The left hemisphere is concerned with utility and the mechanical
Not only is the right hemisphere is concerned with living things and the left with the non-living, but the left hemisphere also has an affinity for what is mechanical. The left hemisphere’s principal concern is utility. It is interested in what it has made, and in the world as a resource to be used. It is therefore natural that it has a particular affinity for words and concepts for tools, man-made things, mechanisms and whatever is not alive. The left hemisphere codes for tools and machines.
References to tools and actions of grasping activate the left hemisphere even in left-handers, despite the fact that they habitually use the right hemisphere/left hand to grasp objects and use tools in daily life. And right hemisphere damage leaves the ability to use simple tools unaltered, whereas left hemisphere damage renders the sufferer incapable of using a hammer and nail, or a key and a padlock. However, right hemisphere damage particularly impairs naturalistic actions involving a sequence of steps—for example, making a cup of coffee or wrapping a present.
References
- Mcgilchrist, Iain. (2010). The Master and His Emissary Chapter 2 What Do the Hemispheres Do (p. 113). London, UK: Yale University Press.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Neuropsychology Status:☀️