Home > Encyclopedia of Psychology > Right-Brain Hemisphere

The hemisphere of the brain that neurologically controls the left side of the body and is thought to control spatial tasks, musical and artistic endeavors, body control and awareness, and creativity and imagination.

In normal human adults, each hemisphere of the brain, working in concert with the other, performs certain types of functions more efficiently than the other. While the left-brain hemisphere is dominant in the areas of language and logic, the right-brain hemisphere is the center of nonverbal, intuitive, holistic modes of thinking. Each hemisphere mostly receives perceptions from and controls the activities of the opposite side of the body. Scientists have been aware of the specialized functioning of the hemispheres—also known as...