So happy together: Deconstructing the right brain / left brain myth

A blog post co-written by psychotherapist Dr Ana Kozomara-Lund and social neuroscientist Dr Pascal Vrticka on the pervasive “left brain versus right brain” myth.

Main take home message
The “right brain” versus “left brain” concept intuitively resonates with many people’s self-perceived strengths and weaknesses. It offers a tangible explanation for understanding personality and cognitive styles and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms – including in a therapeutic setting. However, the concept’s underlying assumptions are not supported by current neuroscientific evidence.

Hence, we should not continue to promote a myth that has already been debunked many times just for the sake of its simplicity and user-friendly nature. What we should do instead is to refer to more appropriate and up-to-date neuroscience explanations, even if they are less intuitive and more complicated. It is really worth it and many people, including the two authors, are very happy to help and provide support along the way.

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