Was Albert Einstein Left Or Right Brained? The Shocking Answer!

Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant minds to ever walk the face of the planet. 

Because of this, many questions have remained as to what could possibly explain how incredibly intelligent he was.

The complexity of his thoughts and reasoning was simply too great to be explained by just one thing.  That’s why the more studies that have been done on this topic, the more theories there are that pop up.

For instance, people wonder what area of his brain, the left side or right side, was the predominant one. 

This could potentially shed some light on the explanation of his incredible complexity of his mind.

So, Was Albert Einstein Left or Right Brained?

Albert Einstein was neither left nor right-brained.  This would imply that one hemisphere of his brain was the dominant one.  In fact, in the case of Albert Einstein, both hemispheres of his brain were equally active.  This could be the main explanation as to why he was so brilliant. He was capable of connecting both sides of his brain (left and right) to create such a complexity of thought that it’s beyond the scope of the average person.

Now, a brain as complex as Einstein’s has more than one thing that makes it unique.  It’s not just the rare way that he used both hemispheres of his brain that explains it.

There are other things in the physiology of his brain that can help us to better understand how and why the inner-workings of his mind was so incredible.

Besides this, his upbringing could have also played a major role / influence in this as well.

So, if you really want to know more about the possible reasons why Albert Einstein’s mind was so unbelieveably brilliant,  keep reading to the end of this article!

There’s more than just one way in which his mind was different than the average human being.  This could also explain why we may never have another Einstein.(Crazy to think!)

Was Albert Einstein Left-Handed or Right-Handed?

Albert Einstein was right-handed!

The first thing to take into account when trying to understand the differences between left or right brained people, is to know which hand is their dominant hand.

It’s quite simple really.

Right-handed people have the left brain as their dominant hemisphere, and left-handed people handed people have the right hemisphere as their dominant one.

When you’re left-brained you have a more analytical and logical mind.  Your thoughts are more orderly and linear. This makes you better at verbal communication and writing. This is how you’d view the mind of a scientist.

Now, right brained people tend to be more creative.  They have an easy time with abstract thoughts and being more intuitive.  Physical and emotional cues come at ease too.  This is how you’d imagine an artist’s brain.

So, since Albert Einstein was right-handed, you would assume that he was left-brained…

This is where the mystery lies.

His brain didn’t have a dominant hemisphere. This is what I’m going to uncover below.

Einsteins’s Brain: The Perfect Symmetry

Albert Einstein had both hemispheres equally active in his thought process.  This makes him neither left nor right brained.

This probably explains why he was capable of dealing with complex mathematics while also having abstract thoughts to formulate his theories.  This is no small feat.

There are no studies on what percentage of the population would be capable of this, but it would definitely be a small one.

Now, for the reason why this is still a mystery.

Some theories could explain it, but nothing out there so far has completely proven it.  Einstein’s brain had complex connections, deep folds, and signs that could explain how both hemispheres were so active and optimal.

The point is, that this shows his brain was physiologically different than most.

So, having both hemispheres actively gave him the capacity to utilize both a more logical mind, as well as a more abstract one, offering him a unique mindset.

This gives a person the ability to see things from completely different perspectives, which can help solve problems that wouldn’t be easily worked out or solved by the average mind.

The Secret Lies In The Connectivity Of Both Hemispheres of the Brain

The reason that both hemispheres worked so well together can be explained by the connectivity between them.

Most people’s brains don’t have such strong connectivity between both hemispheres.  This allows a person to simultaneously tap into both thought processes at the same time, and with relative ease.

This allows for more infinite possibilities when taking a deep dive into solving a problem.  This is especially true for problem solving on a grand scale, and seeing the world as a whole.

What allows this quality of communication between both hemispheres, is the complex network of brain cells that one has.

When you have a brain that can communicate this flawlessly, the neurons fire much faster and more efficiently.  In turn, this creates an environment where complex thought and faster thinking is the “norm”.

This is most likely something caused by genetics, but scientist still have not pinpointed this for sure yet.  This could help answer the question as to whether geniuses are born that way or developed from their upbringing and environments.

His Brain’s Corpus Callosum May Be The Key!

We understand now that he was right-handed, but this fact didn’t make him left-brained.  Both hemispheres of his brain were equally used and he had intense unparalleled (like no one else in history!) connectivity between both sides.

Now, it’s time to understand why he had such a strong connection between both hemispheres.

A study with his brain’s MRI found that his brain’s corpus callosum was larger than most people.

The study compared his brain to that of a group of 14  different 72-year-old males,  and another group of 26-year-old males (Einstein’s golden age).

The findings were that his brain’s corpus callosum was larger than the average person.  This is what facilitated the connection between both hemispheres.

This is what explains why he was able to use both hemispheres with such efficiency.

So, the fact that his brain’s corpus callosum was larger than normal, helps understand why he could connect ideas better than most.  This also shows that his brain’s physiology was indeed different.

There were signs in his brain that made him different the same way that an athlete has a different body than the average human being.

Einstein Was A Creative Person

One of the main explanations of Einstein’s brilliance was that he was a scientist with the imagination and creativity of an artist.

He could be both logical and an abstract thinker at the same time.

This helped him see things that other scientists could not have seen in a million years.  He was a very creative person.

This would imply that his left hemisphere was active like that of an artist.  Still, it wasn’t dominant.  He could still do math better than most creative people.

Now, another way to understand the brilliance is to notice that he was able to implement both perspectives in his thought process.

Now, the left hemisphere of his brain isn’t the only thing that explains his abstract thinking.

The fact that he was a creative person and a logic one at the same time shows that he could use both sides of his brain with the same efficiency, without the dominance of one side over the other.

His abstract thinking can be explained by analyzing his prefrontal cortex.

He Had A Complex Prefrontal Cortex

Most of our abstract thinking happens through the prefrontal cortex.

This is what sets humans apart from other animals. We’re capable of having abstract thoughts.  This is thinking about things that aren’t palpable; or concrete.

These are things like money, real estate, government, relationships, ideas.

Now, when Einstein’s brain was studied, scientists were able to find that his prefrontal cortex was complex.  It had deep folds and physiology that most human brains don’t have.  This is believed to be what could explain how he could have so many complex thoughts.

Abstract thinking is one of the hardest things that the human brain can do.

Having this part of his brain somewhat overdeveloped could explain it.

So, this alongside his brain’s corpus callosum is the main theory of why Einstein was so brilliant.  His brain was indeed different than that of most people, basically a true limitless brain.

Albert wasn’t either left or right brained, and this could be the key to explain why that is so.

Nature VS. Nurture

Finally, the endless debate of nature vs. nurture.

Everything so far explains the nature of his brain but not his nurture.  Rather than taking one side, most scientists agree that both play a role in a person’s development.

Although the physiology of his brain explains a lot, not everything is necessarily due to genetics.

We can’t know for certain whether or not his diet, his habits, physical activity, and / or the environment that he grew up in influenced part of the physiology of his brain.   Or if something (another outside factor) made an area develop better than it normally would if it was only genetics at play.

So, the brilliance of Albert Einstein’s brain can’t be credited to him being left or right brained.   We can’t know for certain how much nature and nurture played a role in what made this possible.

Quite simply, Albert Einstein was neither left nor right brained. 

He could use both hemispheres of his brain with the same efficiency.  This allowed him to tap into his logical and abstract thinking at the same time to formulate complex ideas, making him one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) minds in human history.

What are your thoughts about his incredible mind, or the left vs. right brain debate?

Drop a comment below, and share your thoughts!

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