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The two halves of the brain's cerebral cortex execute different functions. The cerebral cortex is a part of the brain that exists only in humans and higher mammals, to manage their sophisticated intellect. The Lateralization theory developed by Nobel prize winners Roger Sperry and Robert Ornstein helps us understand our behavior, our personality, our creativity, and our ability to use the proper mode of thinking when performing particular tasks. The two halves or hemispheres, are joined by the corpus callosum. This is a bundle of more than 200 million nerve fibers that transmit data from one hemisphere to the other so that the two halves can communicate. Even though this nerve connection would seem to be vital, it is severed in a surgical procedure for some people who have epilepsy. The corpus callosum is up to 40 percent larger in women than it is in men.

Specifying the functions of the two hemispheres.

The following descriptions apply to most right handed people, for left handed people, this information is typically reversed.

-The left hemisphere specializes in analytical thought. It deals with hard facts, abstractions, structure, discipline and rules, time sequences, mathematics, categorizing, logic and rationality and deductive reasoning, knowledge, details, definitions, planning and goals, words, productivity and efficiency, science and technology, stability, extraversion, physical activity, and the right side of the body. The left hemisphere is emphasized in our educational system and in our society in general. As Marshall McLuhan speculated, "The day when bureaucracy becomes right hemisphere will be utopia".

-The right hemisphere specializes in the softer aspects of life. This includes intuition, feelings and sensitivity, emotions, daydreaming and visualizing, creativity, art and music, color, spatial awareness, first impressions, rhythm, spontaneity and impulsiveness, the physical senses, risk taking, flexibility and variety, learning by experience, relationships, mysticism, play and sports, introversion, humor, motor skills, the left side of the body, and a mode of perception that recognizes patterns and similarities and then synthesizes those elements into new forms.

Developing Lateralization.

This is the use of the proper hemisphere for the task that we are doing. When we are playing a friendly game of softball, a right hemisphere activity, we would lose the fun of the game if we were overly apprehensive regarding left hemisphere matters such as rules and discipline. When we are balancing our checkbook, a left hemisphere activity, we don't want to be distracted by the right hemisphere's fascination with creativity and emotions. In every task, one hemisphere is dominant, but the other hemisphere participates to some extent. We do have strict rules during the softball game, and we can feel happy when we notice that our bills are not as costly this month. When we understand Lateralization, we become more efficient. We can consciously allow and emphasize the correct hemisphere, knowing that the sense oriented right hemisphere is a better softball player, and the analytical left hemisphere is better in math. We also benefit from knowing which hemisphere to use during a particular stage of a task. During problem solving, we use the left hemisphere for the information gathering stage, but we use the right hemisphere during brainstorming and incubation of the ideas.

We tend to use one half more than the other.

During childhood, we develop brain dominance, the inclination to act and think in the mode of either the left or right hemisphere. This decision is affected by our genetics, childhood experiences, and family environment. The dominance is not total. Whether we are right brained or left brained, we permit the other hemisphere to lead occasionally.

We tend to distrust or even dislike the non-dominant half.

If we generally use our left hemisphere, we may be annoyed by our right hemisphere as though it were an undisciplined child. A right hemisphere person may consider his or her left hemisphere to be a spoil sport. These same attitudes can be projected onto other people. If we favor the right hemisphere, but our co-workers are oriented toward their left hemisphere, we are likely to judge them as boring and rigid. If we favour the left hemisphere, we probably view our right hemisphere co-workers as unreliable and disorganized. Both types of people can be effective if permitted to work in their own way, as some employers have discovered.

We need to develop both hemispheres.

This is necessary because some tasks require the left hemisphere primarily, and others predominantly call on the right hemisphere. Our brain dominance stays the same, a right hemisphere person does not change into a left hemisphere person but we can develop the skills of the other half so that half will be more effective when we need to use it.

We can enhance our non-dominant hemisphere in the following ways:

--First, we can become more aware of the two modes. What do we feel when we are in a right hemisphere mode, and what do we feel when we are in a left hemisphere mode? Refer to the lists of tasks that correspond to each hemisphere, and then note the various sensations throughout your mind and body while performing the tasks. While monitoring yourself, be certain that you are using the proper hemisphere such as the right hemisphere while singing. We need to be able to sense the differences in order to ascertain whether we are indeed using our dominant or non-dominant hemisphere.

--We can become aware of the shift itself. To develop this perceptiveness, we can do an activity that predominantly calls for one hemisphere, and then switch to an activity that uses the other hemisphere, and pay attention to the feeling of transition in mind and body. When we know what the shift feels like, we can use this knowledge to verify that a shift has occurred on any occasion when we want to willfully change hemispheres.

--We can sense the requirement of each task as we perform it. We can change back and forth between hemispheres by approaching the job playfully or analytically, to determine whether we feel better, and are more efficient when we are in the right or left hemisphere. When we are house cleaning, we may think it is a left hemisphere task because we are attending to details and goals. When we are engaged in physical activity, the task is easier if we do it in the right hemisphere mode, relaxing and enjoying our body's movements and rhythms and the aesthetics of a clean home. If we become more sensitive to the differences between the right and left hemisphere modes during our day's activities, we will become more aware of the needs of each task and we will probably be surprised by the number of tasks that are simpler and more delightful when we do them from the right hemisphere, with a sense of play, adventure, spontaneity, and creativity. Or, conversely, we will discover that some of our chores need to be switched from the right to the left hemisphere. If we do not yet have sensitivity regarding the appropriate use of hemispheres, we can make a logical estimation by asking ourselves, "How much analytical thought is required for this task?" In many cases, we are probably thinking too much about a chore that instead requires imagination and feeling.

--We can acknowledge the presence of the other hemisphere during any task. While engaging the left hemisphere, we can be careful not to be too serious and repressive of the right hemisphere. We may permit some creativity and delight while still accomplishing our goals. One way to involve the right hemisphere is to change our attitude from "I have to do this job now" to "I get to do this job now". This statement invites the right hemisphere to cooperate and to find its little unobtrusive pleasures while we do our work. If the right hemisphere demands more attention than the task allows, we can simply promise to attend to it later, "When I finish my work, I'll relax with a snack.".

--We can make alterations in our lifestyle. If our job keeps our left hemisphere engaged, particularly in an occupation such as accounting or computer repair, we can plan our free time and home life to utilize the right hemisphere. At work, we can try to schedule some times however brief to let the other hemisphere express itself. We can enjoy some personal conversations during our coffee break at work instead of discussing business matters.

--We can become aware of the 90 minute cycles in which the brain tends toward one hemisphere and then the other. There is no practical way to schedule our lives around this cycle, but we can make some concessions to the fact that one 90 minute period will allow us a sharper intellect from the left hemisphere, while the subsequent 90 minute period will grant us more creativity from the right hemisphere. This cycle is similar to the 90 minute Rapid Eye Movement cycle. During sleep, the brain proceeds through a 90 minute cycle that is characterized by various levels of brain activity, with REM dreams commencing at the same point in each cycle.

--We can notice the frustration and exhaustion that occur when we use the improper hemisphere for a task. We habitually use the same hemisphere for virtually everything we do. For some people, sex is a left hemisphere activity because they are concerned with performance, goals such as orgasms, size of body parts, and duration of time. The result can be impotence in the man, and frigidity in the woman. One approach in sex therapy is to teach people to relax, enjoy, and shift to the right hemisphere, which is the proper mode for sex.

--We can acknowledge other people's hemisphere preference, to enhance our communication. After just a few minutes of conversation, we are able to discern their preference by observing the following qualities in their speech. A right hemisphere person tends to exhibit more feeling, emotion, visual imagery, humor, and a musical quality in their voice. A left hemisphere person prefers logic, details, and a conversational structure that has an obvious direction and purpose. When we talk to either type of person, we can use the respective qualities so that we will be understood more easily. We need to give our listener a balance. Many public speakers intentionally make frequent changes between the left and right hemisphere facts and emotions to keep the audience interested.

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