Comments on: Are you right-brained or left-brained? Find out!

By: Beverly Spicer

Beverly Spicer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:43:05 +0000

Andrew,

I couldn’t agree more.

Thanks for your post.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:32:19 +0000

I watched her for ten minutes straight and try as I did to see her spin the other way I only perceived her going clockwise thus invalidating the hoax idea. I’ve always known I’ve been predominantly right brained, this just supports what I always knew plus that
I’m an intensely visual learner and can remember anything visual for long-term periods, almost I suppose as a photographic memory would operate. Then there’s the creativity aspect. I’ve never really had to read manuals or “how to” books on how to write a story or make up a musical piece or think of abstract ideas in a new way I’ve always just been able to do it naturally and I guess that’s why I’ve always had a sort of conflict with the school system. They emphasize a lot of memorization of data that really doesn’t allow you to think creatively. Even in the art programs they’re very rigid on how they treat what they teach and I know for me it always left me wanting. Creativity was left out, surprisingly even in art! And I suppose in many ways this society in general marginalizes creative thinkers and hinders them from reaching their maximum potential. They’re calling the people who memorize data and regurgitate it on tests geniuses, when real genius is creativity in my opinion, and it’s a real shame to think what the world is losing out on with less creativity.

By: gokilpeople

gokilpeople — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:23:18 +0000

Fairscarborough & Neil turn out to be correct. To those of you seeing the dancer turn clockwise/counter clockwise, don’t blame your brain just yet. I opened the image in Adobe Image Ready, there animated dancer image consist of 36 frames. In Frame 1 to 17, her left foot stick on the ground. Frame 18-34, it’s her right foot. Try it for your self!

By: Beverly Spicer

Beverly Spicer — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:59:12 +0000

Excellent suggestion!

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:52:56 +0000

I think it would be very interesting to see a study done where subjects view this animation and indicate the perceived direction of the lady by pressing a button for clockwise and vice versa. While they are doing this they are undergoing a scan for brain activity. Then the results could be checked to see if there is a correllation between the button presses and what is recorded by the scan at the same moment.

Of course, this (or something very similar) has probably been done already.

By: Margaux

Margaux — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 04:12:14 +0000

A friend forwarded this post and I have tried it with several classrooms of elementary students. It is incredible to watch a group of 25 children, holding their fingers in the air, spinning them in the corresponding directions that they see the dancer moving. At no time did the entire group indicate the same direction. Some students changed directions constantly while others indicated only one direction or another. It was a fascinating experience.
I now use this with part of my curriculum to help students understand the importance of perception.

By: PutPut

PutPut — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:30:11 +0000

When staring straight ahead, I could see nothing but clockwise turning.
But I noticed when glancing out the window, about 70 degrees off the screen, she seemed to change directions back and forth every couple seconds or so.

Funny, from everything else I’ve heard of right and left brained people, I always thought I was a lefty.

By: Beverly Spicer

Beverly Spicer — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:25:05 +0000

We are getting the most interesting responses to this little optical brain test. I have heard privately from many people as well as comments posted here on this blog. Every response has a slightly different twist to it (no pun intended!). Thanks so much for your feedback. I encourage all new readers to tell us your results. We’re interested, and they are fascinating!

By: Marty

Marty — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:08:07 +0000

Tried this by myself and saw dancer spinning clockwise and could not make her spin counter-clockwise. Then saw the traits of “right brained” versus “left brained.”

Then I tried this with my wife. We both looked at it at the exact same time and I asked her which way the dancer was spinning. Given the description of “left-brained” I was fairly certain she would say “counter-clockwise” and she did. Then, looking at the dancer (and, seeing her spin clockwise) I asked her again, “which direction” and she said (again “counter-clockwise.” No matter how hard I “tried,” she always spun clockwise.

Then I looked at the description of “right brain” versus “left brain” and saw that “right brain” people are holistic and “left brain” people are rational and sequential. I then looked at ONLY one part of the dancer (her extended arm). Once I concentrated on only one part of the dancer, she started spinning COUNTER-CLOCKWISE. Once I let me concentration on ONLY one part lapse and saw the dancer as a whole, she ceased spinning COUNTER-CLOCKWISE and began spinning CLOCKWISE again.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:20:05 +0000

Very odd. Yes, the leg that’s extended changes. How can this be just a perceptual thing? This is a small GIF image, and I downloaded it onto my computer. I even enlarged it to see if there was anything I could see to explain it. I cannot explain it. Her front and back are differently shaped — how can she change the leg that’s extended and retain the same shape? How can this be just an illusion? Very odd. I’m going to read the Wikipedia article, so I hope there’s some explanation for this very strange thing.