Being Left-Handed

[brewnog]

This is something I'm pretty interested in, albeit non-professionally.

Firsly, how many of you are left handed? I'd like to think that more than the 10% (?) average are. I've made a poo attempt at a poll, but if it's worked then it's a bonus...

Secondly, does anyone know anything about the vague claims that us 'cuddy wifters' die younger? From what I've read, we're more succeptible to inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, asthma, and autism. Anyone?

[mattmns]

I am right handed, but I write somewhat good with my left (because of practice of course).

[Mattius_]

My question is, how many mathematicians are left handed?

[Moonbear]

I'm generally right-handed, thought until 2nd grade, when we were taught cursive writing according to whether we were right- or left-handed, I was somewhat ambidextrous (the teachers told us to split into groups according to which hand we felt more comfortable holding our pencil...I couldn't decide, so joined the group most of my friends were in). There are still things I can do with either hand, or do two different things with both hands...that comes in really handy at times.

[polyb]

I'm a lefty but I can write on chalkboards with both hands. I also do some things right handed while I do others left handed, aka "hand preference".

'cuddy wifters'- is that what they call it in the UK? Here in "jesusland" it goes by 'southpaw'.

I dont know about the claims you were alleging but here is an article from the BBC claiming that left handed people kick ***! :biggrin:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4073775.stm

[Lyuokdea]

I'm right handed, however, my left-handed friend has one of the funniest T-Shirts I've read:

"Everybody is born right-handed, only the gifted overcome it."

[Kerrie]

i find lefties facinating people. am a righty myself, but many things i do are with my left hand...

[tribdog]

Spatial ability seems to be correlated with left-handedness. lefties also get increased susceptibility to auto-immune diseases and decreased life span.
Those two facts are from the book that I just wrote a review on and said how much it sucked. Science in the Looking Glass by E. Brian Davies

[Smurf]

Right handed and slowly becoming ambidextrous.

[Moonbear]

Spatial ability seems to be correlated with left-handedness.

Oh, sure, first everyone tells me men are better at spatial relations, now it's lefties. Just try to explain why this right-handed female can handle that just fine. :biggrin:

I had to ship a package last week via UPS, and it was in that range where they charge you by size or weight, whichever is the greater cost, so I was trying to figure out shipping charges in advance to see if I really wanted to use UPS. I took a good guess, not having a ruler or scale handy. When I got to the UPS place, I had the weight exactly right, and was only off by one inch on one side for dimensions! Not bad for a right-handed girl, huh? :rofl:

[Moses]

I am left handed, and i use my hand for all the tasks i do as the right handed people use thier right hands for the tasks they do except the following:

Eating: I use both of my hands, but i prefer to eat with the right hand if i use a spoon while eating

Using the PC mouse: While playing strategy games, some people are shocked by my rushes and army conrtol, I say always when i hear that: This is with my right hand playing, how will you say if i played with my left hand [actually , i am much worse with my left hand in this case :biggrin: ] same applied for the keyboard arrows...

Basket ball: When i want to score i use my left hand as the "aiming hand", still, whil playing football, i can do the "banana shoot" in the free-kicks really good with my right leg [the left is crap here], in other part of the game, i have anadvantage may be cuz i can aim with both legs.

writing in baord is much easier than writing on paper, i can do on baord with both hand, but left is faster and eaiser, but while on paper i use left hand [right hand for fun only here :biggrin: ] as well while i am drawing/ hewing.

[tribdog]

Oh, sure, first everyone tells me men are better at spatial relations, now it's lefties. Just try to explain why this right-handed female can handle that just fine. :biggrin:

I had to ship a package last week via UPS, and it was in that range where they charge you by size or weight, whichever is the greater cost, so I was trying to figure out shipping charges in advance to see if I really wanted to use UPS. I took a good guess, not having a ruler or scale handy. When I got to the UPS place, I had the weight exactly right, and was only off by one inch on one side for dimensions! Not bad for a right-handed girl, huh? :rofl:
it wouldn't be bad at all if you hadn't been mailing a 2lb box of chocolate in the new collectors edition 8 1/2 by 11 notebook box.

[Moonbear]

it wouldn't be bad at all if you hadn't been mailing a 2lb box of chocolate in the new collectors edition 8 1/2 by 11 notebook box.

Oh, you should know better than that! I don't mail chocolate, I eat chocolate. Actually, that's what happened to my sister's birthday present. I bought her some chocolates, then decided I better taste them to make sure they were good chocolates, then I couldn't send a half-eaten box of chocolate, so her birthday present was included with the Christmas gifts, finally. Her birthday was in July. :rofl: At least my birthday was only in October, and I just got part of that present (my nephew, with the help of his mom, sent me two of the Harry Potter books I wanted...now I know I'm his favorite auntie!), the rest of mine will be given to me at Christmas too. :rofl:

[tribdog]

You know what's depressing? More people have voted in the left handedness poll than voted in the funniest member of the year.

[Moonbear]

You know what's depressing? More people have voted in the left handedness poll than voted in the funniest member of the year.

Not yet, but it's about halfway there. Well, depending on whether you count before or after Greg added the extra 70 or so votes for your opponent. :rofl:

[tribdog]

hey don't try filling my half empty cup! more people like lefties than comic genius.

[Moonbear]

hey don't try filling my half empty cup! more people like lefties than comic genius.

Never fear, I leave that job to you.

[tribdog]

it must be bedtime because I almost tried to think of a five word response to keep this story going.

[Moonbear]

it must be bedtime because I almost tried to think of a five word response to keep this story going.

I know it's my bedtime, and since you didn't catch blatant innuendo (oxymoron?), it must be your bedtime too. :rofl:

[brewnog]

This is what I wanted!

I reckoned that there would be a greater-than-average population of lefties on this board. Very unscientific, I know, but keep polling and prove me right!

[FZ+]

On the other hand, a topic title of 'being left handed' probably does attract a disproportionate number of left-handers... I expect most right handed people to take their right-handedness for granted, and decide not to vote.

[Nylex]

I'm left handed too and I find that I can't really co-ordinate well with my right hand (doing things like dribbling a basketball for example). Although, I've always used a mouse with my right hand, so that's something I can do.

[tribdog]

my dad is left handed. He taught me how to shoot a gun and how to shoot pool and I do both tasks left handed. I can write with my left hand, but only in mirror image of what I'm simultaneously writing with my right.

[plover]

I'm sort of randomly handed. I think I do things with whatever hand I happened to do them first. I write right-handed, but there have been situations where I've picked up a piece of chalk and (without thinking about it) started writing with my left hand. It turns out readable, and it goes from left to right, but some of the letters come out mirrored (not all though, e.g. e and s get reversed c and k do not).

How many people here can end up with their eyes adjusted for different amounts illumination for a significant period of time (at least a few minutes)? When I read lying down, I often close one eye. After a while, when I open both eyes, the one that was closed is dark-adapted and the other is not. It takes a few minutes for them to get back in sync. IIRC, it is actually unusual for this to happen, i.e. that most people's eyes always stay synced, but I could be wrong.

[Moonbear]

How many people here can end up with their eyes adjusted for different amounts illumination for a significant period of time (at least a few minutes)? When I read lying down, I often close one eye. After a while, when I open both eyes, the one that was closed is dark-adapted and the other is not. It takes a few minutes for them to get back in sync. IIRC, it is actually unusual for this to happen, i.e. that most people's eyes always stay synced, but I could be wrong.

Funny you mention that. I just noticed that last night. I was lying in bed reading, and had one eye closed leaning into blankets and reading with the other eye. When I finally opened my other eye to sit up and put the book away, it took a long time for both to adapt to the light...one saw the room as too bright, the other too dark. It was annoying.

[Moonbear]

my dad is left handed. He taught me how to shoot a gun and how to shoot pool and I do both tasks left handed. I can write with my left hand, but only in mirror image of what I'm simultaneously writing with my right.

I'm marginally better shooting pool left-handed than right-handed, but it's not that you can really tell since I suck at it no matter what hand I use. My strategy to win at pool is to only play against men and then lean really far over the table with a loose blouse so they can't concentrate on what they are doing. I played with a bunch of engineers once and they kept telling me, "It's just physics." :grumpy: I know where I want to hit the balls, but there's a big gap between theory and practice there. I leaned over the table a little further, and before long, they were just as bad as I was. :rofl:

[Mk]

An Interesting Link:
http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/content/shared/news/stories/CHIMPS_1206_COX.html

Actually lefties have more've a chance of autism, AND a greater chance of having high IQs.

I laughed when I read the "bowel disorder thing," like left handed people have bowel disorders more than right handed...

[PerennialII]

I'd rank myself a left biased ambidextrous. I typically write using left, and do most precision requiring things on my left, whilst anything taking force is a thing for the right one. Can do things pretty well mixed up (but writing tilts the other way when doing it on right and so looks weird), somehow speed and strength related things are preferred on the right side whilst "nitpicking" is on the left.

[Moonbear]

I'd rank myself a left biased ambidextrous. I typically write using left, and do most precision requiring things on my left, whilst anything taking force is a thing for the right one. Can do things pretty well mixed up (but writing tilts the other way when doing it on right and so looks weird), somehow speed and strength related things are preferred on the right side whilst "nitpicking" is on the left.

I think that just makes you left-handed. The hand you use more for fine tasks is your dominant hand. It's common to use your other hand for the strength tasks, I think because it leaves your dominant hand free for other things (like opening the doorknob once you have an armload of groceries).

As an example of what might be considered more ambidextrous (I'm not, not anymore anyway, but have few ambidextrous abilities), for my research, I need to do small animal surgeries. Most people need either a right-handed or left-handed set-up and can't do anything with their non-dominant hand that requires fine skills. On the other hand, if the procedure room is busy, and I need to work in a non-ideal location with a microscope in the way of my right hand, I can switch to using my left hand for most of the procedure. A few things I still need to do right handed, but just being able to unlock a hemostat left-handed is more than many can accomplish. Likewise, in the lab, we use small artist's paintbrushes to transfer tissue sections without damaging them. There are people who never get the knack for this with either hand. Again, I prefer right-handed, but if there's a lack of bench space and my left elbow has more room to steady that arm, then I'll work left-handed.

[PerennialII]

I'd classify myself such as well ... I've wondered whether left - handedness is as "dominating" as right - handedness, i.e. whether most actions are done on left to a similar degree (=nearly completely) as right-handed people usually do. At times I for example write notes on my right and after the fact usually notice this due to the somewhat different writing that results.

[Andromeda321]

I am left handed in writing on paper but right handed in just about anything else. This is because my mother was paranoid when I was little that being left handed would handicap me later in life (I'm the first lefty in the family) so she tried to make me switch over. I could write well enough with my right hand by first grade but I hated it so when my first grade teacher was left handed that was the end of that.
All in all now that my mom's not looking over my shoulder I've got an interesting mix between right and left handedness. For example I'll throw a baseball right handed but bat with my left and play tennis holding the racket in my right but in raquetball it goes to my left (my right hand is stronger then my left but the left is more accurate if that makes sense). I write left handed on paper, which comes in handy cause I've yet to mess up regarding the right hand rule in physics!, but whenever I write on a chalkboard I'll write with my right hand without thinking about it. It's only after someone says "hey, whose handwriting is that?" I realize I was using my right hand because the handwriting style is completely different.

[Moonbear]

I write left handed on paper, which comes in handy cause I've yet to mess up regarding the right hand rule in physics!

LOL! It's the funniest thing to walk past a classroom where a physics exam is being held and watch for the people trying to do the right-hand rule using their left hand! But, hey, if you got all the way to college without knowing your left from your right hand, you deserve to get those questions wrong. :rofl:

[xck]

Moonbear

I do everything with my left hand. I write left-handed, however I do hold my pen/whatever like a right-handed person in my left hand. I had an early love for "ink" I suppose.

I do regret not learning to count on my right hand, because in my freshman year in HS i received an F in algerbra (i could only hang one quarter, they offered me an elective) I kept counting at home, and am now writing a book involving math. I will dedicate it to my then teacher, Mr. Pipes. I can still hear him, "Why you rintikker (sp), cornfoundit...can't you count?" ... I always wanted to ask him why he was teaching algebra if we were already supposed to know it. He never made any sense to me in conversation, so it made sense that I couldn't grasp his teaching of algebra. Step by step, inch by inch : )

I can understand why some lefties have a shorter life span. IF one is unable to accept the fact that life is meant to be lived backwards...early grave would make sense. No Depends about it. More like "through the looking glass" in 3d-ville.

[xck]

Moonbear,

~~~> "It's the funniest thing to walk past a classroom where a physics exam is being held and watch for the people trying to do the right-hand rule using their left hand!"

in ten words or more what did you mean by the right hand rule? i don't think i've ever heard of that.

[xck]

MK

Thanks for posting that link. Interesting. I hold a banana with my right hand so I can peel it with my left. I do (when I'm major stressed, and not excorcising it out) have bowels that act up once in a blue moon. I thought it was part of the human condition. I pretty much eliminated sugar because my system is sensitive, although my body doesn't mind dead animal juice. I did go vegetarian way back in the early 80's after reading The Vegetarian Alternative. After some time I forgot (typical of me, unless ...) what I read in the book and grabbed that piece of dead animal :devil:

Oh yeah, I have also flunked every IQ test I have taken. Except for one I picked up at Borders about a year ago. My "genius" husband (also left-handed) scored a few points below me :surprised He's a musican (profession), I just play guitar and paint (i do neither well - not putting me down stating fact) because I enjoy it and it forces me to sit in one place for a little while :smile:

[Moonbear]

Moonbear,

~~~> "It's the funniest thing to walk past a classroom where a physics exam is being held and watch for the people trying to do the right-hand rule using their left hand!"

in ten words or more what did you mean by the right hand rule? i don't think i've ever heard of that.

There are a few different applications in physics. It's a quick way to remember direction of things like torque.

Also handy for figuring out which way to turn a screwdriver.

[Moonbear]

I do regret not learning to count on my right hand, because in my freshman year in HS i received an F in algerbra (i could only hang one quarter, they offered me an elective) I kept counting at home, and am now writing a book involving math. I will dedicate it to my then teacher, Mr. Pipes. I can still hear him, "Why you rintikker (sp), cornfoundit...can't you count?" ... I always wanted to ask him why he was teaching algebra if we were already supposed to know it. He never made any sense to me in conversation, so it made sense that I couldn't grasp his teaching of algebra. Step by step, inch by inch : )

:confused: You were still counting on your fingers in high school? And it matters what hand you count on? I sure hope I'm just tired and missed something here, otherwise I'm very confused by what you're trying to say.

[tribdog]

I think you heard right MB. I'm still worried about the flunking an IQ test.

[Cod]

I'm left-handed and the worst part of being left-handed is the fact that all spiral notebooks are made for right-handed people. So to improvise, all of my notes in spiral notebooks are read from the back to front. Other than the spiral notebook thing, I really have no issues with being left-handed.

[Moonbear]

I'm left-handed and the worst part of being left-handed is the fact that all spiral notebooks are made for right-handed people. So to improvise, all of my notes in spiral notebooks are read from the back to front. Other than the spiral notebook thing, I really have no issues with being left-handed.

:confused: You are aware that every other page is left-handed, right? Yep, really. Open to the middle and lie it flat on the table. See...two pages, a left-handed one with the spiral binding on the right side, and a right-handed one with the spiral binding on the left side. :biggrin:

[tribdog]

lol, MoonBear hun, sarcasm doesn't suit you. You are supposed to be the sweet one.

[Moonbear]

lol, MoonBear hun, sarcasm doesn't suit you. You are supposed to be the sweet one.

LOL! You're right, I'm the intellectual and you're the entertainer of this couple. I'll try to remember that in the future. :biggrin:

[tribdog]

maybe the intellectual can explain exactly what the heck that's supposed to mean? lol

[tribdog]

with the poll standing at 33.33% lefties and 66.67% righties would you say 1/3 of the people in here are lefties, or 1/2 as many lefties? or twice as many righties?

[Moonbear]

maybe the intellectual can explain exactly what the heck that's supposed to mean? lol

I had a clever reply, but apparently if I put a lot of spaces between all the letters in my sentences to talk slowly, the spaces between words disappear! It was entirely unreadable! I'll just leave the sarcasm to you in the future, apparently even the forum software is telling me not to be sarcastic. :rofl:

[plover]

Y o u   m e a n   l i k e   t h i s ? :biggrin:

[Math Is Hard]

Cheating! I know you used ACME Instant Letter-Spacer. :tongue2:

[Moonbear]

Y o u***m e a n***l i k e***t h i s ? :biggrin:

Hey! How'd you do that? It didn't work for me. What's the trick?

And where did those asterisks just appear from that weren't there a moment ago?????

[plover]

I'm not entirely sure why the asterisks appeared, but I assume it is the PF software's way of indicating non-printing characters in the source text. The non-printing characters in this case being "non-breaking space" characters that HTML does not collapse like regular white space. The code for a non-breaking space is:  

So spaced text can be input like this:
s o m e   s p a c e d   l e t t e r s . . .
This can be slightly tricky to use in forum software, since when you preview a post that uses these codes, the preview will be correct, but the codes will have been removed from the text in the edit box—so you have to put them back in again before you can submit the post.

Similar codes are also generally the easiest way to get åççêñ†ëð and foreign characters—and also dashes.

[rachmaninoff]

Is it possible to switch which hand is your dominant one? I.e., for a right-handed person to become left-handed (ambidextrous), or vice-versa?

How?

[plover]

Cheating! I know you used ACME Instant Letter-Spacer. :tongue2:
Actually the ACME Instant Letter-Spacer usually produces
r e  s   u  l ts  l i   k  e  t  h i   s . .. :biggrin:

[brewnog]

Is it possible to switch which hand is your dominant one? I.e., for a right-handed person to become left-handed (ambidextrous), or vice-versa?

How?

In Britain in the old days, whenever left handed tendencies appeared in young schoolboys, the offending child had his hand tied behind his back until he learnt to do things using his right hand. This worked, but often caused speech impediments later in life.

[Ouabache]

Are we still counting lefties?
I'm a southpaw, like math and music, practise both the arts and sciences.

Although i have experienced a few disadvantages; pencil sharpeners are backwards, guitar is strung upside down, scissors don't fit correctly on fingers, fishing reel turns the wrong way :biggrin:

There are lots of advantages, playing tennis or ping pong, opponents mostly play right handers, so southpaws have the advantage. For bowling, i use the side of the lane which is least worn. It has more wax or oil on it, so i get a nicer glide on the ball. Playing baseball, pitchers face more right handed batters than left, so southpaws have advantage there and since i bat from right side of batters box (relative to the umpire), upon hitting the ball, i'm at least one step closer to first base than right handed batters.

I read a study that lefties are 1/5 of the population. If you check around the net, you'll find that number is still a good approximation.

Are there more lefties doing science? Well, as a grad student at Purdue, one of my my officemates, my advisor, the professor in the office next to mine, and our department head were all southpaws. All tolled, we had closer to 1/3 lefties in my dept. :rolleyes:

[Moonbear]

For bowling, i use the side of the lane which is least worn. It has more wax or oil on it, so i get a nicer glide on the ball.

LOL! You've never bowled with me...doesn't matter if I'm right-handed, my ball rolls down whatever side of the lane it darn well pleases. :biggrin: I thought the objective was to get the ball down the middle? Maybe that's what I've been doing wrong all my life. If I aim for the side, maybe it will wind up...oh, never mind, it's going to wind up in the gutter no matter where I aim. :rofl:

[Ouabache]

LOL! You've never bowled with me...doesn't matter if I'm right-handed, my ball rolls down whatever side of the lane it darn well pleases. :biggrin: I thought the objective was to get the ball down the middle? Maybe that's what I've been doing wrong all my life. If I aim for the side, maybe it will wind up...oh, never mind, it's going to wind up in the gutter no matter where I aim. :rofl:

Yup, I hear ya.. I've thrown a few gutter balls when I started. :biggrin:
Got some helpful advice along the way, people telling me not to dip my shoulder when I release the ball, keep 'em straight.

The left side of the alley is not used too much. I start from left side and on the first roll, aim either slightly to the left or slightly to the right of the head pin. Mostly when I roll down the middle i'd get a split. I haven't bowled in a while though. I'm allergic to tobacco smoke and I haven't found any smokefree lanes. :yuck:

[DaveC426913]

Few lefties are fully left. Most are partially or mostly right.

I am left-handed with some things - a pen, throwing, etc., but right-handed with others, such as sports.

[Ouabache]

Few lefties are fully left. Most are partially or mostly right.

I am left-handed with some things - a pen, throwing, etc., but right-handed with others, such as sports.


True enough.. I do a few things with the right side naturally, like kicking a football or soccerball. It feels easier with my right foot.

Some things were just learned, like playing the guitar as a righty rather than restringing it, turn it 180 deg, pick with my left and note with my right.

Brewnog mentioned that school children in Britain, at one time, were forcefully encouraged to use their right hand. I've heard the same was true in the US. Lets see, in French left is gauche, (meaning to turn aside or clumsy). In Latin left is sinister :devil: Where these notions came from is hard to tell, perhaps superstitions.

I was in a Chinese restaurant and comfortable eating the delicious food left-handedly with chop sticks.. The Chinese manager happened by, gave me one of these looks :surprised and then began muttering animatedly :rofl: to his colleagues.. I wondered what the fuss was all about.. He told me, it surprised him seeing an American handling chopsticks, but even more so, with my left hand.

He tells me children are discouraged from using their left at a young age in China. I never found out why, maybe it meant bad luck.
If there are some folks from the Far East countries reading this, can you enlighten me? :confused:

[misskitty]

In Britain in the old days, whenever left handed tendencies appeared in young schoolboys, the offending child had his hand tied behind his back until he learnt to do things using his right hand. This worked, but often caused speech impediments later in life.

:bugeye: I knew people tried to force you to learn with your right hand in the old days. I never heard that it can cause speech impediments later in life. How does that happen?

[brewnog]

No idea, it's usually a stutter or a stammer though.

[Danger]

Hello everyone;
Brewnog was kind enough to invite me to this place and show me how to get here. Bonus that the discussion is something I'm interested in. I'm ambidextrous, but do some things preferentially with one or the other. The really sad part is that I can't do it left-handed and pretend it's a stranger, but enough about my sex life.
The timing for this sucks, though, because I have to leave right now for my darts match. How bitterly ironic; the only reasons that I play darts are to drink beer and irritate Brits, and here I am having one of them as my first on-line friend.
Moonbear, I've been warned that you bite. I'm not particularly averse to that.
Anyhow, must be going now. I never shut my computer off, so I'll be shown as logged on while I'm gone. Will snoop here when I get home, if I can still see straight. (Now I guess I'd better learn how to use those little smile thingies. One of the preceding commments was a joke. It's up to you to figure out which one.) Bye.

[Smurf]

From what I've read, we're more succeptible to inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, asthma, and autism. Anyone?
Ok, last I checked Autism wasn't something that was developed. Lol maybe I just got the definitions wrong, but did anyone else find this odd?

[brewnog]

Sorry, I just meant that there were correlations.

[Danger]

Hi Honey, I'm home:
This doesn't actually apply to you, Brewnog. I'm sure that you're a very nice guy, but you're probably way too ugly for me. Anyhow, I'm back from darts. Who invented that stupid game anyway? Must have been some medieval archer with nothing better to do. (Alright, I know that's how it started, but it still looks good as an excuse.) It's 3:15 am my time, so you're all probably asleep now. That should put us at an intellectual equilibrium. I'm going to give you a bit of background so that you know what youre getting into by welcoming me. I have pretty much no formal education. I blame that on the Ontario school system. As a for instance: for a grade 9 Tech History project, I detailed the development of, and how to build, a simple Little Boy type atomic bomb. I got a "D", with a teacher's comment in the margin that said "where did you copy this from?" This from a teacher who, if he had 3 more functional brain cells hooked together, could be a plant. Three years later in chemistry class, I submitted "nuclear rocket fuel" as a use for hydrogen (I was seriously investigating the NERVA and KIWI projects at the time). Guess what the reaction to that was, since I didn't mention peanut butter or margarine, the hydrogenation thereof having been in the text book.
Enough of that for now. Leave it suffice to be said that this is the first time since my membership in a long-defunct SF club called DEC in Calgary that I've had the opportunity to converse with others who live with one foot in the Twilight Zone.
Now, can someone tell me, what the hell is a "brewnog"? I like to have some idea of who my friends are. It suggests a beer-oriented lifestyle to me. Bravo! (Unless it's that warm English swill.)
Okay, now it's 3:40 am, and I have to get up in 3 hours to go to work. Damn you addictive site-mates. (Probably not appropriate. What's the audience demographic here?) I apologize if minors are reading.
I am in fact, at this point, somewhat inebriated, so please bear with my rambling. The one primary reason cited in North America for lefties having a higher mortality or injury rate is that the world is biased against them. A lot of everyday items that are designed for a right-hander can be dangerous or even fatal for a southpaw. I can use scissors with either hand, but left-handed takes a lot more effort because I have to actively force the blades together rather than letting natural torque do it for me. If your life depends upon firearms, a right-ejecting pistol can really mess up your form. One of the first things that you're taught in pilot training is to dive right if there's any chance of a collision. Same for cars in North America, where we drive on the right side of the road. [I will put in some geographical googaws here; although I was born and initially raised in and around Calgary, I got Shanghaied to the Windsor area about 35 miles SE of Detroit in '65. The ditches in Essex County are about 10' wide and 12' deep. (Land is too valuable to make it safe.) The first accident that I saw there involved a friend who hit the ditch at about 40mph in pre-seat belt days. A beautiful girl turned into hamburger in milliseconds.] Were it not for the bias toward turning right in an emergency, that wouldn't have happened. A veer to the left would have saved her features. (She didn't expire anyway, but it took a lot of surgery to make her aesthetically pleasing again.) Being ambidextrous is a bit of a saving factor, as far as I'm concerned. In a plane, I would still always dive starboard because it's international standard practice. In anything else, whichever way is safest is how to go. A leftie would probably have less difficulty overcoming instinct to veer left than would a non-sinister fellow. I don't know how that would relate to those who choose to drive on the other side of the road.
Okay, I'm outta here. As much as I hate to admit it, at my age I need the couple of hours of sleep that I can eke out tonight. Thanx again for inviting me in. I'm sure that you'll live to regret it. Goodnight, all.

[DaveC426913]

>One of the first things that you're taught in pilot training is to dive right if there's any chance of a collision. Same for cars in North America, where we drive on the right side of the road.

Yes, but these aren't right-baised, IMO as a southpaw. I do not believe lefties are inclined to dive toward the left any more than righties are inclined to dive toward the right. It's arbitrary and it's learned. If it had been set as 'to the left' from the beginning, it would have been the same thing.



>and 12' deep. (Land is too valuable to make it safe.) The first accident that I saw there involved a friend who hit the ditch at about 40mph in pre-seat belt days. A beautiful girl turned into hamburger in milliseconds.] Were it not for the bias toward turning right in an emergency, that wouldn't have happened. A veer to the left would have saved her features.

Same thing. Just because she's a leftie doesn't mean she would instinctively go either way. And even if it were true, it is merely coincidence that, in this case, going left would have saved her. (To be frank, and with all due respect to your friend - you can't know this is actually true, she may have, in fact, avoided plowing into a car head-on at full speed and dying instantly.

[DaveC426913]

Made it up myself, I did.

One thing that lefties are better at than righties is opening jars. Our stronger left arms make for better counterclockwise torque. (Of course, righties are better at tightening jars, but so what?)

In my house, I'm saddled with the job of opening jars, and whenever I do, I'm always sure to pipe up with:

Lefties are kept busy unscrewing things that righties are always screwing up!

[Danger]

Hi again;
I just got home from work and saw the response. You're probably right about the learned behavior aspect of it. I have to pay very particular attention to things because my own natural instinct is to turn left. I undergo a sense of vertigo when tilted to the right. It wasn't nearly as bad in a plane as on a bike, but noticeable. I've talked to a couple of motocross guys and they say the same thing. (I don't know their handedness.) I wonder if it might have to do with the same reason that I shoot pool and long-arms almost exclusively right-handed; ie I'm right-eyed. It takes quite a bit of effort to aim right while shooting left. I don't see how that would affect balance, but it might explain my evasion instinct. My dominant eye can stay on the threat longer if it's on the same side.
As for the accident... I know that she wouldn't have hit another car, because I was a couple of hundred feet behind her and it was an otherwise empty road. I never even saw the dog or whatever that she was avoiding. That would also indicate to me that it came from her right rather than cross the road toward her. Therefore, she turned into the threat instead of away from it. Anyhow, I mostly agree with you.

[Danger]

Okay, this instant response thing is weirding me out. I just looked up and all of a sudden there's another page there. The jar bit never crossed my mind, but I know that using a screwdriver is easier counter-clockwise left-handed and clockwise right-handed. Love the quote in principle, but since I'm equally right-handed, I have to be half-offended.

[brewnog]

Aha, Danger.

I'm gonna hijack this thread, but it's mine anyway.

While 'Brewnog' may imply that I'm a beered up student, it actually comes from the term Devil's Brew, which is a horrible version of cola that I made a few years back. When speaking in a medieval fashion, Devil's Brew becomes Devillion's Brewnog, and so the name came about. It's all very sensible when you think about it.

Of course, I am a beered up student, but that's not the point.

[ShawnD]

This whole left-right handed things is interesting. Half of the people in the chemistry program I'm in are left handed, and the majority of them (including myself) wear glasses to correct nearsightedness.

I used to be very ambidextrous. When learning to write, I could write equally good with either hand, so my parents pushed me towards using my right hand. I can use a pipet with either hand, I play hockey left, I bat and golf right, I pour with my left, I shake and stir things with my right.
My left hand/arm is stronger, but my right hand/arm is more coordinated (writing, punching, throwing). I also kick with my left in case that matters.

[Danger]

Hi, all;
Just back from a well-needed nap, courtesy of last night's misadventures. Thanks for the explanation, Brewnog. Some members of that aforementioned club belonged to the SCA as well, but it wasn't my scene. They probably would have known that.
I'm not sure what "hijacking this thread" means, but suspect that I've been a space hog. You would appear to be right. I just looked back to check things over, and I do appear to be a chatty little bugger. I thought that this little window box was all the space there was, until I noticed it scrolling, and lost track of how much I was typing until after I looked back. I can only see half a dozen lines at a time. It'll probably happen a lot. My train of thought gets derailed easily.

[KingNothing]

I think nowadays everyone wants to be ambidextrous, and they seem to claim they are just because they can draw a curvy line with both hands.

[Danger]

Hi again;
I don't know whether or not there's a specific definition of the term. In one article I read that one was considered ambidextrous if s/he used the off hand for anything of significance. Seems a little slack to me. In my case, I do just about everything with whichever hand is closest. I have noticed to some extent that I do things differently, but equally, such as how I hold a pen or a fork. As in ShawnD's case, there seems to be a little more fine motor control with the right, and more power with the left. One thing struck me as a little peculiar. I usually do technical sketches or notes with the right, but can't do art worth a damn. My left is for picture drawing and creative writing. I suspect that it might be due to which brain hemisphere is being stimulated most at the time. Opinions?
Also, I'd be very interested to know whether anyone else out there has experienced that vertigo thing I mentioned earlier.

[Danger]

PS:
I can type pretty quickly (in my much younger days I peaked at 120 wpm). Even now with the keyboard often sharing my lap with a cat, and arthritis, about 30 or 40 is normal and I can hit 80. The really annoying thing that I suspect might be due to the ambidextrousness is that there's a minor tendency to transpose letters from one side to the other. For instance, d's & k's, e's & i's, etc. I use the proper finger motion, but sometimes with the wrong hand.

[ShawnD]

I think nowadays everyone wants to be ambidextrous, and they seem to claim they are just because they can draw a curvy line with both hands.
We should really get a dictionary definition here to keep everything straight.
Ambidexterity - The property of being equally skillful with each hand.

I think everybody is born ambidextrous, but you just phase it out. When I was 5 or so, I could play hockey both ways, I could write with either hand, I could bat both ways, and I could throw with either hand. Now that I'm 19, each of those abilities is done 1 way only. You just sort of pick one way to do things and do it that way to get better at it.

It's neat when you can't pick which hand should be dominant for certain things. When I was learning to type on a computer (around 8 or so), I couldn't decide which thumb should hit the spacebar, so I decided to use both thumbs. To this day I still hit the space bar with both thumbs at the same time; everybody thinks I'm nuts. :tongue:

[Danger]

There might be something to that theory. I know that cats and dogs don't have a favoured paw, but always attributed it to simplified brain structure. Maybe all animals are that way naturally. As for the definition, I know what the dictionary says, but science seems to be misrepresented there sometimes. I strongly suspect that you won't be able to find anyone anywhere who does things exactly the same with either side. Even accidentally practising more with one would bias the skill level. If that's correct, then most ambidextrous people would appear right-handed because they would use implements made for righties that way (scissors, for example).

[ShawnD]

I know what the dictionary says, but science seems to be misrepresented there sometimes.
I guess you are right. The dictionary version of "narcotic" is laughable.

Could you say ambidexterity is when you can do generic stuff with either hand, and it averages out to both hands being about equal overall?
It sounds really stupid, but I've met people with one hand so dominant that they can't do simple tasks like pouring juice unless they use their dominant hand.

[Danger]

Hi ShawnD;
Sorry for the delay in responding; I was off snooping about other places. I really don't know what proper etiquette is for this sort of thing. As mentioned, I've only been on the net for a couple of weeks and have never interacted with people before. Your definition certainly seems to reflect the way it is with me. And I've know people like those you mentioned. To me, it seems as much a handicap as not having the limb at all. A correlation does seem to exist with different brain function. Just as more artistic people are lefties, and strictly physical types righties, those with less demarcation of hemisphere dominance tend to exhibit lateral thinking (analytical tracking, whatever). We just don't think the same way. Whether that's good or bad is debatable, but I enjoy it and find it useful. Bye the bye, a casual observation of my customers at Instant Cash (like a Money Mart) shows that about 40% are lefties. Maybe money management is something difficult for them.

[KingNothing]

To this day I still hit the space bar with both thumbs at the same time; everybody thinks I'm nuts. :tongue:

But can you really attribute this to the spacebar-thumb habit?

There might be something to that theory. I know that cats and dogs don't have a favoured paw, but always attributed it to simplified brain structure. Maybe all animals are that way naturally. As for the definition, I know what the dictionary says, but science seems to be misrepresented there sometimes. I strongly suspect that you won't be able to find anyone anywhere who does things exactly the same with either side. Even accidentally practising more with one would bias the skill level. If that's correct, then most ambidextrous people would appear right-handed because they would use implements made for righties that way (scissors, for example).

Well, I would think what matters is the actual skill level, not whether or not you practiced to get there. It would be very hard to define any bodily function as 'the way you are naturally' as even as babies our mums probably tended to play with one hand a little more.

Also, many things change within about a year after birth. For instance, all newborns have blue eyes. All babies strong enough to do so can swim. Kinda weird.

[Danger]

Hi King;
I'm too lazy to type the whole thing, if that's okay. That's the first I ever heard about blue-eyed babies. I believe you, but it's hard to envision a blue-eyed Nigerian or Ethiopian except as a random mutation. Is it just because pigmentation isn't complete at birth? The swimming bit doesn't surprise me, because of our ancestors being aquatic. It should be a racial memory sort of deal. Don't embryos at some point have gills? I certainly don't dispute that most critical brain wiring occurs explosively over the first year or so, and that environmental factors affect it heavily. What I meant was that an ambidextrous person would be observed to do things right-handed more often than left if it were more convenient. Personally don't go out of my way to use scissors left-handed, or manipulate the controls on my right-hand designed .45. If either were designed for lefties, that's how I would use them, and equally well. Since the vast majority of things are made for righties, people might therefore assume that I'm right-handed.

[Danger]

Me again;
As I mentioned repeatedly, this is all new to me. The GMT thing is hard to get used to, especially in not knowing when someone else is. Day, night, what? Anyhow, I thought maybe I should mention that I have to go now, in case someone expects a reply. It's 1:40 am here. Will catch up tomorrow.