Your Brain Works as a Team: Debunking the Left vs. Right Brain Myth
Right brain = creative, left brain = logical”? Myth busted! Your brain works like a team. In this video I show kids how imagination + planning = true creativity—
Your Brain Works as a Team: Debunking the Left vs. Right Brain Myth
“Right brain = creative, left brain = logical”? Catchy—but not true. Your brain works like a team. Here’s a kid-friendly guide to whole-brain creativity and how I blend my creative and business sides every day.
Have you heard people say, “Right brain = creative. Left brain = logical”? Sounds cool—but it’s a myth. Your brain is more like a team of helpers that work together when you draw, write, solve a problem, or play a sport. Scientists don’t find people who are “right-brained” or “left-brained” as a style—real creativity uses both sides at once.
Myth Busted: Creativity isn’t on one side of your head. It’s a team sport across the whole brain.
What’s Really Happening
- Left side often helps with words and step-by-step tasks.
- Right side often helps with pictures and seeing the big idea.
- Real creativity links the brain’s idea networks with its focus-and-editing networks—so your brain can dream and do.
The Brain’s Bridge
Your two hemispheres are connected by a thick “bridge” called the corpus callosum—about 200 million tiny nerve fibers. Think of it like high-speed Wi-Fi that lets left and right sides share messages so fast you don’t notice the hand-off.
Teams, Not Sides
Creativity shows up in brain networks. An “idea network” helps you imagine and daydream, a “focus network” helps you plan and edit, and a “switching network” acts like a coach that moves you between the two. Great work happens when these teams cooperate.
When I Speak to Students, I share, “How I Use My Whole Brain (In Real Life)” in a video that says:
I’m Lisa Caprelli, creator of Unicorn Jazz. I’m a creative—I imagine characters, write stories, and design colorful pages. I’m also a business builder—I plan school visits (Show • Go • Grow), make schedules, set budgets, and study what worked so I can improve next time.
Blending imagination + organization is my superpower. That’s my whole brain at work—just like yours.
Debunking the Left vs. Right Brain Myth – Begin with the TEAM ACTIVITIES found in our book below:
Practice Changes the Brain
Brains are plastic, which means they can change. When you practice a skill, the connections between neurons get stronger and signals travel faster—like adding better insulation to a wire. That’s why small, steady practice grows big talents.
Two Kinds of Creative Thinking
Artists, writers, and scientists use both divergent thinking (brainstorming many ideas) and convergent thinking (choosing, refining, and improving the best ones). Team projects need both: first, lots of wild ideas, then a plan to shape them.
A Quick Brain Tour
Different brain areas bring different strengths: the frontal lobe helps with planning and goals, the temporal lobe helps with words and sounds, the occipital lobe helps you “see” pictures, the parietal lobe helps with space and attention, and the cerebellum fine-tunes timing and coordination. Storytelling, music, and sports each use a mix of these areas.
Sleep, Daydreams, and “Aha!”
Your brain keeps working while you rest. Sleep helps it organize memories and connect ideas, and quiet “mind-wandering” time can spark new solutions. A short break or a good night’s sleep often turns “stuck” into “aha!”
Move to Think Better
A few minutes of movement—like a brisk walk or stretch—can lift mood and sharpen attention. That’s why ideas often pop up when you’re walking, dancing, or shooting hoops: your body moves, and your brain gets a boost.
Everyone Uses Both Sides
Some skills lean slightly to one side (language often leans left; spatial awareness often leans right), but real-life tasks use both. Even painters plan steps and measure, and even mathematicians visualize patterns and shapes.
Quick Takeaways
- “Right-brain creative / left-brain logical” = myth.
- Creativity is a team sport across your brain.
- Blend art + planning to do your best work.
Sources (Peer-Reviewed) Debunking the Left vs. Right Brain Myth
- Nielsen, J. A., et al. (2013). An Evaluation of the Left-Brain vs. Right-Brain Hypothesis with Resting-State fMRI. PLOS ONE.
- Dekker, S., et al. (2012). Neuromyths in Education: Prevalence and Predictors of Misconceptions among Teachers. Frontiers in Psychology.
- Beaty, R. E., et al. (2015). Default and Executive Network Coupling Supports Creative Idea Production. Scientific Reports.
- Beaty, R. E., et al. (2014). Creativity and the Default Network: A Functional Connectivity Analysis. NeuroImage.
- Beaty, R. E., et al. (2018). Robust Prediction of Individual Creative Ability from Brain Functional Connectivity. PNAS.
- Cogdell-Brooke, L. S., et al. (2020). A meta-analysis of fMRI studies of divergent thinking. Human Brain Mapping.
- Kuang, C., et al. (2022). A meta-analysis of fMRI studies in divergent thinking and insight. Human Brain Mapping.
Bring Children’s Author and Speaker to your school: Want this lesson as part of school assembly or author visit program?