Impact of Left Brain/Right Brain thinking
Modern understanding of the overall functioning of the human brain has evolved into an impressive body of knowledge that was completely unforeseen. Since this essential topic is so fundamental to the initial underpinnings of the Design process, it should be of interest to any such aspirant seeking a healthy command of their awareness, skills, and performance.
Besides the obvious purposeful relationship between our brain and the manifestation of effective architecture—our IQ, memory, cognition, imagination, cognitive unconscious, organizational skill, etc.—one characteristic emerges as especially meaningful: the profound way that our brain divides itself into two almost separate and independent halves. Each half controls its opposing half of our bodily functions (lest we have bodily “anarchy”); with the left-half being assigned to the mundane, pragmatic issues in life, the rote memory, the analyzing, the data collection, organizing, quantifying. Certainly, a valuable service, generally addressing the content of a given situation.
The right-half then tackles its own specialized considerations, often being the more elusive, broader realities associated with the ethereal, the creative, the visionary, the spontaneous, the intangible. It functions best when it is fleshing out subtle issues where sometimes the most profound, most realistic perspectives can often lie, at the areas of the deeper levels of context.
Unfortunately, our society—being the ultra-productive, materialistic, capitalistic system that we all know so well—a left-brain bias has evolved into our primary cultural focus with the right-brain, conversely, falling into relative obscurity. We each carry, as a result, an excess of left-brain skills, habits, perspectives and bias alongside a significant compromise of those related to right brain contribution. Our current addiction to the digital world gives testimony here.
We thus lean towards pragmatic, superficial over-organizing—so-called “planning”—that attempts, as much as is possible, to predetermine circumstances that are presumed to be predictable, and proceed to implement a compromised final form. This can be applied to any challenge—a wedding, a vacation, a career, a new urban development, etc.—and, as such, the result is invariably narrow and superficial with its deeper realities, where the life-spirit of the work goes too often ignored.
In order for the Functionalist architect to be appropriately postured for healthy problem solving, they need to achieve balance between these opposing traits. Each deserves equal recognition, equal respect, and equal utilization; otherwise, the design process will stray from natural reality and to interfere with healthy resolution.
