Left-Handed: Facts, Myths & Fun Polls

[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 don't know about the claims you were alleging but here is an article from the BBC claiming that left handed people kick ass!

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.

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?

 

[Moses]

I am left handed, and i use my hand for all the tasks i do as the right handed people use their 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 ] 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 because 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 ] 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.

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?

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. 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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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." 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.

 

[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.

 

[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]

pssssst

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]

"Lucy"

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

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 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

 

[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 : )

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.

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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[plover]

Y o u   m e a n   l i k e   t h i s ?

 

[Math Is Hard]

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

 

[Moonbear]

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

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?