If I use my left hand more, do you think the right side of my brain will develop?

Question

They say that putting a smile on your face will actually help lift your mood. This is a fact and has been studied by psychiatrists. So I got to thinking, if right handed people use the left side of their brain more and vice versa (which is what I've always heard) would our brains maybe develop on the other side and get more efficient and smarter if we practice improving motor skills on the hand that's not dominant?

Answer 1

Actually according to the novel, The Brain that Changes Itself what you say may make some sense. A lot of people think that  your body and movements are controlled by your brain, but somehow never seem to connect the fact that you can train your brain (thereby making your body stronger). The more neurons and stronger connections you make in that specific part of the brain (the motor cortex) the stronger your left hand will become. Especially if you don't usually use your left hand. Already there are a ton of neurons firing whenever you use your right hand because your brain has been trained to connect your right hand as your dominant side. If you continue to write and do things with you left hand(and don't use your right) eventually you will find that your left hand is getting stronger. That is because you are using a part of your brain that doesn't have as many strong, neuronal connections as the part of the brain that controls the right hand. But over time (With the use of the left hand) you will find that there will be more neuronal connections in the part of the brain responsible for controlling your left hand. The novel I mentioned talks all about neuroplasticity. It shows how your brain re-maps (or rewires) itself when you decide to use parts of the body that you never used before. For example, someone who becomes blind (who was able to see when born) can no longer perceive anything in her world so her ears have to perceive everything. The neuronal connections are strong in the occipital lobe (deals with vision) but not the temporal lobes (that deal with hearing). So someone who becomes blind will rely more on the ears and not on their eyes. Surprised to find out, the neurons in the occipital lobe (over time)  decreased, but the connections in the temporal lobe doubled! So yes, I believe you can train your left hand, because by working your hand you are also working your brain and strengthening connections. It's really fascinating!

Answer 2

i  have read that if you use your non-dominant hand, you can cause more brain cells to fire and connections to be made, but i believe it is more related to the coordination and muscle control you would be developing and not so much the areas of thought controlled by the corresponding side of the brain.

Answer 3

Nope.  The relative development (i.e. the capabilities) of one side of your brain has nothing to do with which hand you use.  One side of the brain is used more in logic functions (math, science, etc) while the other side is more concerned with emotions.  I've been right-handed all my life, and I score well on both the emotional and the logical sides.

How well one side of your brain works in relation to the other is one of those "nature vs. nurture" questions, but as far as I know, using one hand more than the other has nothing to do with it.

Another fact is that women generally tend to have a more developed emotional half of the brain, while men have a more developed logical half of the brain.  If what you postulate is true, then, men should be right-handed and women should be left-handed (or vice versa, because I'm not sure which side of the brain is for which function).  I don't see that at all.