Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Right Brained, Left Brained and Other Weird Stuff



Maybe it’s because I’ve got a faulty-wired brain, (dyslexic and all) or maybe it’s because I’m a writer. Oh, heck, I don’t know why, but I love learning about weird/odd sort of stuff. Which is why I loved Jana’s post about spontaneous human combustion and the one about Big Foot. I mean, curious minds want to know, right?

It’s not just the off-the-chart strange stuff that I’m curious about. It’s a lot of the little things that we don’t think about. For example, did you know some scientists believe the ability to roll or curl your tongue together, making a cylinder like shape, is hereditary--as is the ability to touch your nose with your tongue? (Gosh, I wish I had a spy camera to see how many of you are actually doing this right now. But don’t feel bad, I’m doing it myself.) And there is the other hereditary oddity of the connected or non-connected earlobes. Some people’s lobes are danglers and others people’s end where the lobe connects to the head.

The other day, while reading my RWA chapter loop digest, another equally curious writing person posted another strange thing.

While sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change directions. Why?

You bet your bottom dollar I tried it. And she was right. My foot went left, or was it right? Oh heck, what’s important is my foot changed directions. Does yours?

Another favorite subject of mine is the whole right brained/left brained phenomenon. I know it’s a real puzzler as to why I’m curious because I don’t know my left from my right, but I still love reading about this stuff.

About a year ago, someone posted this link. It’s a dancing girl and depending on how you see her move will tell you if you are right or left brained. Go check this crap out. I promise, if you are one of the ones curling your tongue, attempting to touch your nose, or checking out your earlobes you’re gonna love it. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html

Then the other day I popped over to the Barbera Vey’s blog and spotted one of those quizzes, created by Margie Lawson, a writer and psychologist, designed to answer if you were right or left brained. Go check it out at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/1420017742.html

And just for fun, let’s do a survey. How many of you can: touch your nose with your tongue, curl your tongue? How many of you could see the dancing girl moving clockwise or counter clockwise? Could you make her change direction? And if you have time, take the quiz and see if the two tests prove to be the same. And when you post your answers, tell me if you are a writer or not, because I’m wondering how many of writers share a common weirdness.

Here’s my own answers: I can touch my nose with my tongue and can curl my tongue. Oh, just for a side note, I can also tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue. (See how talented I am?) I have non-dangling earlobes as do my two children. Hubby also has non-danglers—earlobes that is! I definitely saw the dancing gal moving clockwise, which they state means that I’m right brained. I couldn’t seem to change her directions this time, but I swear I could do it last time. And the quiz from Barbera Vey’s blog? I scored a 17, which made me fall into the strong right brain category.

Okay…let’s share what all of you discovered. It will be intriguing.

CC

36 comments:

Libby Scrivener said...

I can't do anything nifty with my tongue except lick postage stamps, and I don't even need to do that any more!

My brain is apparently in the middle. Or slightly to the right. Or confused - the dancer began to tango. Did love the brain diagrams under the Margie test, LOL!

Christie Craig said...

Elizabeth,

Postage stamp licking is important! (smile)

And a confused brain pretty much describes mine as well.

Thanks for posting.

CC

Keri Ford said...

My foot continued to turn clockwise when drew 6 in the air. But I'm pretty good with that rub your belly, pat your head thing.

I can make my tongue into the cylander, and came close to touching my nose. I can do the cherry steam thing too.

My dancing girl spun clockwise, and then I was able switch her to spin counter-clockwise.

And I did all the questions to the quiz, but then when I got to the end and saw how I should have kept up with my answers, I was too lazy to go back and redo. What does that say about me??

Christie Craig said...

Keri,

I think you are holiday-zapped right-brained, talented tongue person!!! Too funny, girl.

Thanks for playing along.

CC

Jana DeLeon said...

Okay - some call me a writer. :) And here's my tally:

Cannot touch my nose w/tongue.

CAN curl my tongue.

Girl is dancing clockwise and I can make her change directions by focusing hard and blinking.

Score is 7 on quiz - moderate left

No idea what all that means???? Apparently I am confused. Can someone be "both" brained? I mean, I write, I draw, I do my own home improvement, make my own decorations, do cross-stitch, play the violin. And yes, I know music is math, but c'mon. I'm obviously creative, but yet I scored in the top 96% percentile of logic on the GRE. That's against engineers, mathmeticians, etc. I write technical manuals for software and I think in linear regression - the programmers love me b/c I always "get" them. (my minors were programming and english, btw). Maybe my next mystery post needs to be on what the heck I am.

For the record, in high school we did the earlobe, tongue-curling test and one of my friends realized he couldn't possibly be his parents' child. NOT a good thing to find out in 10th-grade biology!

Christie Craig said...

Yup, I think we can call you a writer!!!

And girl, I agree, your next blogs need to be about what the heck you are. Besides a short-tongued, very talented entity.

And too funny about the poor kid who now thinks he's not his parents' child.

There are some studies disproving the tongue-curling belief. I'm not sure about dangling earlobes.

Thanks for posting.

CC

Bookmobiler said...

"Oh, just for a side note, I can also tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue."

That gives new meaning to the term tongue twister!

Please don't tell me how you found out you could do that.

Jana DeLeon said...

Actually - he really WASN'T his parents' child. He was adopted and they just thought they'd never tell him. Yeah, that one usually works. Not.

Terri Osburn said...

Lets see. Foot changed direction. Can't touch my nose or curl my tongue, but the ex can and so can kiddo. I saw the chick spinning in both directions but think they made it do that just to mess with people. So I'm cynical. :)

I scored 15 on Margie's test which put me at moderately right brained. I'd say that fits. Though I'm odd in that I'm way more organized at work than at home. I guess it's the idea of having someone to answer to. LOL!

Christie Craig said...

Bookmobiler,

Now I have to tell you. Because I've learned that peoples' imaginations are much worse than the truth.

It was a bet I won at a bar, (I think I won a drink) done with a cherry stem!!! Oh, and my hubby was present for the show and tell. (Smile)

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Jana,

That poor child. And teacher. Don't you know he got called down to the principal's office.


CC

Christie Craig said...

Terrio,

So you're family hangs out trying to curl tongues, too?

I feel better already.

And I attempt to force myself to be more organized. It doesn't work too well, but the truth is I generally find what I'm looking for in my vast piles of stuff. So does that mean I'm an organized unorganized person. Or just lucky?

CC

Christie Craig said...

Terrio,

I forgot to tell you that one reason the girl dancing thing sort of felt real to me was because my hubby and I looked at it together and he sat there and argued with me that it was going counter clockwise. He's an engineer, so it made since that he is left brained. Try it with someone who you think is a left brainer.

CC

Kim Lenox said...

Fun! I can do the cylinder thing with my tongue, and touch my nose with it too. And yes, my brother and my dad can too. That I should even know that is disturbing ...

I can tie the cherry stem too. I've got dangling earlobes.

The dancing girl was going clockwise. I couldn't change her direction.

I scored a 12 on Margie's test, which makes me firmly middle brained. I've been tested before, and told I'm right brained, with left brained tendencies.

Christie Craig said...

Hi Kim!

Ohhhhh, I'm reading Night Falls Darkly now and loving it!!! Yummy hero. Love the dancing scene.

Now about your Right/left brain issue. I guess we could call you Bi-brained, huh?

Sometimes I feel a bit Bi-brained, too.

Thanks for posting.

CC

Anonymous said...

Hey Christie,

I'm apparently moderately left brained according to the quiz, yet I saw the dancing girl going clockwise--which means i'm right brained, go figure. I swear though she was going counterclockwise when I started watching, and somehow switched without me trying. I tried to switch her back and it didn't work.

Dancing girl is confusing, but maybe next time I can get her to do what I want,lol.

I love the saying "if the left side of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain, and the left side of the body is controlled by the right side, then only left handed people are in their right mind." That's me, well i'm left handed, being in my right mind is debatable however.

I also can't do anything of interest with my tongue, and how do you tie a cherry stem?

Unknown said...

I can't do anything with my tongue. The dancer always turned clockwise so I guess I use my right brain in that one, but the other test I scored only a 9 witch put me in the middle brain. So maybe I just don't use my brain at all. I know I don't sometimes.

Terry S said...

My foot changed directions. It goes along with my inability to do arm circles with arms going in different directions (ie, one forward circles and one backward circles).

I can't touch my nose with my tongue but I can curl my tongue.

I had a whole slew of pop up screens come up to allow access to so the girl showed to me in flashes. First counter clockwise, then clockwise, clockwise, clockwise, counter clockwise. When it was finally just her, she was clockwise. (I sent this test to a friend few months ago. He sent me an email back asking me how I expected him to concentrate on which direction for a shadow of a NAKED dancing girl and said it was an unfair test for any male. I still laugh about that one.)

I was a 9 on Margie's test. I identify strongly with Jana's response about both brained.

Christie Craig said...

Michele,

Only lefties are in their right mind, huh? Well, that explains a lot of people. (smile) I'm ambidextrous. So I guess I'm sometimes in my right mind and sometimes totally out of it. Which explains a lot about me, too.

Thanks for stopping in.

And I've tried to make that girl do what I wanted, but it didn't work.

But seriously, my hubby saw it going one way and I saw it going the other and we were looking at it at the same time.

He even accused me of lying. Men!



CC

Christie Craig said...

Virginia,

That sounds like one possiblity for me too. :-)

You know those quizes always stop me because I know I compensate for my short comings. And I'm confused if I should answer it the way I am, or the way I'd be if didn't work hard to be better. Ugg!

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Terry S.

So you are short but flexible tongued, huh?

I'm still laughing at what your friend said. That sounds just like a man, doesn't it?

And I think we all have a bit of both in us...then depending on what we like to do, maybe we train the other side of the brain to work a little harder.

I do know I'm more of right brainer, but I have some things that almost seems like a left brainer. For example, I hate change. But I think I hate it so much because I have to work so hard to focus and change throws me off.

And in some things I'm very organized, but for the most part, like my desk right now, I'm so not an organized person.

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Kim Lenox said...

Thank you Christie! I'm glad you are enjoying the book!

Kim (bi)

Anonymous said...

I have a headache now. *g*

Christie Craig said...

Kim,

Thank you for a great read.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Tori,

Take an aspirn and call me tomorrow. (Smile) But okay, I'll admit it, all the thinking about the brain can start it to aching, can't it?

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Marie-Nicole Ryan said...

I can curl my tongue into a tube. I can't reach my nose with it. My ear lobes dangle. I saw the girl turning clockwise--most of the time, but occasionally she would take a couple twirls anti-clockwise and then back to the right. I scored a 15 on Margie Lawson's test which makes me moderately right-brained. Yes, I'm a writer. I'm left-handed for eating and writing, but I crochet and did everything in nursing with my right hand, injections, IVs and other things you'd rather not know. If whoever taught me a new task was right handed, I simply learned it that way, with no problem I might add.

Nancy said...

Christie, I love this stuff, too!

According to Margie's test, I'm a middle brainer with a score of 12. I see the dancer turning clockwise more that counter, but can make her change directions ... sometimes.

My earlobes are attached, and my foot changed directions. I can't touch my nose with my tongue, but I can curl my tongue. (As a speech pathologist, I asked students if they could do this. If they could, and if they couldn't produce an "r" sound, the curling ability helped me teach the sound. Yes, watching me teach could be a weird experience!)

Thanks for the fun, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Light,
Nancy Haddock
La Vida Vampire

Anonymous said...

This was definitely a lot of fun! My results:

* writer
* engineer (see, I'm already split)
* predominantly right-handed, but strongly ambidextrous
* can curl tongue
* cannot touch tongue to nose
* have tried tying a cherry stem with tongue, but no luck. need longer stems :)
* lady spins clockwise, so right-brained. Yesterday I made her change direction, but today I cannot. I know my husband will see her turning counter-clockwise.
* Scored 15, moderate right-brain.
* Totally disorganized, which makes the application of engineering work difficult. I can understand all the technical stuff, math, physics, etc. but keeping a project on track from start to finish a challenge!

Thanks for such a fun post.

Christie Craig said...

Marie-Nicole,

I swear that girl used to switch ways for me, but now she keeps going one direction. Maybe, I'm being more closed minded these days.

I use both hands, too. As a child they would take the pencil out of my left hand and put it in my right. So, I can write with both, but now it's a tad messier with my left. When I do anything that requires fine motor skills, like threading a needle, I always use the left hand.

Thanks for posting.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Nancy,

I think a lot of writers just want to understand how our brains work. People ask me all the time where do you get your ideas, and sometimes I can tell them, and other times it's like my brain just spits one out.

I had to take speech therapy as a child, so I know exactly what you're talking about when you say odd teaching methods.

Thanks for playing along.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Jenifer,

You're not the only engineer/ writer, but yup, you are split-brained.

The disorganized gene is a live and living well inside me. But as crazy as it sounds, there is a method to my mess. I can almost always find things. And I'll be honest with you, it sometimes even shocks me. :-)

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Anonymous said...

It's funny that somebody would talk about curling your tongue to learn your "r"'s. When I was in speech class, yep can't think, can't talk either,lol......they would make me put my tongue on the roof of my mouth to say my "r"'s. Is that weird? It didn't work, I probably still don't them correctly.

Oh and my foot went the opposite way when I did the 6 with my hand as well, forgot to mention that one earlier.

Interesting topic, and so are the different posts.

Christie Craig said...

Michele,

We must be separated twins. But I mostly had problems with my Ss. I had to learn all the tongue twisters. "Sally sells sea shells down by the sea shore. If Sally sells..."

Thanks for dropping in at Killer Fiction. We're a crazy bunch, but we always have fun.

CC

Ciara Gold said...

Too fun. I love these sorts of things. Many years ago I tested right down the middle on brain power. Today, the dancer turned clockwise, indicating my right brain power but when I did the other test, I tested as a moderate left brain, scoring an 8. Odd. But I do have a BFA with a minor in math and a major in art. Oh, and I can curl my tongue and touch my nose with my tongue. Great post, Christie

Christie Craig said...

Ciara,

I'm totally amused with this stuff, too.

Sounds as if you have good use of both sides of your brain.

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

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