Oct 1, 2026 · 18 min · 7 segments
He used to hold every door open. Now he just walks right through them. Take the free Care Partner Compass: https://aphasiacarepartnercompass.com/ That's not…
Genevieve RichardsonHostWhy does right hemisphere stroke affect personality? They don't just affect movements or speech.
They change how a person processes emotions, social cues, self-awareness.
Your survivor may very well have no idea what you're doing or what it means.
So the right hemisphere controls the understanding of emotions, both their own emotions as well as others'.
It helps in regulating social behavior, knowing what's appropriate, as well as self-awareness, recognizing when their behavior has changed.
They, they may feel like what they're putting out is exactly how they have always been, and they don't see it.
If you're listening to this episode, you probably can imagine it, 'cause that's why you're tuning in.
But for those of you who do not experience this personality change, it's very disconcerting.
I've been with my husband for an awful lot of years, and if he came home tomorrow acting like a different person, I wouldn't know how to act around him.
I wouldn't know how to communicate with him, or ask him questions, or resolve conflicts, or even negotiate over what we want to eat for dinner.
So when a stroke damages the right hemisphere, your person may feel like they are emotionally detached, that they're not reacting the way they used to.
Think little kids before they develop that ability to control themselves, right? They are just full throttle, or they say, you know, whatever's on their mind, or they just hit, right? Because that's how they feel at the moment.
They may be less empathetic, not responding to your emotions in the same way.
Again, that wife stomping around in the kitchen, it's like it's not even happening.
Why does right hemisphere stroke affect personality? They don't just affect movements or speech.
They change how a person processes emotions, social cues, self-awareness.
Your survivor may very well have no idea what you're doing or what it means.
So the right hemisphere controls the understanding of emotions, both their own emotions as well as others'.
It helps in regulating social behavior, knowing what's appropriate, as well as self-awareness, recognizing when their behavior has changed.
They, they may feel like what they're putting out is exactly how they have always been, and they don't see it.
If you're listening to this episode, you probably can imagine it, 'cause that's why you're tuning in.
But for those of you who do not experience this personality change, it's very disconcerting.
I've been with my husband for an awful lot of years, and if he came home tomorrow acting like a different person, I wouldn't know how to act around him.
I wouldn't know how to communicate with him, or ask him questions, or resolve conflicts, or even negotiate over what we want to eat for dinner.
So when a stroke damages the right hemisphere, your person may feel like they are emotionally detached, that they're not reacting the way they used to.
Think little kids before they develop that ability to control themselves, right? They are just full throttle, or they say, you know, whatever's on their mind, or they just hit, right? Because that's how they feel at the moment.
They may be less empathetic, not responding to your emotions in the same way.
Again, that wife stomping around in the kitchen, it's like it's not even happening.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
