Left Vs Right

For the past few days, there seems to be a phrase that keeps cropping up repeatedly in various conversations. Just two days back I was attending a motivational talk at a college and the accomplished speaker was drawing attention to thinking patterns by describing left brain vs right brain thinking. I had been trying to identify whether I approach life as a strict left-brained person considering I have pursued higher education in a scientific field which requires data, logic and reasoning. And whether such precise, data-driven methods always bring me to the right solution. Would I or should I try the intuitive, gut-feeling, right-brained approach followed by creative people?

It is tough to choose one path and categorize yourself into one or the other category, after all, I do have both parts of my brain functioning reasonably well, I think, even if I prefer one hemisphere to the other. So I looked up the subject on the definitive source of information on mind-boggling matters - Google. I came across multiple choice tests with quantitative scores to categorize me. Surprisingly, these mathematical approaches were featured on websites of institutes offering creative courses in the arts. A rotating picture of a dancer is also supposed to be a valid predictor of "right-brainness" depending on whether you perceive her to be rotating clock-wise or anti-clockwise. Newspaper websites seemed to have this link. Since my logical mind tried both the exam approach and the visual test approach, I am happy to report that I am left-brained as per my test score but right-brained as per the dancer. Huh?

What do I do now? The tests can't be incorrect? Google can't be infallible? Looks like my intellectual ability has slipped between the cracks of the two hemispheres! I tried to think of past situations where I have used historical data to come to logical conclusions that served me well. While there are many examples of those, it turned out that there were enough examples of situations where I followed my gut instinct without much documented support and that took me on interesting paths as well. I think we all do that. Tap into our available resources to find answers to issues that need solving. We have a complete brain and the smart thing to do is to use it fully, appropriately and finally be OK with the consequences of choices made with the head (left-brain) or heart (right-brain). While the two may differ sometimes when thrown the same question, one thing is clear. Stay away from putting yourself in a box with a label that does not completely suit you.

My dominant way of thinking may be left-brained but it is also the one that is now supporting my endeavors to try creative pursuits that exercise my right-brain.