# Learning Types, Right brain and Left brain, and Cognitive Functions



## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

Recently I’ve been into studying learning styles and the difference between being right brain dominant and left brain dominant. I find it intriguing because the study applies to pretty much everything, and I think contributes to some of stereotypes for MBTI types we come up with. It’s just interesting playing with all the ideas that stem out from these.

We all know about the three primary learning styles: auditory, kinesthetic, and visual. Approximately 65% of the population is visual, 30% is auditory, and 5% is kinesthetic. Then there’s also right brain dominant people and left brain dominant people. 

Commonly, the right brain dominant people are referred to as the “creative” ones, while the left brain dominant people are referred to as the “academic” ones. It’s not quite as simple as that, though, and I think those labels to be more misleading than anything else. 

Left Brain, Right Brain, Whole Brain? - this site has good things to say about right brain versus left brain and the differences, as well as this one: Learning Styles


Here is a short blurb describing being right brain dominant, which is generally agreed upon (although it is a bit stereotypical): 



> The right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. In addition to being known as right-brained, you are also known as a creative thinker who uses feeling and intuition to gather information. You retain this information through the use of images and patterns. You are able to visualize the "whole" picture first, and then work backwards to put the pieces together to create the "whole" picture. Your thought process can appear quite illogical and meandering. The problem-solving techniques that you use involve free association, which is often very innovative and creative. The routes taken to arrive at your conclusions are completely opposite to what a left-brained person would be accustomed. You probably find it easy to express yourself using art, dance, or music. Some occupations usually held by a right-brained person are forest ranger, athlete, beautician, actor/actress, craftsman, and artist.


And the left brain: 



> Your left brain controls the right side of your body. In addition to being known as left-brained, you are also known as a critical thinker who uses logic and sense to collect information. You are able to retain this information through the use of numbers, words, and symbols. You usually only see parts of the "whole" picture, but this is what guides you step-by-step in a logical manner to your conclusion. Concise words, numerical and written formulas and technological systems are often forms of expression for you. Some occupations usually held by a left-brained person include a lab scientist, banker, judge, lawyer, mathematician, librarian, and skating judge.


I have heard better descriptions. The right brain is kinesthetic, all about the present, sound, and takes everything in. It is external. The left side of our brain thinks linearly. It is more methodical. It picks out details. It categorizes. It takes events from the past and remembers those and uses those to project the future. It thinks in language. It is internal and individual. It disconnects you from other people. It reminds you that you are an individual. 

Both sides are necessary, obviously. All of us have a preference, though, to use one side more than another. It is interesting how this connects with personality and learning types. What startled me is how the right side of the brain reminded me of Extroverted Intuition and Extroverted Sensing. The left side of the brain made me think of Introverted Sensing and Introverted Intuition. Now I don’t know – I could be pulling things out of thin air. But I suppose it is an idea to toy with. It seems that more kinesthetic and musical people have the inclination to be right brained. The right brain is more “scattered” it seems. The left brain hemisphere less so. 

I want to ask what others think on this matter. I’ve always wondered if there is any connection whatsoever to learning types and right/left brain dominant people and MBTI. It's equally interesting to see how this applies to the educational system. I know there's lots of Intuitives who say that the educational system is geared towards Sensors, and then there's Sensors who say the educational system is geared towards Intuitives. I think mainly these arguments actually stem from learning types and right brain dominant people versus left brain dominants. 

What do you think?


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## noaydi (Feb 18, 2011)

I think if hypothetical cog function were analyzed in a neuroscientific way, it would be wonderfull to read about.
Ive read about the left right brain stuff, and I think this is not quite simple (creative vs sensor). Ive read a good paper about this, and will post it if I remember where I found it.

Imo the term creativity need itself to be defined...For me thats not only related to art, to problem solving, to "big picture"... Thats essentially what humanity do, whatever form it take


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## Donovan (Nov 3, 2009)

i don't know, i really identified with both, and neither really seemed to be a "pure" function (there is nothing linear or logical about Ni--you can make it fit, or into something linear or logical at the end so others won't think you're a nutcase, but that's not how it begins, at least for me). 

i scored a little more right-brained. i identify with the trouble expressing myself clearly (anyone who reads one of my posts could see that ). classes that relied purely on step-by-step routes to problem solving i absolutely hate--that's not how my memory works, and so it's much better for me to actually learn the "why" behind each step (as in what are the cause and effects of going another way even) in order to learn--so at the end when i encounter a problem and others may feel more comfortable bringing up a set of rules in which to work with, i'd rather be able to translate the rules into words and images, to create a little mental pathway that makes sense to me and at that point i could really explain all the "nitty-gritty" intricacies verbally, or through a some sort of sketch. 

the "study-habit-thing" they had at the end was all just too jumbled together so i didn't really search through it. but i already know what to do, basically just translate everything--the understanding from one person's head and their own little reality makes sense from their perspective but all the clues that need to be provided to complete the flow of information get lost (usually because they're translating subjectively and don't really know what will or will not be a "key link" to piecing info. together), and then you take the jumbled-mess and try to convert it to something that makes sense to you... luckily there's the internet to fill in blank spots.

cool post Julia, thanks.


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

@celticstained - some people use both hemispheres pretty equally, so it can be hard to decipher. I'm not saying that those two hemispheres are functions per se, rather than that it would be interesting to see the connection between the cognitive functions and right brain dominant versus left brain dominant people.  Thanks. ^^


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## jeffbobs (Jan 27, 2012)

I was forced to use my right hand when i was a child....left handed people where not real, And was told that effects which side of your brain you use, Would love to see how it has affected me


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

jeffbobs said:


> I was forced to use my right hand when i was a child....left handed people where not real, And was told that effects which side of your brain you use, Would love to see how it has affected me


Oh man, that's awful. D; Doing that is counterproductive, I think. It hinders what is naturally there. Interestingly enough, you can still be right brain dominant even if you are right handed (even naturally).


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

I'm pretty sure Ni would be the epitome of right brained, since it tends to be linked with verbal communication issues, which are based in left-brain deficits. Intuition is the epitome of a right-brained trait in general, although I'm not sure how much this crosses over with the Jungian concept. Dario Nardi's type brain study suggested that Te is probably the most left-brained, while Fi might also be as well, surprisingly, Ti is more linear and left-brained, I think, Se is more right-brained, Fe...not sure, but might be more right brained...Si...don't know and Ne, don't know. I suggest you look into this if you want the most credible brain type study to date.


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

no_id said:


> I think if hypothetical cog function were analyzed in a neuroscientific way, it would be wonderfull to read about.
> Ive read about the left right brain stuff, and I think this is not quite simple (creative vs sensor). Ive read a good paper about this, and will post it if I remember where I found it.
> 
> Imo the term creativity need itself to be defined...For me thats not only related to art, to problem solving, to "big picture"... Thats essentially what humanity do, whatever form it take


Read Dr. Nardi this is exactly what he did.


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

JungyesMBTIno said:


> I'm pretty sure Ni would be the epitome of right brained, since it tends to be linked with verbal communication issues, which are based in left-brain deficits. Intuition is the epitome of a right-brained trait in general, although I'm not sure how much this crosses over with the Jungian concept. Dario Nardi's type brain study suggested that Te is probably the most left-brained, while Fi might also be as well, surprisingly, Ti is more linear and left-brained, I think, Se is more right-brained, Fe...not sure, but might be more right brained...Si...don't know and Ne, don't know. I suggest you look into this if you want the most credible brain type study to date.


Hmm... I suppose Ni could be right brained, it just seemed more of a left-brained thing since the left brain stores things and calls back on it to make connections. It's the thing that thinks in a sequential manner, whereas the right brain has been described as thinking in a "random" manner. I feel that Si is definitely a left-brained thing. I haven't looked into Te, Ti, Fe, Fi yet because while I have been looking into it, it was easiest to see how we perceive things with right versus left brain than how we judge. I'd have to look into this a lot more. Which would be cool. XD Se and Ne seem right brained to me. While the left hemisphere does the "looking into the future", Ne kind of does that, but it's more like a bunch of ideas and possibilities, which is a right-brained thing. At least I know that Ne doms tend to have a more scattered way of doing things. We skip around, we don't like focusing on one thing for too long (ohwait, I suppose that's an NP or SP thing O_O)... 



> The left side of the brain processes information in a linear manner. It process from part to whole. It takes pieces, lines them up, and arranges them in a logical order; then it draws conclusions. The right brain, however, processes from whole to part, holistically. It starts with the answer. It sees the big picture first, not the details. If you are right-brained, you may have difficulty following a lecture unless you are given the big picture first. Do you now see why it is absolutely necessary for a right-brained person to read an assigned chapter or background information before a lecture or to survey a chapter before reading? If an instructor doesn't consistently give an overview before he or she begins a lecture, you may need to ask at the end of class what the next lecture will be and how you can prepare for it. If you are predominantly right-brained, you may also have trouble outlining (you've probably written many papers first and outlined them latter because an outline was required).


... Seems like right is NP or SP. I know that while I never connected Se with "big picture" so much, it does seem more like it has the right tendency of skipping around. 



> The left brain has no trouble processing symbols. Many academic pursuits deal with symbols such as letters, words, and mathematical notations. The left-brained person tends to be comfortable with linguistic and mathematical endeavors. Left-brained students will probably just memorize vocabulary words or math formulas. The right brain, on the other hand, wants things to be concrete. The right-brained person wants to see, feel, or touch the real object. Right-brained students may have had trouble learning to read using phonics. They prefer to see words in context and to see how the formula works.


I find that interesting since most people think of Intuitives as the less "concrete" function. It seems, though, that if Intuition is more of a right brain thing, then more Intuitives would be "concrete". I find this to be the case, actually, being kinesthetic and an Ne dom myself. I'm not 100% sure about Ni, still. Left brained is verbal, though, right brain less so. Left brain dominants have an easier time expressing themselves using words. 



> The left brain processes in a linear, sequential, logical manner. When you process on the left side, you use information piece by piece to solve a math problem or work out a science experiment. When you read and listen, you look for the pieces so that you can draw logical conclusions. Your decisions are made on logic--proof. If you process primarily on the right side of the brain, you use intuition. You may know the right answer to a math problem but not be sure how you got it. You may have to start with the answer and work backwards. On a quiz, you have a gut feeling as to which answers are correct, and you are usually right. In writing, it is the left brain that pays attention to mechanics such as spelling, agreement, and punctuation. But the right side pays attention to coherence and meaning; that is, your right brain tells you it "feels" right. Your decisions will be based on feelings.


Even more interesting. Maybe trying to connect this with functions is just insane. XD Maybe those who use Ni are one of the more balanced people between left versus right?


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## noaydi (Feb 18, 2011)

> Read Dr. Nardi this is exactly what he did.


This is awesome, thx. This is probably a full of potential area of research imo, especially for classification (mental disorders, the "what is a normal brain" question, ect)


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## LibertyPrime (Dec 17, 2010)

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” 
― Albert Einstein

Here:


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

@Rim - Yes! I've seen that video! I saw it once and then couldn't find it again. Very intriguing. I liked that guy better than all the other descriptions I had heard.


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## LibertyPrime (Dec 17, 2010)

Julia Bell said:


> @Rim - Yes! I've seen that video! I saw it once and then couldn't find it again. Very intriguing. I liked that guy better than all the other descriptions I had heard.


o.o yeah judging by my own tendencies I think its quite clear that I prefer the right hemisphere over the left. This is also confirmed by me being type 6...its quite odd.


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Ni isn't sequential thinking (or intuiting, to be precise). It's like Ne, but convergent, instead of divergent. The whole having visions that seemingly come out of nowhere stuff is associated with Ni, and associated with being a right-brained thinker, last I checked. As an Ni dom, I'm not a sequential thinker, and I hate studying stuff in sequential order, unless I'm trying to memorize it in a meaningful way. Nardi found that Ni types tend to have whole-brain patterns of usage. Truth be told, a lot of INXPs I know aren't really "big picture" thinkers - they seem to be rather balanced between this and details, likely due to aux. Ne, tert. Si.


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

@JungyesMBTIno - Note taken. ^^ Ni, Ne --> Right. Se? --> Right... left... something. Si --> Left. I think. Perhaps those with a perceiving function as their dominant is more likely to be a right brain dominant. O_O Not sure.


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## The Great One (Apr 19, 2010)

Quoting Gardner's multiple intelligences, I'm Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and kinesthetic.


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Julia Bell said:


> @JungyesMBTIno - Note taken. ^^ Ni, Ne --> Right. Se? --> Right... left... something. Si --> Left. I think. Perhaps those with a perceiving function as their dominant is more likely to be a right brain dominant. O_O Not sure.


Well, I actually have a theory that all P functions are right-brained, while all J functions are left-brained. I can dig that thread up if you'd like to see it...


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

JungyesMBTIno said:


> Well, I actually have a theory that all P functions are right-brained, while all J functions are left-brained. I can dig that thread up if you'd like to see it...


Okay, that's awesome. @[email protected] I'd love to see it!


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## Flatlander (Feb 25, 2012)

JungyesMBTIno said:


> Nardi found that Ni types tend to have whole-brain patterns of usage.


Yes.

That was what I kept wanting to point out to people who say Ni has a hemisphere; I've been seriously wondering if it does, and that suggests it might not.


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Yeah, I'm not sure where it originates from, although Nardi's EEG patterns made this ambiguous due to it's highly spread activity.


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## Donovan (Nov 3, 2009)

JungyesMBTIno said:


> Ni isn't sequential thinking (or intuiting, to be precise). It's like Ne, but convergent, instead of divergent. The whole having visions that seemingly come out of nowhere stuff is associated with Ni, and associated with being a right-brained thinker, last I checked. As an Ni dom, I'm not a sequential thinker, and I hate studying stuff in sequential order, unless I'm trying to memorize it in a meaningful way. Nardi found that Ni types tend to have whole-brain patterns of usage. Truth be told, a lot of INXPs I know aren't really "big picture" thinkers - they seem to be rather balanced between this and details, likely due to aux. Ne, tert. Si.


i just watched Dario's video. apparently all people will go into the state where the entire brain is being engaged and at a low frequency (amplitude?) and it will light up as blue. certain people will undergo this process for a reason that has nothing to do with type and everything to do with them as an individual. for others, it will be very type specific. Dario made more of a distinction when naming the types that experience the type-blue-brain, but from what he said, he may have just meant Fi-types when he said INFPs. if he did, then we can say that Fi, Si, Ni, and i think Se. Fi will do so when listening, they can maintain use of their entire brain for up to ten minutes. Si types will do so when engaging in an exercise that they have a lot of experience in. Ni types, i think i heard somewhere that he said they will do so when "thinking about the future", but just from his video it's clear they do it in other ways as well: when taking multiple "things" and converging them into "one" (sound familiar?). in the video he gives an ENFJ a fictitious newspaper clipping about an irresponsible person who costs people their lives (or something similar) and asks the lady how she feels--she [refused] to give just one answer because she felt so many things, so instead she _combined_ them all into a philosophical musing on life, and at that point, her entire brain underwent the transformation--interesting, right? the ESFP that underwent the transformation did so when role-playing a crisis situation--the "activation energy" needed for her was higher, but once the situation became or imbued a certain element, her entire brain came into play. 

something else that was interesting was that SP's actually had the best visual memory, and that their brain activity was lower while undergoing the experiment, but higher when just looking at activity outside of the window. different brains, different catalysts . 

as far as right brained/left brained? according to Nardi, there really isn't any such thing. if you look at his studies, it does seem that certain functions are attributed to certain parts of the brain--all Ti-types have brain activity in a certain section when problem solving, or more specifically, solving problems that have to do with a step-by-step, logical, sequential order--from this, it seems that whatever functions you are utilizing will be the parts of the brain that you prefer, meaning that for someone to be right/left-brained, one would have to define (and exclude) a majority of the brain in order to make the determination (as in dealing with the [Executives]--either the left/right, frontal part of the brain that in some way handles just about every decision you make, but narrowing it down to this would again exclude a lot and tell one very little). i mean, looking at an INFP's brain, they make a "halo" shape, with a middle section connecting through the middle of the halo, and the above and below sections (below the connecting bridge), there usually isn't any activity (no activity is normal for every type, it just differs as to where). 

there's a lot more i want to say, but, i don't want to ruin the video for anyone who's actually going to watch it.


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

celticstained said:


> i just watched Dario's video. apparently all people will go into the state where the entire brain is being engaged and at a low frequency (amplitude?) and it will light up as blue. certain people will undergo this process for a reason that has nothing to do with type and everything to do with them as an individual. for others, it will be very type specific. Dario made more of a distinction when naming the types that experience the type-blue-brain, but from what he said, he may have just meant Fi-types when he said INFPs. if he did, then we can say that Fi, Si, Ni, and i think Se. Fi will do so when listening, they can maintain use of their entire brain for up to ten minutes. Si types will do so when engaging in an exercise that they have a lot of experience in. Ni types, i think i heard somewhere that he said they will do so when "thinking about the future", but just from his video it's clear they do it in other ways as well: when taking multiple "things" and converging them into "one" (sound familiar?). in the video he gives an ENFJ a fictitious newspaper clipping about an irresponsible person who costs people their lives (or something similar) and asks the lady how she feels--she [refused] to give just one answer because she felt so many things, so instead she _combined_ them all into a philosophical musing on life, and at that point, her entire brain underwent the transformation--interesting, right? the ESFP that underwent the transformation did so when role-playing a crisis situation--the "activation energy" needed for her was higher, but once the situation became or imbued a certain element, her entire brain came into play.
> 
> something else that was interesting was that SP's actually had the best visual memory, and that their brain activity was lower while undergoing the experiment, but higher when just looking at activity outside of the window. different brains, different catalysts .
> 
> ...


If you're interested, the book is worth it. But we should be careful, as Nardi is, that this data is very preliminary and EEGs can't, as of yet, go too deeply into the brain. So there might be other things going on deeper in the lobes that the EEG isn't picking up.


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## MCRTS (Jul 4, 2011)

Julia Bell said:


> @JungyesMBTIno - Note taken. ^^ Ni, Ne --> Right. Se? --> Right... left... something. Si --> Left. I think. Perhaps those with a perceiving function as their dominant is more likely to be a right brain dominant. O_O Not sure.


I'm a Si dom, but I use my right brain quite a lot. My failed math grade speaks for itself. Haha.


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## DreamStepper (Feb 27, 2012)

Well I can give you myself as an example.

I am right brained. I learn by touching things.
I enjoy the correlation between Ne and Right brained. (Look at my signature)
I am very artistic also.


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## Brian1 (May 7, 2011)

I think I'm mixed or whole brained to left brain dominant.


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