Following a short pop psychology period where individuals likened the left brain to reason and the right brain to emotion, scientists now know that the brain is indeed divided into two sides or hemispheres which work differently in complex ways.
Directed by Manfred Becker, this provocative film follows psychiatrist and neurologist Dr. Iain McGilchrist on his quest to understand why there are two brain hemispheres assisting human beings process information and relate to the world; and, in today’s environment, why mankind in Western society is relying heavily on the left side of the brain to the detriment of the other side.
After years of observing this issue and writing a book: The Master and the Emissary: the Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, McGilchrist draws perspectives from neurology, psychiatry, early childhood development, animal neurology, history, philosophy, and culture to reach his conclusion that man needs to use both sides of the brain. Narrator Seanna McKenna poses questions and interviews Dr. McGilchrist and a number of experts who agree with McGilchrist’s ideas. A few dissenters voice their opinions as well.
McGilchrist first becomes interested in the brain when he is teaching literature at Oxford University; he begins to question why works of literature are analyzed in-depth rather than appreciated as a whole as is done with music, dance, and the arts in general. Receiving a fellowship at All Souls College, McGilchrist spends the next seven years researching what he terms the mind-body problem and realizes he needs medical knowledge.
For the next fourteen years, McGilchrist studies neurology and psychiatry and questions the reasons for two hemispheres and the roles each plays. After writing his book, McGilchrist speaks passionately about his findings at many venues. For McGilchrist and experts who agree with him, the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body and its role favors detail, mechanical processes, linear connections, language, rules, reductive thinking, and explicitness.
The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and prefers relationships, implicit meaning, seeing the whole picture, making contextual connections, noting body language, and drawing metaphors. However, McGilchrist believes each hemisphere is involved in all activities and can maintain consciousness on its own—as demonstrated by several patients in the film who experienced left or right brain damage.
With the Industrial Revolution, McGilchrist believes individuals started to focus more on their left brain as evidenced by cities laid out on grids, straight-lined buildings, reliance on data, rules, and regulations, and urban growth that removes people from natural environments.
To further test his theory, he looks at history, the animal kingdom, early childhood development, and other cultures and is convinced Western society is over-emphasizing the left hemisphere in education, work, finance, and government. With a fascinating look at the brain and its implications for mankind, this film is recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P.