The rates of development between the two brains are different during a per-
son’s lifetime. The right brain develops at a faster rate during the first two
years in humans. Spear has shown that an infant attends to more events in an
episode than even an adult. However, this ability deteriorates as the left brain
develops. From ages 3 to 5, the left hemisphere develops more rapidly, as the
child acquires language.21
The gradual elimination of ‘blissful’ states experienced in childhood
may be due to the development of the discriminatory left brain. The old say-
ing that we have to become like a child to ‘enter the kingdom of heaven’ also
becomes more meaningful with our understanding of brain development.
Many aging studies show a decline in right brain functions as we age.
For example, many researchers report an age-related drop in spatial mem-
ory while no significant analogous changes occur in left brain tasks. Also,
memory for faces, a predominantly right brain ability, declines with normal
aging.22 As we age, the left brain attempts to control all aspects of the or-
ganism, including the flow of information across the corpus callosum. In
other words, the left brain becomes dominant. Klisz found that adults in
their early forties could best be differentiated from adults in their fifties by
impairment tests to their right brains.23
All this suggests that when we (most of us) come into this world we
are right-brain dominant; but when we leave it we are left-brain dominant.
Since the right brain is also associated with creativity, does this provide
evidence on why the most creative work of many artists and scientists are
normally found earlier in life rather than later?
son’s lifetime. The right brain develops at a faster rate during the first two
years in humans. Spear has shown that an infant attends to more events in an
episode than even an adult. However, this ability deteriorates as the left brain
develops. From ages 3 to 5, the left hemisphere develops more rapidly, as the
child acquires language.21
The gradual elimination of ‘blissful’ states experienced in childhood
may be due to the development of the discriminatory left brain. The old say-
ing that we have to become like a child to ‘enter the kingdom of heaven’ also
becomes more meaningful with our understanding of brain development.
Many aging studies show a decline in right brain functions as we age.
For example, many researchers report an age-related drop in spatial mem-
ory while no significant analogous changes occur in left brain tasks. Also,
memory for faces, a predominantly right brain ability, declines with normal
aging.22 As we age, the left brain attempts to control all aspects of the or-
ganism, including the flow of information across the corpus callosum. In
other words, the left brain becomes dominant. Klisz found that adults in
their early forties could best be differentiated from adults in their fifties by
impairment tests to their right brains.23
All this suggests that when we (most of us) come into this world we
are right-brain dominant; but when we leave it we are left-brain dominant.
Since the right brain is also associated with creativity, does this provide
evidence on why the most creative work of many artists and scientists are
normally found earlier in life rather than later?
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