Brain teaser: is there really such a thing as left and right?
Have you heard people say creative people are ‘right brained’ or scientists are ‘left brained’? Maybe you’ve even looked at your toddler and wondered what kind of brain they’ve got. But is it true that our interests and personality are decided by which side of our brains dominates?
First things first – is the left side of our brain logical and the right side creative and emotional?
While there are parts of our brains that are particularly important for certain things, our brains work in a really interconnected way, and we use both sides for most of the things we do.[1]
Some researchers took the findings that a specific area of the brain was important for some things as showing that there are different thinking styles.[2]
These ideas developed and people began to believe that everyone had a dominant side of the brain – which not only influenced how they thought about things (if they were emotional or rational), but also their personality.
This led to various products, books and ideas, including schools being advised to develop a curriculum that supported ‘whole-brain learning’.
These ideas about sides of the brain simplify what we understand about how we think and are not supported by more recent research.[2]
At the moment, there isn’t evidence from research that supports the idea that certain types of thinking only use one side of the brain or that our personalities are determined by if we’re ‘left-brained’ or right-brained'.[2]
What does this mean for you and your toddler?
We know that our brains change throughout our lives and there are periods when change is more rapid – and the first years of life is one of these periods.
Your toddler will be making lots of connections as they play, chat and experience the world – and which side of the brain is involved is probably not the most important thing!
What is important is knowing that what you do with your toddler helps their brain to develop
When you play and chat with your toddler, give them time and space to move, and provide interesting things to play with, look at and talk about, you are helping them to build and strengthen connections in their brain. If you’re stuck for ideas, you can always check the activities tab in our app for some inspiration!
The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University describe these connections as ‘brain architecture’ and suggest that this provides the ‘foundation for all future learning, behaviour and health.’[3] So, rather than worrying about left- or right-brained thinking, celebrate that all the time you’re spending with your toddler is brilliant for building their brain!
References:
[1] Abbot, R. & Burkitt, E. (2015) Child development and the brain: An introduction. (1st Edn)
[2] OECD (undated). Neuromyth 6. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/neuromyth6.htm
[3] Harvard Center on the Developing Child (undated). Brain Architecture. Available at: Harvard Center on the Developing Child