How old is the oldest left-hander you know?

[BACI]

Listening to the latest episode of the podcast Skeptoid, the host Brian Dunning asserted that lefties have much shorter average lifespans than right handers, an indeed that there are very very few lefties over the age of 90. Is this consistent with your experience? Do you know any lefties over 90?

[TreacherousCretin]

My mother is going strong at 84.

[Electric Warrior]

I believe my grandmother (92) is naturally left-handed, but was trained in school to use her right. It may be that you simply don't find older people who are left-handed for this reason - at that time, left-handedness was thought of as about on par with being bowlegged, so they were 'normalized'.

[runner pat]

Anyone growing up that long ago were forced to be right handed from an early age, thus there's no way to know how many converted lefties are living that long.

[MsWhatsit]

My age (35). The only lefties I know are the ones I know because I went to school with them. No lefties in my family or anything.

[elfkin477]

My dad, he's 62.

[TriPolar]

80 something. But I may know people older than that who I just don't know are southpaws. Not many of them play baseball anymore, so it's hard to tell.

Wait, I just realized I did meet a guy who passed away only a couple of years ago, and I know he was at least 89. And he was still playing softball, he would only pitch to one batter in most games, but that's why I knew he was a leftie.

And what is the podcast Skeptoid? Should we believe there's any basis for this claim?

[hajario]

My Dad will be 75 in a few weeks. He was forced to write with his right hand and his writing is barely legible. I am a righty but I shoot pool left handed because that's the way he taught me.

[mhendo]

Originally Posted by Electric Warrior

I believe my grandmother (92) is naturally left-handed, but was trained in school to use her right. It may be that you simply don't find older people who are left-handed for this reason - at that time, left-handedness was thought of as about on par with being bowlegged, so they were 'normalized'.

I was born in the late 1960s, and when my (Hungarian) paternal grandparents found out that i was left-handed, they wanted to force me to use my right hand. My mother put a stop to that damn quickly.

[TriPolar]

The forced right handers might be skewing the statistics for people over 90, because all of them were born at least 90 years ago when forcing right handedness was more common. But that doesn't seem like enough to make a leftie over the age of 90 to be unusually rare. The past 90 years has also shown a lot of right handed technological development that might have caused more accidents for southpaws, or more stressful lives in some way. Even still, I'd think about 10% of the people over the age of 90 are left handed, just like those under the age of 90.

[DearestDane]

In most cases where I have known someone to be a left-hander, I have discovered it by seeing them write. And this fact certainly gives an unbalanced picture, because - as others have already stated - a few decades ago lefties were forced to use their right hand when writing.

The oldest person that I know to be a lefty, is my 63 years old brother. And, indeed, he was forced to write with his right hand. My 45 year old niece wasn't. And I do remember having witnessed discussions about this topic in the 60'es.

[voguevixen]

Oldest southpaw I know is my dad, 63...

Oldest southpaw I "know" is Paul McCartney, creepin up on 70.

[RTFirefly]

My dad will be 87 next month. He's the oldest lefty I know personally. Though I should ask him whether his dad was lefthanded; I think he might have been. Grandpa Dave was 94 when he shuffled off this mortal coil.

We've had a run of Presidents and Presidential candidates who were lefthanders. Some of the oldest ones: Gerald Ford was lefthanded, and lived to age 93. Bush the Elder is lefthanded, and will turn 88 next month. Bob Dole (89 in July) and Ross Perot (82 next month) are both lefthanded, though Dole's lefthandedness is a matter of necessity rather than nature, having lost the use of his right hand in WWII. Presidents Clinton and Obama are both lefthanded, as is former Presidential candidate John McCain, but they're still just in their 60s, 50s, and 70s, respectively.

[kayaker]

Originally Posted by TriPolar

And what is the podcast Skeptoid? Should we believe there's any basis for this claim?

Brian Dunning is well thought of in the skeptical community. (appeal to authority)

[Stratocaster]

Originally Posted by voguevixen

Oldest southpaw I "know" is Paul McCartney, creepin up on 70.

Ringo's even older, and he's a lefty too.

[tumbleddown]

My uncle is a proud southpaw and will turn 88 this coming Wednesday. He's the only leftie in my entire immediate family.

[Tangent]

My grandmother was a lefty, and she died at age 93.

[etv78]

My mom is 61.

[Duckster]

Originally Posted by TreacherousCretin

My mother is going strong at 84.

My mother is 91, and still going strong as well.

[chizzuk]

My aunt is a lefty, and is 67.

My grandmother was left-handed and died at age 88. I think she was home-schooled for a number of years and was not forced to be a righty. She always wrote lefty when I knew her. However, she had flowery cursive that was almost totally illegible, even to my mom.

[TreacherousCretin]

Came back to mention that Mom (84 and still ticking), Dad (died at 67), and one of my two sisters (54) are lefties. Of interest to no one but me.
.

[DearestDane]

Originally Posted by Stratocaster

Ringo's even older, and he's a lefty too.

Meaning it's the left half of The Beatles that is still alive?

[jackdavinci]

My Dad died last year at 60.

[chrisk]

Well, the only leftie I can think of was my Dad, and he died at the age of 68. For whatever that's worth.

[Stratocaster]

Originally Posted by DearestDane

Meaning it's the left half of The Beatles that is still alive?

Why, yes...it is the sinister element of the Beatles that remains.

[Baracus]

My wife's grandmother is a lefty and will turn 90 this September.

[RickJay]

The only people whose handedness I KNOW are in my immediate family (or, obviously, people I play softball with) so I might have met many old lef-handed people but I'd never know it.

So technically, the answer is my mother, who is 65 and in excellent health. Barring an accident she'll reach 90, I predict. Longetivity is a trait shared by all her female relatives; her mother, who had more health problems, is still going at 91.

[Cliffy]

Dad's 67.

George H.W. Bush seems to be doing pretty well. He's 87.

--Cliffy

[cuberdon]

Mom and stepmom who are both approaching 70.

Very sore subject for stepmother -- one of her older relatives was forced to be a righty and if you bring it up you'll hear a pretty heartfelt rant. Mother I've never heard of her being "right-ified", but she told me a story about the first day of school. Teacher said, everyone turn their paper this way, she said I'm left handed, should I turn it the other way, teacher stopped a minute and thought then said, yes. Which is why Mom writes with a straight arm rather than wrist twisted around as though she has palsy as some lefties do. I suppose they're used to it but man, that looks uncomfortable.

[saoirse]

My maternal grandfather is dead, but he live to be 93. He dropped out of eighth grade because he refused to write with his right hand, as he was required to do.

[DearestDane]

Originally Posted by Stratocaster

Why, yes...it is the sinister element of the Beatles that remains.

Neat catch.

[RealityChuck]

My mother -- 82 today.

[BACI]

OP here. This is interesting - notwithstanding the issue of "forced rightness", very few 90 or over. Had the question been home many right handed people over 90 do you know I expect the numbers would be much higher. But clearly the policy of forcing lefties to be otherwise in times past does skew the numbers. Reliable data difficult to come by.

[Hello Again]

My grandma's lefty and she's an active 93. Goes to writing class and seniors yoga, paints and draws and does the NYT sunday crossword! Go grandma!

[Taomist]

Originally Posted by Electric Warrior

I believe my grandmother (92) is naturally left-handed, but was trained in school to use her right. It may be that you simply don't find older people who are left-handed for this reason - at that time, left-handedness was thought of as about on par with being bowlegged, so they were 'normalized'.

I was thinking this, too. My mom was born in the 40s, and her left hand was tied behind her back at school and church in order to discourage her from using 'the devil's hand'. Assholes.

[percypercy]

The oldest lefty I know is my aunt at 69(a few months off yet from 70) but George H. W. Bush(the older one) is left-handed and nearly 88.

[Senegoid]

My old man, a leftie, lived to 96.
(Unless I've missed something, this appears to
be the record for this thread so far.)

[jackdavinci]

Originally Posted by jackdavinci

My Dad died last year at 60.

Although, he was a drinker and a smoker (but no longer a toker).

[jeturgeon]

My grandfather was a lefty that passed away 3 years ago at 88, although not sure if it counts, due to the fact that he was a righty until he lost his right hand in an accident at work.

[Gary T]

Originally Posted by BACI

This is interesting...very few 90 or over. Had the question been home many right handed people over 90 do you know I expect the numbers would be much higher. But clearly the policy of forcing lefties to be otherwise in times past does skew the numbers. Reliable data difficult to come by.

And perhaps the numbers are skewed because people tend to assume someone is right-handed unless it's clearly demonstrated otherwise. Of all the 90+-year-olds you have met, how many do you know with absolute certainty to be right-handed rather than left-handed?

[Siam Sam]

My left-handed father died at age 69 but not from some accident resulting from his handedness. It was complications from a cerebral hemorrhage. I have indications that my left-handed mother is probably still alive, and she'd be 78, turning 79 next month. (I'm right-handed.)

[ENugent]

One left-handed grandmother died at 89, the other is still hanging on at 99.

[Bootis]

Originally Posted by BACI

Had the question been home many right handed people over 90 do you know I expect the numbers would be much higher.

Probably nearly 10 times more I'd expect, since righties outnumber lefties by nearly ten times...

[Boyo Jim]

Can I increase my lifespan be learning to be right handed?

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by Boyo Jim

Can I increase my lifespan be learning to be right handed?

All I know is it will definitely increase your prestige.

[The Devil's Grandmother]

My grandmother is also a natural lefty, forced to be a righty. She's almost 90, but in very poor health.

[Nava]

Grandma is cross-dominant, she's 98 (and a half, as she was bemoaning a week ago). She doesn't leave the house alone because she's got equilibrium and hearing problems, but she showers herself, dresses herself and uses her cane more to point at things or twirl than to lean on. Oh yes, and her knee hurts, but I never remember which one.

[Razrak]

My 85 year old grandmother is left handed and completely independent.

[TBG]

Originally Posted by Electric Warrior

I believe my grandmother (92) is naturally left-handed, but was trained in school to use her right. It may be that you simply don't find older people who are left-handed for this reason - at that time, left-handedness was thought of as about on par with being bowlegged, so they were 'normalized'.

Replace grandmother with grandfather and same here. He writes righty, but does most other things lefty.

[Orca Eyes]

My friend's great-grandfather (who is 88) is left-handed. Actually, he can write a little with his right hand, but still prefers his left hand.