions “uses logic”, “math and science”, “order/pattern perception”, “forms strategies”, “practical”, and “safe” all seem to apply to me. On the other hand, so do “‘big picture’ oriented”, “imagination rules”, “symbols and images”, “present and future”, “philosophy & religion”, “spatial perception”, and “presents possibilities”. I can be impetuous and risk taking at times too, but I think I tend to stick to the practical and safe side more often. I also read elsewhere that left brained people tend to be more organized and orderly while right brained people are disorganized and messy. I definitely fall on the right brained side there.
Some of the other tests I took and the results are below:
Hemispheric Dominance Inventory Test - I answered 13 as right brain and 5 as left brain.
Brain Lateralization Test - I came out 50% left brain, 50% right brain.
Brainworks Left Right Brain Test - My results were Auditory: 20%, Visual: 80%, Left Brain: 47%, Right Brain: 52%
What side of your brain do you use most?
Interesting. The dancer only goes clockwise for me and I got the same score on the hemispheric dominance inventory test (sounds harder than it is). Looking at the list I’d say I’m about 50/50 … adaptable to the situation.