# Which side of your brain is more dominant, the right or left? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286 "2016-05-21T05:23:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![12mgdaily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/f08c70/32.png) [@12mgdaily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/12mgdaily)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/1 "2016-05-21T05:23:29Z")
Here is a simple visual test, (no questions to answer) which will answer the brain dominance question for you, or confirm what you already know. Look at the dancer. Do you see her spinning in a circle clockwise, or counterclockwise? Clockwise is right brained. Counterclockwise is left brained. If you see her spinning in one direction, then switching and spinning in the other, this indicates both sides of your brain are fairly equal in dominance. I only see clockwise. I’m right brained. > **[Which Way Do You Spin... Left Brain or Right Brain?](https://lateralaction.com/articles/left-brain-or-right/)** > > Which way is the dancer spinning... clockwise or counter-clockwise? Most people will see her turning counter-clockwise, which apparently means you're more left brained (logical). I see her spinning that way, and it's at first almost impossible to... ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/2 "2016-05-21T05:28:04Z")
I’ve been drinking. Which dancer? The one on the right, the left, or Willie Nelson in the middle? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/3 "2016-05-21T05:28:31Z")
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinning\_Dancer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinning_Dancer) > [@](#): > > In popular psychology, the illusion has been incorrectly[6] identified as a personality test that supposedly reveals which hemisphere of the brain is dominant in the observer. Under this wrong interpretation, it has been popularly called the Right Brain–Left Brain test,[7] and was widely circulated on the Internet during late 2008 to early 2009.[8] ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/4 "2016-05-21T05:31:09Z")
There’s a trick that works for me for flipping her around: Try covering your view of the image with your hand, except for just her foot at the bottom. This gives your brain less information to deal with. Then you can make the foot flip direction. Uncover your view, and the rest of her has flipped as well. This may or may not work for you, but I can make her go any which way at will now, by doing this. Brain-test or not, it’s still cool illusion. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/5 "2016-05-21T07:17:17Z")
I can switch her direction at will. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/6 "2016-05-21T11:46:40Z")
What was the question here? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/7 "2016-05-21T13:46:19Z")
The left side of my brain wears leather and chains. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/8 "2016-05-21T14:26:17Z")
At first, only counter-clockwise. After a minute, it switched; after another minute it switched back. I could not force the switch. I wonder if the following has been studied. How do you eat corn on the cob? There are two ways: round and round in a helix until you finish; across and then back treating the cob like a typewriter platen. There is no obvious reason why this should correlate with right/left brain dominance except the following observation. Roughly speaking mathematicians divide into two groups: algebraists/logicians who are clearly left brained and analysts/geometers who are fight brained. It has been observed that with a high correlation, the first group eat their corn helically and the second eat it typewriter fashion. It is amazing how good the correlation is. I am very clearly an algebraist. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/9 "2016-05-21T14:48:16Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > At first, only counter-clockwise. After a minute, it switched; after another minute it switched back. I could not force the switch Same for me. Maybe that’s why I’m better with words than any numbers person and better with numbers than any words person. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/10 "2016-05-21T15:12:22Z")
Reported to be moved to IMHO … ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/11 "2016-05-21T15:32:06Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > who are fight brained. This would be what boxers are. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/12 "2016-05-21T18:41:25Z")
Moved to MPSIMS from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/13 "2016-05-21T19:55:25Z")
If that actually did measure left/right brain, how come it looks the same when you cover the left eye or the right eye? I see it switching back and forth out of either eye. If it was a left/right brain thing, it should only move one way per eye, right? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/14 "2016-05-21T21:19:40Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > At first, only counter-clockwise. After a minute, it switched; after another minute it switched back. I could not force the switch. > > I wonder if the following has been studied. How do you eat corn on the cob? There are two ways: round and round in a helix until you finish; across and then back treating the cob like a typewriter platen. There is no obvious reason why this should correlate with right/left brain dominance except the following observation. Roughly speaking mathematicians divide into two groups: algebraists/logicians who are clearly left brained and analysts/geometers who are fight brained. It has been observed that with a high correlation, the first group eat their corn helically and the second eat it typewriter fashion. It is amazing how good the correlation is. I am very clearly an algebraist. Yeah, me too. Regarding corn on the cob, I start by nibbling a row straight across the cob, then I rotate the cob. I use the horizontal row as a starting/stopping mark in case I’m interrupted. I’m not very good at math. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/15 "2016-05-21T22:06:22Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > At first, only counter-clockwise. After a minute, it switched; after another minute it switched back. I could not force the switch. > > I wonder if the following has been studied. How do you eat corn on the cob? There are two ways: round and round in a helix until you finish; across and then back treating the cob like a typewriter platen. There is no obvious reason why this should correlate with right/left brain dominance except the following observation. Roughly speaking mathematicians divide into two groups: algebraists/logicians who are clearly left brained and analysts/geometers who are fight brained. It has been observed that with a high correlation, the first group eat their corn helically and the second eat it typewriter fashion. It is amazing how good the correlation is. I am very clearly an algebraist. I eat corn on the cob round rather than across because I have an overbite and that’s the only method that works well for me. I suck at math. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/16 "2016-05-21T23:32:20Z")
weird, I could NOT make the direction change no matter what I tried. Used to be able to switch perspective at will with these types of things. Must be finally getting old. clockwise for me. eta I don’t like corn on the cob, what does that mean? ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/17 "2016-05-22T07:04:52Z")
I can only see her spinning clockwise. I can’t get her to switch, no matter how long or how much of her I cover up. And I eat corn in a typewriter fashioned way. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/18 "2016-05-23T14:08:16Z")
I see her spinning clockwise, which is no surprise: I’m the poster child for right brain functioning. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/19 "2016-05-24T01:56:30Z")
I absolutely only see clockwise. I eat my corn on the cob around and across. ---
**Author:** ![jasnooks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f4b2a3/32.png) [@jasnooks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasnooks)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286/20 "2016-05-24T02:09:37Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > At first, only counter-clockwise. After a minute, it switched; after another minute it switched back. I could not force the switch . Same here [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-side-of-your-brain-is-more-dominant-the-right-or-left/755286.md?page=2)