NPR: Right Brain, Left Brain: You Decide

Right Brain, Left Brain: You Decide

Laura Conaway

11:40 AM ET | 10-15-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

That dancer gives me a headache. I see her going clockwise, but I find it hard to believe that the right brain traits better describe me than the left brain...

Sent by Steve Petersen | 12:05 PM ET | 10-15-2007

I saw counter clockwise and I can't really argue with the list of left-minded attributes. I would say though I am detail oriented but get the big picture and I do appreciat things as well as acknowledge them. So maybe that's why when I concentrated I was able to see the lady spin the other way. Okay, I have to go back to work now researching tomorrow's segment on China.

Sent by Alison Stewart | 1:20 PM ET | 10-15-2007

Based on her shape, I'd say she's a woman, not a girl. Oh, and I see her going clockwise, too.

Sent by Sarah | 1:23 PM ET | 10-15-2007

two things that go together to a frightening degree:

1: looks "anticlockwise" to me.

2: kind of depends on whether we're looking from the top of the bottom, doesn't it??? is that detail too much to ask for?

insert joke about australia-is-upside-down here.

Sent by johann gruber | 1:37 PM ET | 10-15-2007

hit reload a few times... it looks like this woman changes direction. ( I think-- if not what the heck does that say about the way i use my brain!?)

Sent by Taylor Chapulin Orci | 1:50 PM ET | 10-15-2007

...wait... forget it. it was all in my mind. this is a wierd excercise to do with a group of peopel, because all of them call out "it's changing direction!" at different times.

Sent by Taylor Chapulin Orci | 1:53 PM ET | 10-15-2007

Wait a second! Now she is going counter-clockwise, and that seems more like me. Is this thing rigged?

Sent by Steve Petersen | 3:59 PM ET | 10-15-2007

I am also pretty clearly a left-brainer who got a right brain result, so I am suspicious of this test. I think maybe it's a sneaky way of testing just how distracted you are by this silhouette's obvious nakedness.

Sent by Maura | 7:04 PM ET | 10-15-2007

if it's rigged so be it...but i am certain that i could concentrate and activate changes of direction...and so what does that mean...something brilliant i presume!!!

Sent by jay | 7:35 PM ET | 10-15-2007

We looked at this in my office and most of us could switch it back and forth, but all of us had a dominant direction (I was clockwise)

I'd be really interested to have this explained a little bit more. Why do right brained or left brained people see it differently? What makes this a valid test?

Sent by Will Kistler | 3:37 PM ET | 10-16-2007

Send a Comment

Comments are reviewed and edited by NPR prior to display. All comments will be read, but not all will be posted.

NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
Please send me updates from NPR.	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

Host

Alison Stewart

Welcome to 'The Bryant Park Project'

This new radio show from NPR comes to you weekdays, straight out of New York City. You can find audio and video from us here and in our podcasts. Bryant Park is not a talk show, but it is a conversation. Intrigued? Read our frequently asked questions and discussion rules.