Monday, April 6, 2009

left or right brained?

I find information on the functions of the right brain verses the left brain fascinating. Your left brain is logical and linear while the right side is creative and empathic. I just took a 10 question right brain verses left brain quiz on http://www.lifescript.com/ and here's what my results said: "It's a tie. You are right down the middle. Talk about having the best of both worlds." In general, I would agree with these results, although I would say in most cases, I tend to be more right brained than left. When I looked at the picture test found at http://www.thedenverchannel.com/irresistible/14360333/detail.html , this verifed my thinking. I could only see the lady moving clockwise, which according to this site means I am more right brained. I have tried and tried to see her move the other direction with no success. Anyone out there able to see her move both directions or stop? I've looked at her for a while now, and I'm not sure I believe she moves another direction.

A few months ago, I listened to an Oprah Soul Series podcast in which she interviewed Daniel Pink, author of the ground breaking book, A Whole New Mind. I haven't yet read the book, but found the conversation Oprah and Pink had very interesting. Here is an introduction by Oprah about Pink's book:

"A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, by business and technology writer Daniel Pink. Daniel, a former chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore, presents a convincing argument that our country is entering a new era—the so-called conceptual age—during which right-brained skills such as design and storytelling will become far more crucial than traditionally left-brained skills such as accounting and computer programming. While the latter skills are readily outsourced, transformative abilities such as empathy and creativity are crucial in a new age 'animated by a different form of thinking and a new approach to life,' he writes. Because I've always been a right-brain kind of person—more of an inventive and empathetic storyteller than a linear, logical number cruncher—this book really spoke to me. Now, you know what happens when something new excites me: I want to share it with as many people as I can.

Last June I was invited to Stanford University to give the commencement address (my goddaughter Kirby was among the graduates). After finishing Daniel's book, I ordered 4,500 copies, one for each student in Stanford's class of 2008. I wanted to present them (along with another of my favorites, Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth) as graduation presents. For four days straight, a team of people tied ribbons around the books, which were waiting on their chairs. I recently interviewed Daniel for my Soul Series show on Sirius XM Radio. When we sat down in the studio in Chicago, I told him the story of my ribbon assembly line. "That's the kind of work we typically try to outsource!" Daniel joked.

In A Whole New Mind, he explains that one of the trademarks of the Conceptual Age is the outsourcing of traditional white-collar jobs such as law, accounting, and engineering to less-expensive overseas workers, particularly in Asia. But as he points out, you can't outsource creativity. Feel left out? Fear not, Daniel says: He has identified six right-brain-associated aptitudes that he believes anyone can develop, and tells us how we can use these skills not only to stay competitive in the workplace but to improve our lives and our world. "

If you have a little bit of time, I definitely recommend you listen to the podcast, and if you can see the lady moving counter-clockwise, let me know!

Wishing you lots of right-brained activities this week!
Namaste'
Yogadiva

SEE ALL QUIZZES

2 comments:

YogaforCynics said...

I recall a friend once drew a cartoon of me, showing the left side of my brain with a gauge reading "empty"...which there's some truth to, though I tend to be somewhat skeptical of any kind of easy division like "left brain/right brain," thinking these different characteristics are always far more interwoven than we might think. Nonetheless, I'll take Daniel Pink's prediction as a hopeful one....

Lynette said...

I read Pink's book this winter and loved it because it expresses how both "left" and "right" sides of our brains are valuable and the qualities from both sides should be developed. This is one of my favourite quotes,

"Sometimes the most powerful ideas come from simply combining two existing ideas nobody else ever thought to unite."
~ Daniel Pink

It's worth the read! Thanks for this post.
You have an enjoyable blog.
L