Neuro-Agility Profiles™

Yes, experts in the field of people development regard the NAP™ as strongly validated. This is continuously affirmed by documented workshop experiences, feedback from people who have done the assessments, plus honors, masters and doctoral dissertations and studies by students and researchers who have based their research and studies on the Neuro-Agility Profile™. Continuous validation studies are conducted as part of the ongoing research and development efforts of Neuro-Link. Although the NAP™ is not a psychometric test, it complements other validated instruments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Jung’s Personality Types, and Disc etc.

Yes. Yours! One of the most appreciated aspects of the NAP™ is that it illustrates how you are OK, whatever your profile. All people are OK, but in different ways. The NAP™ is an instrument that helps you to understand your neurodesign, and how you can improve your performance. You can then develop strategies and skills to learn competencies in the areas you are naturally talented in to increase your competence, moving from OK to good, good to great and from great to excellent. By following this journey, you start becoming more of who you can be.

You can’t improve what you can’t measure!

This brain profile assessment will help you to:

• Improve your brain performance
• Accurately understand your unique neurological design (potential)
• Identify which drivers will optimize your performance
• Increase engagement
• Understand how you are talented
• Make more informed subject, career and job choices
• Identify and minimize your potential risk for human error
• Understand yourself, team, family and others
• Manage yourself and others more effectively
• Understand team roles and contributions better
• Understand your unique communication style
• Strengthen your self-esteem
• Improve your brain health
• Improve your overall brain fitness
• Find purpose by clarifying the question:  “Who am I?”

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Yes. Ultimately the purpose of becoming neuro agile is to change from functioning mostly in your preferred default mode to being able to execute any learning and thinking function the disruptive changes may require of you. The main purpose of your brain is to help you survive and adapt to any changes you may encounter. Change can take place if there is a reason for it. Change seems to take place over a period of time, if the individual has the desire and willingness to change, or with a change in their life’s circumstances, or as a result of a significant emotional event. However, if nothing has happened to the individual and they continue to do the same things in the same way, their profile will remain the same.

The 6 Drivers that influence brain performance, the Four Quadrants, Expressive/Receptive preferences, and Rational/Emotional preferences may definitely change depending on how you develop yourself and improve your neuro-agility. You will become a more balanced, whole brained person if you keep on developing yourself. Your preferred brain hemisphere and sensory dominance pattern that determines your information processing style depends on your genetic coding and will usually stay the same for most people, although physical damage to the brain or the senses can cause the brain to adapt and change. Neuroplasticity proves that bio-chemical, structural and even functional changes can take place when we are challenged.

Any person with a brain:)

We render NAP™ assessments services to all people starting from the age of 6.

1. Businesses

• recruitment & talent selection
• talent development
• performance improvement (leadership & EI)
• employee wellness
• health & safety – fatigue management
• workplace happiness

2. Education

• schools (students, teachers, parents)
• colleges & universities (students & lecturers)

3. Sport

• coaches & athletes

4. Public

• parents, families & children

The NAP™ is the most comprehensive, multi-dimensional, neuroscience instrument yet. It has been designed to help people understand their design and optimize their brain, thinking and learning performance.

This instrument:

• Illustrates the framework for and elements of neuro-agility clearly, which has not been done before. It has profound implications for all people in education and learning and development industries;
• Provides the most comprehensive framework for brain performance improvement and identifying your potential as reflected in your neurological design;
• Offers a new and holistic framework of drivers that optimize brain performance which have novel implications for anyone responsible for the performance improvement of another and/or improving their brain health or wellness;
• The framework of drivers that optimize brain performance has never been included in any assessment before which will have ramifications for psychometrics and other assessments;
• Offers a scientific understanding of the mechanisms of brain agility which has new educational, physical and medical implications for teachers, lecturers, coaches, sports coaches, occupational therapists, educational psychologists, remedial teachers, counselors and doctors;
• Brain fitness as a driver to optimize brain performance, has never been included in any formal assessment before, which have implications for people doing educational, psycho metrical, physical and sports performance assessments;
• Offers a clearer understanding of neurological dominance which has interdisciplinary implications to sciences like education, psychology, genetics, physiology, neurophysiology and sport;
• Offers a ground breaking framework for understanding neurological components of personality which has major implications for psychology, specifically for psycho metrics, but also for teachers and remedial teachers in educational;
• It significantly contributes towards increased workplace engagement when there is alignment between how you are naturally talented and what you do
• Illustrates a framework for determining an individuals risk for human error;
• Fills a gap that identifies neuro-physiological components of your neurological design that can help you improve your neuro-flexibility and ultimately neuro-agility;
• Has a positive impact on increasing learning ability, learning agility, learning ease and speed, mental flexibility to think and adapt quickly and brain fitness, health & wellness;

Our assessments has significant application value to professionals in the following areas:

Business:

• Talent selection – recruiters will be able to select the right candidate for the right position, increasing workplace effectiveness, engagement, happiness and wellness;
• Talent selection – recruiters will be able to align people’s design with the jobs they do more effectively, improving workplace happiness, engagement, wellness and performance;
• Talent selection – recruiters can assess new talent more effectively;
• Talent acquisition – talent professionals can help future proof their organizations against disruptive change by developing an agile workforce;
• Psychometrics – psychometrists will be able to align personality with neurophysiology, increasing validity of their instruments, improving personal awareness, accurate job placements, performance and engagement;
• Talent development – learning and talent development professionals will have a holistic predictive analyses for identifying people’s potential and talent as a point of departure for developing talent, improving performance and creating a culture of learning in organizations;
• Leadership development – based on accurate understanding of their neurological design, leaders and managers will have a clearer understanding of how uniquely they deal with change, solve complex problems, think, learn, serve, influence and inspire;
• Emotional intelligence development – workers will have a predictive analyses that will help them improve accurate awareness of their neurological design;
• Performance improvement – performance optimization professionals will be able to help the workforce improve their brain fitness and overall brain performance, helping people work faster and smarter and being more productive and effective;
• Performance improvement – coaches, therapists, counselors will have a predictive analyses to help them establish strong social bonds and understand coachees, and patients better in order to help them achieve their performance goals;
• Workplace wellness – employee wellness practitioners will be able to increase workplace wellness and brain health assisting the workforce to reduce fatigue and stress and improve performance and promote workplace happiness;
• Risk of human error – health and safety practitioners will be able to identify people’s risk of human error and minimizing it, helping companies to reduce incidents and accidents and even prevent loss of life;
• Engagement – workers will be able to engage more effectively in the workplace when they have accurate understanding of who they are, how and where they fit in and how they can contribute best increasing productivity, wellness and happiness;
• Learning culture – helping companies improve their workforce’s’ ability to learn fast, which will be one of their most sustainable advantages for the future.

Education:                                

• Teacher/lecturer training – educating facilitators of learning to understand how these 13 neuro-agility elements will influence their style of learning transfer as well as that of their learners and aligning their learning transfer to be inclusive of all learning preferences;
• Subject and career choices – parents, children, students, educational psychologists, teachers, remedial teachers and career psychologists will be able to make more informed subject and career choices with a predictive analyses, aligning their neurological design with the choices they make;
• Learning performance optimization– learners will accelerate their learning and obtain better results when identifying their unique learning preferences and aligning their preferences with obtaining appropriate learning strategies and skills.

Sport:

• Performance improvement – coaches, therapists, counselors will have a predictive analyses to help them establish strong social bonds and understand athletes better in order to improve their performance;
• Risk of human error – coaches will be able to identify athletes’ potential risk of human error and minimizing it, helping them to reduce incidents and mistakes;
• Engagement – athletes will be able to engage more effectively on the sports field when they have accurate understanding of who they are, how and where they fit in in the team and how they can contribute best;
• Performance improvement – coaches will be able to help athletes improve their hand-eye coordination, brain fitness and overall brain performance, helping them to think faster, being more effective.

Neuro-agility is about the brain-based neuro-physiological elements that influence the ease, speed and flexibility with which people learn, think and process information.

Just like ballet dancers need the agility to move quickly and easy, executing their dancing skills with precision, todays workers need the neuro-agility to learn, think and draw conclusions fast and easy and be flexible in moving across new ideas, experiences and understandings in such a way that they are able to maximize the learning value of any experience and apply that learning to perform well under first time, stressful conditions. Neuro-agility is about optimizing the neurophysiological components that allows people to be fit and flexible to think, learn, create and solve problems fast and easy.

It enhances the degree to which people engage in agile learning. Neuro agility underpins the brain’s ability to be in-flow, learning fast and effectively, committing as little human error as possible. It requires being able to concentrate at optimal level, while engaging the whole brain effortlessly during cognitive processes like learning and thinking. People who are highly neuro agile, have the flexibility to learn new skills, attitudes and behaviors fast and easy and unlearn old behaviour patterns quickly. To do this, they have to optimize the drivers that increase their brain performance and the neurophysiological components that influence their learning and thinking flexibility.

Neuro-agility is about the readiness of all the senses and brain regions to function as one integrated whole brain system, being receptive and responsive to receive and transmit bio-chemical impulses at optimum speed to all brain regions, establish new neural networks, retain, express, and apply information, change behavior and perform according to potential under new and potentially stressful conditions.

The construct of neuro agility is situated within the broader domain of learning. Neuro agility is an essential component of the “ability to learn” because it focuses on the neurophysiological attributes of learning, thinking and cognitive processes. This multi-dimensional, neuroscience approach, compliments and strengthens the ability to learn and learning agility, but is neither exhaustive nor exclusive to any of these concepts. The framework for neuro agility brings new constructs like neurological design and brain fitness into the arena of the meta-concept of “ability to learn”. It also offers innovative perspectives on the neuroscience of performance improvement, talent development and reducing risk for human errors.

 It advances, anchors and validates the relevance, importance and impact of concepts like learning agility, leadership agility, emotional agility and organizational agility;

It offers an inclusive neuroscience approach requisite to all global learning practices;
 It offers a framework for understanding how uniquely people learn;
 It offers innovative solutions to optimizing and developing people’s ability to learn;
 It showcases a conceptual neuro-physiological framework for determining human potential;
 It offers a clear neuro-physiological framework for why people learn fast or slow and how they can improve their cognitive flexibility and performance;
 It complements and integrates easily with talent selection, talent development and performance improvement practices;
 It offers a higher return on investment on talent development and performance improvement initiatives when grounded in the hard sciences;
 It separates facts from fiction, thereby solidifying learning and development practices;
 It offers a new conceptual framework for reducing risk for human error;
 It significantly contributes to an individual’s self-awareness, growth, learning and development.

Professionals in the workplace, responsible for:
 Creating a culture of learning – neuro-agility should be a core competence and the point of departure for creating a culture of learning;
 Talent selection – learning agility has become a sought after skill and a major criteria to select talent;
 Talent development – the neurophysiological components offers a framework to identify potential
 Developing high performance teams – team leaders should understand their team’s neuro-design and align member’s natural strengths and preferences with roles and job functions;
 Performance improvement – performance improvement cannot start at any other place than optimizing brain performance;
 Learning and development – to develop people’s learning ability and learning agility starts by understanding the neurophysiological components that determine how people learn and think and optimizing the drivers that improve brain performance and flexibility;
 Workplace wellness – the framework for drivers that optimize brain performance are equally as important to maintaining brain health than it is to improve performance;
 Workplace happiness – neuro-agility provides a framework that is fundamental to a holistic approach to maintaining workplace happiness;
 Employee engagement – alignment between people’s neuro-design and their job functions improves engagement significantly;
 Health and safety – understanding people’s unique neuro-design will indicate their potential risk for human error and offer solutions to reduce fatigue.

Schools and Education:
 All teachers and lecturers responsible for educating others should be knowledgeable about and able to assess the drivers that optimize their student’s brain performance and the neuro-physiological components that influence how their students learn and think.

Sport:
 Sports coached and athletes should understand how their neuro-design and the drivers that optimize their brain performance influence their performance.
Public:
 Any person who wants to develop themselves, improve their competitiveness and safeguard themselves against future job losses, should understand how neuro-agile they are and how they can improve it further.

 It addresses the neuro-physiological components of learning, thinking and cognitive processes responsible for learning quickly and easy;

It offers a scientific and comprehensive framework for the neuro-physiological components that impact people’s personality, how uniquely they learn and think, and their learning agility;
 It makes an important link between the hard sciences (neuroscience) and the behavioral sciences, thereby validating the behavioral sciences more;
 The neuroscience approach offers an inclusive approach to global people development and performance improvement practices as it is exclusive of factors like colour, race, age, culture, language or gender. A brain has no colour, gender, race or culture and neuroscience therefore focuses on what people have in common with each other – a brain!
 Neuro-agility offers a unique neuroscience framework, packaged in a predictive analyses called the Neuro Agility Profile™, for talent development and performance improvement professionals that deepens their understanding of people’s learning potential, how to develop talent and optimize performance;
 The NAP™ Group Profile Report provides companies and managers with vital management information about their workforce’s brain fitness, brain health, neuro flexibility and neuro-agility to help them understand what talent is needed, identify talent, optimize performance, agility, wellness and reduce risk for error;
 Because of its strong physiological basis, neuro-agility delivers business results as our case studies prove a strong return on investment for our clients;
 It offers a new approach to reducing risk of human error and the incidence of accidents;
 It compliments other people development science like Neuro-linguistics Programming and Emotional Intelligence, and integrates easily with other sound learning technologies.
 The neuroscience approach and frameworks help to separate facts from fiction, solidifying learning and talent development practices.

It reduces the cost of change

Neuro-agility consist of 2 dimensions. The first dimension consist of neurophysiological components that influence people’s flexibility in thinking and learning. The second dimension consist of the drivers that optimize their brain performance, which will affect the speed and ease with which they learn as well as their risk for human error.

There is a compelling body of evidence that ties people’s neurological design to components like relative lateral hemispheric dominance, expressive – receptive preferences, rational – emotional preferences, four figurative learning and thinking languages, brain and sensory information processing styles, sensory preferences and Intelligence preferences. These components will impact their personality as well as how uniquely they learn, think and process information, as well as their risk for error. When there is alignment between people’s neurological design and the job functions they perform, they will experience increased work place engagement, well-being, happiness and performance.

To ensure people tap into all their cognitive resources to achieve top performance, they have to leverage all the drivers that optimize their brain’s performance. Research provides strong evidence that ties improved performance to drivers like brain fitness, stress coping skills, sleep, movement / exercise, optimistic / growth mindset and nutrition.
The interplay between people’s neurological design (referred to as neuro-design) and the drivers that optimize their brain performance, significantly influences the ease, speed, and flexibility with which people learn and their propensity for error.

Research suggests that many practices of old should be replaced with new practices, in order to be more effective and optimize the performance of people and businesses. The table below illustrates how current business approaches and practices will have to change:
 Behavioural approach   Neuroscience approach

 Best performer in previous job gets promotion or appointed   Most agile person gets promotion or appointment

 Skills development focus  Brain fitness, flexibility & then skills development

 Unstructured agility approach  Structured neuro-agility approach Limited individual assistance to reducing risk for human error  Strong assistance to individuals to identify and minimize risk for error

 Generalized approach to performance improvement & talent development – one size fits all  Personalized neuroscience approach to performance improvement & talent development – specific

Workplace:
Neuro-Link assists people, teams and organizations with the following talent development imperatives:
 Talent selection
 Provide a predictive analysis for learning potential
 Enhance emotional intelligence
 Optimize performance improvement
 Talent development
 Leadership development
 Promote employee wellness
 Identify and minimize potential for human error
 Minimize fatigue
 Increase workplace flow
 Create workplace happiness

Education:
 Developing teachers and lectures through our assessments and learning solutions
 Learner/student development through our assessments and whole brain learning solutions
 Parent information sessions

Sport:
 Coaching support through individual athlete and team assessments
 Mental performance optimization through our assessments and learning solutions

Public:
 Assessments for children, parents and families
 Motivational talks
 Public seminars
 Free information sessions

It helps companies and individuals safeguard themselves against disruptive change;
 It provides powerful insights to business about which prospective work applicants will be the best asset to the company;
 The Neuro Agility Profile™ is a great tool to use to create individualized personal development programs;
 The Neuro-Agility Profile™ is the most comprehensive tool to measure the brain-based aspects that has to be measured to increase the ease, speed and flexibility workers need to be agile;
 The Neuro Agility Profile™ closes a gap on why individuals may error;
 It is a powerful tool to help managers align who people are with what they do;
 The NAP™ provides insight to managers about the unique contributions people can make in their team;
 It provides better business results and return on investment than ever before;
 It helps to separates facts from fiction in learning and people development practices;
 It is inclusive of culture, race, gender and generations and therefore relevant to global people development initiatives;
 It is the most comprehensive neuroscience frame work for performance optimization and talent development.
 It improves performance, productivity, workplace engagement and happiness.

• Do the Neuro Agility Profile™ Practitioner Training Program offered by Neuro-Link
• Do the Introduction to Higher Neuroscience Coaching at the University of Pretoria

Neuro-Link is committed to offering sound scientifically based assessments and solutions to our clients. The science behind neuro-agility, has a sound physiological basis and we see the results at work every day.

Behavioral sciences are defined by use of systematic, empirical and critical investigation and observation of behaviors. These behaviors must have a scientific or physiological basis for their occurrence, as no action or response can arise form a non-existing force. Using neuroscience, we are able to tie the behavioral sciences into neuroscience. Stated differently, we observe certain behaviors and would like to understand why these behaviors occur. This is where neuroscience comes into the equation – to understand the ‘why’ of the behaviors.

Neuro-Link has no need to sway people with neuroscientific claims. Neuroscience has become an interdisciplinary science that is there for people to gain better understanding of their behaviors. Throughout the 20th century, there was a lot of resistance to entertaining brain/mind/behavior patterns, but modern neuroscience, with its many well demonstrated neuro-anatomical and neuro-chemical findings, can provide ways to evaluate these possibilities in more scientifically rigorous ways.

The unique Neuro Agility Profile™ assessment consist of many concepts that is fresh on the grid like the concepts of neurological design, neurological stress, dominance, neuro-flexibility and neuro-agility. Although these constructs can benefit from more research, it this does not mean that the science behind them is new. New insights arise from interdisciplinary studies. The new concepts are based on fresh insights born from the development needs of people and businesses in a changing world, but the science behind these concepts are sound. There is a compelling body of scientific research that confirms the validity of these concepts.

One of the debated components of neuro-agility is the issue of left – right brain hemisphere labels. Prevailing research in neuroscience avoids the definite left-right brain labels, as many have oversimplified the conclusions of Nobel Prize Laureate Roger Sperry’s discovery of the differences of left- and right brain hemisphere processing and mental functions. The problem is not that the research is incorrect, rather than misinterpretation of the implications of the research. Accurate interpretation requires a multi-disciplinary understanding of concepts like the influence of dominance and mid-line crossing on the functioning of the hemispheres, as neuroscience of learning is an interdisciplinary science. Few authorities offer this approach as most have very specific areas of expertise.

Furthermore, many people are using incorrect verbal explanations and terminology that creates disparity between the research and implications. Scientists therefore now use the term “relative lateralization”, as much of Roger Sperry’s original work remains valid today.

It can still safely be said that the left hemisphere processes information in an analytical, sequential way, while the right hemisphere processes information in a random holistic way. Although we are using both hemispheres of the brain most of the time, it can also be said with impunity that at any moment, there will be more activity in one hemisphere than the other. It can also not be argued that some people starts solving problems by following a more logical, analytical approach and others follow a more conceptual, holistic and creative approach. All people think, learn, create and solve problems, but in different ways, depending on our preferences.

One will find many research papers concluding that there is evidence for left and right hemispheric preferences. There will also always be studies that do not achieve significant findings. What one should keep in mind, is that if a few research papers claim something is not true for the particular outcomes that they were trying to measure, it does not necessarily mean that the main concept is unfounded. We need to keep in mind what was measured, how was it measured, how big was their sample, what was their sample quantity, what methods did they use and ultimately, what were the defined objectives and limitations of the research conducted. All of these factors have an influence on the outcomes achieved by research.

When we talk about left and right hemispheric preferences, we do not define it as one hemisphere overpowering the other, but as one hemisphere taking the lead when processing information and the other following slightly more passively. This does not mean that we only use the “dominant hemisphere” and that the other hemisphere is not working. All people use both hemispheres most of the time, making us whole brained people. There will however, always be a hemisphere actively leading in the task at hand and one following more passively. For example, if asked about your hand dominance, you would either respond “right hand dominant or left hand dominant”. When someone is right hand dominant, it does not mean that their left hand cannot be used. However, the right hand feels more natural to use than the left hand, meaning that there is one actively leading and another passively following. The same would apply to the eyes, ears and brain hemispheres.

A concept like neuro-agility does not have a single neuronal substrate. Neuro-agility is a conglomeration of many factors at play that need to be maintained and optimized. Neuro-agility consist of a framework of drivers that optimize people’s brain performance and the neurophysiological components that influence how flexible they are to access any mode of learning, thinking or processing information, that a specific situation may require of them. Each of these neurophysiological components and drivers have neural substrates which will take many hours of neurophysiology training to explain.

There are no quick fixes to neuroscience or understanding neuroscience related concepts. It requires many hours of intense training. Should one really be interested in becoming an expert in neuro-agility, it is highly recommended to take courses like the Neuro Agility Profile ™ Practitioner Training that Neuro-Link offers or do the Introduction to Higher Neuroscience Coaching course, presented at the University of Pretoria.

Prevailing research in neuroscience avoids the definite left-right brain labels as many have oversimplified the conclusions of Nobel Prize Laureate Roger Sperry’s discovery of the differences of left- and right brain hemisphere functions, which is unwarranted by the literature. Scientists now use the term “relative lateralization”, as much of Roger Sperry’s original work remains valid today. It can still safely be said that the left hemisphere processes information in an analytical, sequential way, while the right hemisphere processes information in a random holistic way. Although we are using both hemispheres of the brain most of the time, it can also be said with impunity that at any moment, there will be more activity in one hemisphere than the other. It can also not be argued that some people starts solving problems by following an analytical approach and others follow a conceptual, holistic and creative approach. All people think, learn, create and solve problems, but in different ways, depending on our preferences.

You will find many research papers concluding that there is evidence for left and right hemispheric preferences. As you will know that there will always be studies that do not achieve significant findings. What one should keep in mind, is that if a few research papers claims something is not true for the particular outcomes that they were trying to measure, it does not necessarily mean that the main concept is unfounded. We need to keep in mind what was measured, how was it measured, how big was their sample, what was their sample quantity, what methods did they use and ultimately what were the defined objectives and limitations of the research
conducted. All of these factors have an influence on the outcomes achieved by research.

When we talk about left and right hemispheric preferences, we do not define it as one hemisphere overpowering the other, but as one hemisphere taking the lead and the other following passively. This does not mean that we only use the “dominant hemisphere” and the other hemisphere is not working. All people use both hemispheres most of the time, making us whole brained people. There will however, always be one hemisphere actively leading in the task at hand and one passively following.

For example, if asked about your hand dominance, you would either respond “right hand dominant or left hand dominant”. When someone is right hand dominant, it does not mean that their left hand cannot be used. However, the right hand feels more natural to use than the left hand, meaning that there is one actively leading when processing information and another passively following. The same would apply to your eyes, ears and brain hemispheres. Both hemispheres and senses should however be developed to function in a more balanced, integrated way. This is ultimately what neuro-agility and flexibility is all about. Even when a person functions on an integrated, whole brained manner, one hemisphere, eye, ear or hand will lead, while the other follows. It is part of our neurological design. Also it cannot be argued that when a person had a stroke, depending on where the damage occurred in the brain, that person will display stereo type behavior directly related to the absence of that unique processing function of the brain where the damage occurred.

The opinion above is Neuro-Link’s stance on the left right hemisphere debate. There is not a better alternative solution on the table for relative lateralization. We see the evidence for people utilizing analytical or conceptual approaches to learning, thinking and problem solving in their jobs and relationships the whole time. Our NAP™ assessment validates that even when people display whole brain approaches to learning, thinking and problem solving, they have a preference to follow a specific approach to doing so, depending on their relative lateralization. We are therefore satisfied that the critical and creative modes of learning and thinking form part of normal human behavior.

Neuro-Link is not stating that stress will totally “switch off” the passively following hemisphere, as it is still able to drive biological functions associated with its regions. We define the “switching off” process as the less preferred hemisphere not being able to process information as effectively and accurately as it would under less stressful conditions, once again indicating that the drivers that optimize brain performance have a sound scientific basis which then stems into a behavioral response.

The result of disruptive change is that people are constantly experiencing feelings of burn-out, stress and fatigue. Short bursts of stress are not the problem. Continued stress and fatigue however, are the brain’s greatest enemies. During stress, the brain releases cortical inhibitors (chemical) that decrease or inhibit electro-chemical transmission in certain brain regions. Anything that causes to slow down the speed of electrical transmission between brain cells, is referred to as neurological stress. It causes the non-dominant brain regions to “switch off”, leaving the dominant brain regions to carry on with its primary functions. Stress thus limits people’s performance, learning effectiveness, information processing abilities, and overall learning agility, causing them to become either too logical (more left hemisphere) or too creative (more right hemisphere) oriented than the whole brain person they can and should be.

When people experience continued stress or fatigue (mainly due to lack of rest and sleep), their dominant senses opposite the dominant hemisphere will be adept at processing information. If their dominant senses are on the same side as the dominant brain hemisphere, their information processing ability may be inhibited and sensory transmission may become limited during stress or fatigue, causing neurological hindrances that may increase people’s risk for error.

Our human species have been designed with 2 brain hemispheres, 2 eyes, 2 ears and 2 hands, with the purpose of using both. We are all whole brained most of the time. Even if we are whole brained, MRI and PET scans prove that at a given time, there will be more activity in one hemisphere over the other. This visually illustrates what dominance is all about. All people have a dominant brain hemisphere, eye, ear, and hand. In this context, the definition for dominance is it is the hemisphere, eye, ear, or hand that leads, while the other follows more passively.

Prevailing research in neuroscience avoids the definite left-right brain labels as many have oversimplified the conclusions of Nobel Prize Laureate Roger Sperry’s discovery of the differences of left- and right brain hemisphere functions, which is unwarranted by the literature. Scientists now use the term “relative lateralization”, as much of Roger Sperry’s original work remains valid today. It can still safely be said that the left hemisphere processes information in an analytical, sequential way, while the right hemisphere processes information in a random holistic way. Although we are using both hemispheres of the brain most of the time, it can also be said with impunity that at any moment, there will be more activity in one hemisphere than the other. It can also not be argued that some people starts solving problems by following an analytical approach and others follow a conceptual, holistic and creative approach. All people think, learn, create and solve problems, but in different ways, depending on our preferences.

The eyes are the only part of the brain that is visible. It illustrates how the brain works. To illustrate dominance, one only must look at how the eyes function when processing information. If a person looks through a rolled-up paper at an object with both eyes, one eye leads (focuses), while the other follows. The dominant eye will be aligned with the rolled-up paper. This clearly illustrates that although the person looks at the object with both eyes, the dominant eye will actively process information while the non-dominant eye follows more passively.

Neurological dominance is a natural part of our design. All people have a unique genetic coding which will influence our predisposition towards which hemispheres,
and senses will lead (dominate) when processing information. When one person speaks to another, but the other person cannot hear clearly, it may be that the person who cannot hear clearly, may turn one ear towards the other person. This response indicates an auditory dominance response. It illustrates that although we have two brain hemispheres, eyes, ears, and hands, and use both to process information, there will always be a dominant brain hemisphere, eye, ear, or hand that takes the lead to process information actively, while the other one follows, processing information more passively. Just like the muscles you use must become stronger, so does the brain hemisphere and senses that lead when we process information and learn, become dominant. As people learn and develop, we strengthen neural networks that connect different brain regions and the senses we prefer to use, making certain parts lead stronger and others follow. As a result, we develop physiological preferences for using some brain hemispheres, brain regions and senses over others. These neural networks make it easier to think, learn and create in ways that are consistent in our preferences, hence the reason all people think, learn, and act in different ways.