Are you a strong Left-brain person or a strong Right-brain person? Do you know what the difference is? Would you like to know so that you can better understand why strong R-brain or strong L-brain acquaintances react the way they do? Well, maybe this pearl can help you with that.
Part-6 of this mindfulness series may help to clear up the confusion when people refer to R-brain and Left-brain people. The major confusion lies in whether you are referring to the left and right frontal cortices or the left and right temporal cortices or a hodgepodge of both. Simply, the frontal cortices store our rational experiential memories and the temporal cortices store our skill memories. The left temporal cortex is where our language skills (listening and speaking) programming and memories are stored. The right temporal cortex is where our math and music skill’s programs and memories are stored. “Temporally” speaking, being strong in language skills would make you a Left-brain person and being strong in math and/or music would make you a Right-brain person. There is an interesting discussion at the end of this pearl about the temporal cortices with regard to gender.
How our Rational Right and Left brains are PROGRAMMED to React:
Below is a diagram of the programming (attributes, etc.) wired into the left and right frontal cortices, which the PFC uses to make decisions on how to react. As you can see, each style’s programming (attributes): makes us either task-oriented or people-oriented; impels us attain a specific purpose; is triggered by a specific emotion; is fast, moderate or slow paced; and, is motivated by three criterion.
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The right frontal lobe is divided into two areas, as is the left frontal lobe. These four areas contain the memories and programming (attributes) of the four rational styles (analyzer, director, relator and socializer). Everybody has all four rational styles, which can be either strong (we use that style much of the time), weak (we use that style little of the time, or moderate (we use the style as needed). We are though strongest in just one style that we use when distressed. We can only use one style at a time but can switch from one style to another instantly; typically from a weaker style to our strongest style.
Use of Genetic Personality PATTERNS:
To put this pearl into perspective, there are essentially five types of genetic personality patterns that all humans share.
1) The four STRONG patterns represent people that are very strong in one style and moderately weak to weak in the other three
2) The four WEAK patterns represent people that are very weak in one style and moderately strong in the other three
3) The twelve MODERATE patterns represent people that are moderately strong in two styles and moderate to weak in the other two styles
4) The two RIGHT-brain patterns represent people that are strong in the director and socializer styles and weak in the analyzer and relator styles
5) The two LEFT-brain patterns represent people that are strong in the analyzer and relator styles and weak in the director and socializer styles
The majority of humanity has either a strong, weak or moderate pattern. R-brain & L-brain patterns are not as prevalent, but we all know excessively extroverted R-brain people and excessively introverted L-brain people. No matter what our pattern when using a style, we will react the same way as noted in parts 2, 3, 4 and 5 of this mindfulness series. Our strong style patterns make us switch out of whatever style we are using and use that strongest style. Our weak patterns represent the weak style that we easily switch out of to another style. The R-brain director/socializer pattern is the one we rarely switch out of in lieu of the left-brain relator or analyzer style. Our L-brain relator/analyzer pattern is the one we rarely switch out of in lieu of our right-brain director or socializer style.
R-Brain & L-Brain People Defined:
Right-Brain people: R-brain people are strong to very strong in the director and socializer styles and weak to very weak in the analyzer and relator styles. A R-brain director is strongest in the director style and a R-brain socializer is strongest in the socializer style. The main difference between the Strong Director (or Strong Socializer) pattern and the R-brain pattern is that a R-brain pattern is always very weak in the analyzer and relator styles, which isn’t necessarily true for the Strong Director pattern or the Strong Socializer pattern.
Left-Brain people: L-brain people are strong to very strong in the relator and analyzer styles and weak to very weak in the director and socializer styles. A L-brain analyzer is strongest in the analyzer style and a L-brain relator is strongest in the relator style. The main difference between the Strong Analyzer (or Strong Relator) pattern and the L-brain pattern is that a L-brain pattern is always very weak in the director and socializer styles, which isn’t necessarily true for the Strong Director or the Strong Socializer pattern.
Complete Opposites: R-brain and L-brain people are completely opposite since the R-brain director style and L-brain relator styles are opposite and since the R-brain socializer style and the L-brain analyzer style are opposite. Like most things in the human body, opposites moderate each other—for example, insulin reduces blood glucose if it goes too high and glucagon increases blood glucose if it goes too low, moderating each other throughout the day. With rational styles, being strong in a style and weak in its opposite style makes us doubly strong in one and doubly weak in the other. Thus, R-brain people are doubly strong in the director and socializer styles and doubly weak in the analyzer and relator styles. And, L-brain people are doubly strong in the analyzer and relator styles and doubly weak in the director and socializer styles.
For decades I have been referring to a person’s reactions based on the attributes of their strongest style and their weakest styles and whether they are opposite. Recently, I have noticed that Right-brain people tend to react in a special manner as do L-brain people. The right brain involves interactive thinking and the left brain involves detailed thinking. When we consider interactive thinking with the combined attributes of the director and socializer styles, we can better understand Right-brain people. When we consider detail thinking with the combined attributes of the analyzer and relator styles we can get a better understanding of Left-brain people.
R-brain DOMINANCE:
It matters whether the R-brain’s director or socializer style is the strongest, because that R-brain person will react with that strongest style when distressed, supported by the other strong style. When not distressed, R-brain people tend to flip back and forth between the director and socializer styles, reacting with the attributes of the style used. R-brain people of course use their weak analyzer and relator styles when triggered by fear or sorrow, but that isn’t very common, making R-brain people somewhat fearless and indifferent.
L-brain DOMINANCE:
Similarly, it matters whether the L-brain’s analyzer or relator style is strongest, because a L-brain person will react with that strongest style when distressed, somewhat supported by the other strong style. When not distressed, L-brain people tend to flip back and forth between the analyzer and relator styles, reacting with the attributes of the style used. Again, L-brain people use their weak director and socializer styles limitedly, when triggered by anger or joy. The joy emotion is always in use when we sense a possible connection, but once that connection is determined either the analyzer or relator style takes over and reacts accordingly. If a negative connection, the relator style will sense a disconnection and the analyzer style will become fearful and thus avoid that connection. If a positive connection, the analyzer and relator styles will embrace that connection.
DECISIVENESS:
Decisiveness about anything new mostly distinguishes R-brain people from L-brain people. R-brain socializer-director people are overly decisive due to their quick interactive thinking with fewer details to consider. Also, socializers must make instant decisions about positive and negative connections and react accordingly—they also make quick decisions about anything that evokes their joy. And directors make quick decisions to deal with the anger triggered by perceived confrontation or inhibition—they also make quick decisions to do something to solve a problem, even when there is no problem.
Left-brain people are inherently indecisive, since it takes longer to review the many possible details to make a decision on anything new. Also, L-brain analyzers cautiously proceed to avoid making decisions for fear of pain or being wrong—they do though make quick decisions about routine/repetitive situations. L-brain relators avoid making decisions that might cause disconnection, although they make quick routine/repetitive decisions involving family and friends.
Bottom line: When it comes to anything new, Left-brain people defer decision-making to Right-brain people.
SURETY:
Due to their decisiveness on anything new, along with their style attributes, R-brain socializers and directors are usually sure about their opinions and if so assert them with finality. They need few details to decide on most anything and assume that their opinions are fact; so they are fully committed to it.
Due to their indecisiveness on anything new, L-brain analyzers and relators are usually NOT sure and rarely commit to an opinion or course of action with any hint of finality. Even their language is non-committal, not decisively stating their opinions (as if they were fact) and hedge instead.
Bottom line: Right-brain people project surety and L-brain people don’t when it comes to accepting anything new or different.
ROUTINE and REPITITION:
L-brain people love routine/repetition—they are not pioneering and they distrust new situations—routine and repetition gives them a sense of security. Routine and repetition makes the fearful L-brain analyzer evoke less fear because they know what to expect. L-brain analyzers are motivated: 1) to avoid loss or pain; 2) to do what they’re obligated to do; and 3) to distrust new situations, which requires them to seek out safe repetitive or routine situations. Similarly, repetition makes sorrowful L-brain relators evoke less sorrow because they don’t sense as much disconnection in routine or repetitive situations with friends and family.
R-brain interactive-thinking people find routine and repetition boring. They are pioneers who seek what’s new and different—they are mostly responsible for new inventions and ways of thinking. R-brain socializers are motivated: 1) to pursue pleasure and gain; 2) to be unconstrained; and 3) to trust new situations. This practically requires socializers to seek out new and different, non-repetitive situations. R-brain directors consider routine situations boring, if not inhibiting and they love a challenge or something new to accomplish.
Bottom line: No matter which style we are strongest in, we all require some level of routine or repetition in our lives, but L-brain people feel more secure the more routine or repetition they have to embrace, while R-brain people feel constrained the more routine or repetition they have to endure.
SELF-serving vs. OTHERS-serving:
We are all self-serving, especially when alone, but we all have the capacity to be others-serving. The director and socializer style’s attributes are obviously self-serving, making R-brain people more genetically self-serving than others-serving. On the other hand, socializers want others to be happy and directors show that they care by doing tasks for others. L-brain relators are overly others-serving and analyzers, who want to “do the right thing” are somewhat others-serving making L-brain people more others-serving than self-serving.
Bottom line: It is difficult for R-brain people to be other’s serving when distressed and especially if he or she is a strongest director. Socializers are less self-serving because they want others to be happy, but it’s a struggle. It is unusual for L-brain people to be self serving except when emotionally triggered by fear or sorrow, which takes over their rational to deal with what is momentarily best for them.
Right-brain Emotion and Style Fusion:
When both of our R-brain interactive styles are very strong, we instantly switch back and forth between them. In people situations, R-brain people use their interactive-thinking socializer style and when in a task situation they use their interactive-thinking director style. When directors are thinking about numerous tasks to complete they choose the task that instantly evokes joy when thought about. When someone’s boss confronts them about an incomplete task, it instantly triggers anger and a switch to the director style to get that task done. The point is that they instantly switch back and forth between their director and socializer styles forgoing the relator or analyzer styles.
Bottom line: Joy can instantly trigger which task of many that a director must complete. Anger can instantly motivate a strong R-brain socializer to complete an important task. In either case, switching to the analyzer or relator style is usually not an option.
Left-brain Emotion and Style Fusion:
Again, when both of our L-brain detail analyzer and relator styles are very strong we switch back and forth between them depending on whether it is a people or task situation—they rarely switch to the director or socializer styles. While doing a task they may ignore and disconnect from others, which instantly triggers sorrow and switching to the relator style to reconnect, ignoring the task. When relating with others, fear may cause them to instantly switch to their analyzer style to work on an important task ignoring others involved.
Bottom line: Fear can instantly trigger the need to ignore others to work on a task and sorrow can instantly trigger the need to reconnect with others. In either case, switching to the director or socializer style is usually not an option.
The TEMPORAL “SKILL” Cortices (Gender-Related):
The left temporal cortex contains hearing and speaking (communication) skill neurons, while the right temporal cortex contains math and music skill neurons. Females and males have the same L-brain temporal communication neurons, but their R-brain temporal neuron are different since a female’s R-temporal cortex also contains some hearing and speaking neurons, increasing the number of communication neurons and decreasing the number of math and music neurons. This reduced number of math and music neurons in females is probably why males seem better at these skills than females. Also, the number of R-brain math and the number of music neurons makes a difference. People with mostly math neurons excel in math, while people with mostly music neurons excel in music. Of course, practice has an effect on skills since people who practice more develop more neurons for those skills—but there are some people (Mozart, etc.) who are just natural at music. I have a male friend that excels in piano and loves to listen to music, but can hardly do math beyond the four basic skills—he probably has way fewer math neurons than music neurons.
As far as a female’s temporal communication skills and evolution are concerned, females were the communicative humans responsible for creating societies. This allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species and males, who are more physically endowed than females, to become the dominant gender. But in this new world, communication skills are more important physical prowess, allowing a world physically dominated by males to become more dominated by females. Only time will tell, but hopefully males and females will eventually become equally dominant and share in the creation of a viable future for our species.
Bottom Line for Mindful R-Brain people:
If you COEXIST with a strong R-brain person:
Try to understand why they react the way they do as indicated here, try NOT to think the worse of them and enjoy their joyful life and ability to get things done.
If YOU ARE a strong R-brain person:
Try to be less impulsive and more open to other’s needs, opinions and listen to their details.
Stop talking or stop doing a task and listen to the needs and opinions of others, making them more important than yours.
Don’t assume that they want your help or opinions—they probably don’t unless they ask you for them.
Try to get strong analyzers and relators to make the decisions by asking them what they want to do.
Assume that when they make a hedging statement that they actually believe it to be true.
Try to be less emotional—not everything is a possible confrontation/inhibition—not everything is a possible connection to get excited about.
Try to be less careless or pioneering, you may be putting those you love in danger.
Try to get more joy out of life, concentrating on your positive memories instead of your negative ones.
Bottom Line for Mindful L-brain people:
If you COEXIST with a strong L-brain person:
Try to understand why they react the way they do as indicated here, try NOT to think the worse of them and enjoy what they enjoy, to better get along with them—not everything is about you and your emotions.
If YOU ARE a strong L-brain person:
Try to be more open to new experiences when suggested by others.
Try to be more decisive, not leaving the decisions to othgers and regretting it.
Stop hedging when making a statement you believe to be true; project more confidence in what you say.
Try to be less emotional—not everything is a possible risk or danger—not everything is a possible disconnection.
Try to get more joy out of life, concentrating on your positive memories instead of your negative ones.
I hope that this mindfulness pearl has helped you to better understand R-brain and L-brain people and thus, how to better get along with them. The final pearl in this 7-part “mindfulness” series will help you to lead a more positive life.
