Thanks to some awesome Sydney-based artists, the first of its kind Brainfood mural went up in Bondi last week. 

In order to get this mural done, we decide to explore how the artists unlocked the right side of their brain to channel creativity and get into a state of alpha flow, as well as explaining what the difference is between the left and right side of our brain. 

The human brain is an intricate organ. At approximately 3 pounds, it contains about 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion connections. Your brain is the command center for all that you think, feel, and do.

Your brain divides into two halves or hemispheres. Within each half, particular regions manage certain functions.

The two sides of your brain look very much alike, but there’s a huge difference in how they process information. Despite their contrasting styles, the two halves of your brain don’t work independently of each other.

Nerve fibres connect different parts of your brain. If a brain injury severs the connection between sides, you might still function typically. But the lack of integration would cause some impairment.

The human brain constantly reorganizes itself. It’s adaptable to change, whether it’s physical or through life experience. It’s tailor-made for learning.

As scientists continue mapping the brain, we gain more insight into which parts control necessary functions. This information is vital to advancing research into brain diseases and injuries, and how to recover from them.

The theory is that people are either left-brained or right-brained, meaning that one side of their brain is dominant. If you’re mostly analytical and methodical in your thinking, the theory says that you’re left-brained. If you tend to be more creative or artistic, you’re right-brained.

This theory is based on the fact that the brain’s two hemispheres function differently. This first came to light in the 1960s, thanks to the research of psychobiologist and Nobel Prize winner Roger W. Sperry.

The left brain is more verbal, analytical, and orderly than the right brain. It’s sometimes called the digital brain. It’s better at things like reading, writing, and computations.

According to Sperry’s dated research, the left brain helps you with:

• logic
• sequencing
• linear thinking
• mathematics
• facts
• thinking in words

The right brain is more visual and intuitive. People sometimes refer to it as the analog brain. It has a more creative and less organized way of thinking.

Sperry’s dated research suggests the right brain helps people with:

• imagination
• holistic thinking
• intuition
• arts
• rhythm
• nonverbal cues
• feelings visualization
• daydreaming

We know the two sides of our brain are different, but does this necessarily mean that we have a dominant brain just as we have a dominant hand?

A team of neuroscientists set out to test this premise. In a 2013 research review Trusted Source, they found no proof that this theory is correct. Magnetic resonance imaging of 1,000 people revealed that the human brain doesn’t actually favor one side over the other. The networks on one side aren’t generally stronger than the networks on the other side.

Bundles of nerve fibers tie the two hemispheres together, creating an information highway. Although the two sides function differently, they work together and complement each other. You don’t use only one side of your brain at a time.

Whether you perform a logical or creative function, you receive input from both sides of your brain. For example, people credit the left brain with language, but the right brain helps you understand context and tone. The left brain handles mathematical equations, but the right brain helps out with comparisons and rough estimates.

General personality traits, individual preferences, or learning styles don’t translate into the notion that you’re left-brained or right-brained.

Still, it’s a fact that the two sides of your brain are different, and certain areas of your brain do have specialties. The exact areas of some functions can vary a bit from person to person.