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What Are the Functions of the Frontal Lobe?
The frontal lobe is the portion of the brain that lies directly behind a person's forehead. This part of the brain is believed to be a powerhouse for human personality and emotions. It is also associated with creativity, mobility, and memory. If damage or trauma occurs, certain other functions of the frontal lobe may be displayed due to changes in activities and capabilities, such as sexual behavior and problem-solving abilities.
To help understand the functioning of the brain, it is often divided into sections. The frontal lobe, as the name suggests, is the section that is at the front the head, behind the forehead. This section of the brain is often further divided into left and right lobes.
The left and the right lobes are believed to be responsible for certain functions in most people, but it is believed that in some cases both areas may contribute to those activities and capabilities. Even if a particular lobe is not wholly responsible for a particular capability, theories suggest that one lobe will be dominant. For example, the left frontal lobe is the area associated with the conversion of thoughts into words. The right frontal lobe is considered the dominant region for sexual arousal.
The frontal lobe handles paying attention. Both the right and the left lobes seem to play a role in this mental ability. It has been found, however, the the left lobe is weaker in this regard and may experience lapses from this duty. Personality and emotions are two other functions of this lobe. This area of the brain determines how a person imparts and processes the emotions in speech and the amount of concern that she has for others.
Another of the noted functions of the frontal lobe is reasoning. One way that this area of the brain is believed to facilitate reasoning is by allowing multiple ideas to be considered. Doing this requires memory, which is also noted as something else the frontal lobe handles. Memory plays a role in reasoning because one thought is held in consideration as new thoughts form and are stored.
Beliefs that functions of the frontal lobe include judgment and self-control are often validated when damage occurs. Frontal lobe damage has been associated with hyper-sexuality, mania, and inappropriate emotional behavior. Furthermore, mobility is something the frontal lobe controls. Trauma to this area of the brain has, therefore, been connected to loss of strength and ability to move certain body parts.
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![The frontal lobe is associated with creativity.]()
By: Monkey BusinessThe frontal lobe is associated with creativity. -
![The frontal lobe of the brain is associated with memory.]()
By: mizar_21984The frontal lobe of the brain is associated with memory. -
![The right frontal lobe is the dominant region for sexual arousal.]()
By: stryjekThe right frontal lobe is the dominant region for sexual arousal. -
![The frontal lobe of the brain is associated with attention.]()
By: Cheryl CaseyThe frontal lobe of the brain is associated with attention. -
![Personality and emotions are the domain of the frontal lobe.]()
By: Ilenia PagliariniPersonality and emotions are the domain of the frontal lobe. -
![The functions of the frontal lobe include planning and suppressing inappropriate behavior.]()
By: baluchisThe functions of the frontal lobe include planning and suppressing inappropriate behavior. -
![Damage to the frontal lobe may cause changes in personality.]()
By: CreativaDamage to the frontal lobe may cause changes in personality. -
![People with frontal lobe damage may experience loss of muscle control necessary to perform ordinary tasks, such as teeth brushing.]()
By: Photographee.euPeople with frontal lobe damage may experience loss of muscle control necessary to perform ordinary tasks, such as teeth brushing.
Discussion Comments
Have you seen a picture or representation of the human brain and noticed how many blood vessels there are in the organ? Well, I knew there were a lot of them, but I was still surprised when I read that there are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain. I don't know how that was measured or who did the measuring, but that is an unbelievable length of vessels.
I think people sometimes use science to keep traditional thinking in place. What I mean by this is that we all too often hear that girls are not good at math and calculation because of the way they use their brains. So this leads young girls to think that they don't use the part of their brains that control math and reasoning skills.
What ends up happening is girls don't give themselves a chance to be good at math because they are constantly told they are not going to be as good as boys at it, and this gives the girls an excuse not to excel. The brain is like any muscle in that the more you use it the stronger it gets. If you use the left frontal lobe it will get stronger, and if you use the right frontal lobe it will get stronger.
I've always heard that girls use their left frontal lobes more and men think more with their right frontal lobes. After reading the section of this article in the third paragraph where it talks about what each section of the brain controls, I understand why people say that whether it is scientifically proven or not.
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