I Have a Balanced Brain (which means yes, I do actually HAVE a brain!)

Reposted from August, 2008

I love tests. The non-school kind, anyway. Forget about the math facts and Civil War questions...bring on the psychological questions! The ones that probe the mind for clues about personality traits and answers why we do the things we do. THOSE are the tests I'm talking about. I find it fascinating - and as a writer, I must. I need to look at characteristics and inner-most motivations in order to create believable characters that readers can connect with.

So anyway, I took this test that told me which side(s) of the brain I use and how it affects my personality. I found it SO interesting! In fact, almost every part of the following evaluation is totally ME. Let's break it down, shall we? (Because I know you're dying to get a peek inside the brain you didn't think I had!) Oh...and if you'd like to take the test, I've posted a link at the end. But you MUST read through my results first to get to it. Ok, so you could skip down to the link without reading my info but why would you want to?


Lynda, your hemispheric dominance is equally divided between left and right brain, while you show a moderate preference for auditory versus visual learning, signs of a balanced and flexible person. - Okay, I suppose this COULD be argued by those closest to me. But, I declare that, for the most part, I am well-balanced and pretty flexible. In fact, let's just say those Olympic gymnasts should be thankful I'm a writer.

Your balance gives you the enviable capacity to be verbal and literate while retaining a certain "flair" and individuality. You are logical and compliant but only to a degree. You are organized without being compulsive, goal-directed without being driven, and a "thinking" individual without being excessively so. Okay, this is true. I do have my own individual style. I am organized but not compulsively so, I am certainly goal-directed but I do need a push now and then, and I even am a "thinking individual" from time to time!

The one problem you might have is that your learning might not be as efficient as you would like. At times you will work from the specific to the general, while at other times you'll work from the general to the specific. Sometimes you will be logical in your approach while at other times random. Since you cannot always control the choice, you may experience frustrations not normally felt by persons with a more defined and directed learning style. Can I relate to this, or what? (the answer is yes, I can). Definitely experienced frustrations in learning. Just ask my high school Government teacher. This is probably why I am having a hard time finishing my novel. Should I keep going - seat-of-the-pantsish (new word for ya) - or should I be logical and go with an outline? Logical or random? Logical or random? Oh, the frustration!

You may also minimally experience conflicts associated with auditory processing. You will be systematic and sequential in your processing of information, you will most often focus on a single dimension of the problem or material, and you will be more reflective, i.e., "taking the data in" as opposed to "devouring" it. So true! I need things spelled out for me. I'm not stupid (keep those comments to yourself), I just process things more slowly. For instance, I need to understand the big picture before totally understanding the smaller details within it. So, in writing, I need to know how the story will end before I start putting scenes together.

Overall, you should feel content with your life and yourself. You are, perhaps, a little too critical of yourself - and of others - while maintaining an "openness" which is redeeming. Critical of myself....um, like, yeah! Others? Mmmm, not so much but I definitely can be. The openness part is very me. I sure don't have trouble opening up to people. Sometimes too much - just ask them. But I find openness very freeing and, excuse me, but God made real people, not fake ones. This isn't to be confused with the fact that I'm outgoing; I'm not. But once I get to know you, watch out. You may find out a little more than you wanted to know.

Indecisiveness is a problem and your creativity is not in keeping with your potential. Being a pragmatist, you downplay this aspect of yourself and focus on the more immediate, the more obvious and the more functional. The indecisiveness part made me laugh. If you only KNEW (get to know me better and you would - trust me!) I am the most indecisive person in the world. Well, next to my mom, anyway. A word of advice: don't ever go shopping with us. You might not make it past the first store.
As for the creativity not keeping up with my potential, this is a huge confirmation for me. I always KNEW I was destined for greatness (I AM a daughter of the King, you know). Lot's of creative brain cells and wanna-do's inside my head but I DO tend to focus on the immediate. And, immediately, we need to pay the bills. So I go for the most functional instead of diving in to the creative fiction I long to write. But even when I do get some extra time to work on my fiction, I have the worst time deciding which story to work on....

So, you see what I mean? DEAD ON analyzation (is that a word?). So, while I was thrilled to find out I do, indeed, have a brain, I was even MORE excited to see that it is working. Isn't it cool how God made each of us so unique? Each with our own personality, our own design. I just think it's cool and awe-inspiring. God is amazing!

Okay, you've read through my results (if you didn't, don't tell me) and now it's your turn to try the Brain Probe and see how accurate this test is. Come back post your results.

Have fun!

BRAIN TEST