Do you have moments when you see something specific in a cloud or an abstract image? I wonder if I should try painting a face, a dog, something like a fish or a plane?
Some time ago, a picture went viral showing what appeared to be either a plane or a fish, leading many to discuss how perception works. What happens if you spot a fish next to a plane? Let’s learn more about this interesting subject and discover if there are any results for our brains.
This idea of left-brain versus right-brain thinking has long interested popular psychology. According to this idea, every hemisphere of the brain is responsible for particular patterns of thinking and behavior. What is it that makes someone left-brained or right-brained?
It is generally recognized that the logic, analysis and details linked to thinking come from the left side of the brain. If you are a facts-oriented person, enjoy order in your life or do well in math and language, you are likely to show left-brain features.
Since the fish is clearly visible and nicely organized, left-brained individuals tend to observe it first from the fish-or-plane picture.
However, the right hemisphere is tied to creativity, instinct and seeing things as a whole. Such individuals are known for their imagination and interest in abstract thoughts and they often succeed in art and music. Noticing a plane could make you more inclined to come up with imaginative and abstract ideas.
Even though the left-brain/right-brain theory comes from some studies in neuroscience, researchers now believe it is simplistic.
Studies have proved that the brain’s two halves cooperate together, even though a person may have a unique personality or style of thinking. Yet, many distinguish between each type of thinking as connected to the dog theory.
The answer as to whether you register a fish or a plane first could point more to your individual mind’s approach to images rather than your brain’s dominance.
Even though these optical illusions and tests are entertaining and provoke thinking, they do not provide accurate scientific results. Because of these, we understand how our brains select and arrange images and we are reminded that everyone sees differently.
