I write, eat, and play guitar lefty. Anything sports-related, e.g., throw, catch, bat, etc… I do righty. I actually have a pretty decent swing both left- and right-handed but, although I have more power batting lefty, I have better control batting righty.
I am sure it is largely selection bias but I also think that cross-dominance (thanks Northern Piper) is more common than you might think. Partly because left-handed people live in a right-handed world, but also because handedness is quite complex.
Writing wise, I was right handed up until about 10 years ago, and tended to do everything else with my left hand. After I got my computer, I started getting better at things with my right hand, which made things easier at work. I still favor my left hand for most tasks though. Unfortunately I did something to my hand that makes it near impossible to hold something as narrow as a pen or pencil, so now I don’t write at all if I can avoid it. Signing my name leaves my hand cramped up into a claw, much less trying to fill out a lot of paperwork.
Mostly right, but left at batting (can switch-hit), dealing cards and using a mouse (that was a deliberate decision - the layout of the standard keyboard made it look best to keep my right hand free, e.g. Enter, Del, PgUp/Dn, numeric keypad).
I play golf right-handed because only right-handed clubs were available when I learned.
My son is a real mixture, and the oddest to me is that he throws a ball with his right hand but a Frisbee with his left.
Woah, I just realised I do this too. I think it is because the frisbee is thrown backhand.
Ya? I can’t with my left hand; I mean I can, but it doesn’t produce the desired results. I am so very right-handed. My left arm is largely for symmetry.
I write with my right hand but instinctively do everything else with my left; and my left arm is noticeably (to me ) stronger than my right. I suspect that I am innately left-handed but was forced to change over by my parents and first-grade teacher.
Wow. I’m a lot like you, with the exception of the mouse, that is. Using a mouse with my left hand feels strange and takes me longer.
I am primarily left-handed, but seeing how we are treated as such an insignificant minority (and I hear it’s even worse in other countries), there are many things I need to adapt to right handed.
One big thing is music. Just about every single instrument is designed for a right handed player, which means that my piano playing (left hand for chords, right hand for melody) is awkward for me, and I often criss cross my hands to do them backwards, when possible. You CAN get left-handed guitars, but they’re treated like a special order and most guitar stores carry a very limited selection, and forget about getting left handed accessories. I was surprised that the Guitar Hero games even have a left handed option. I think that one of the reasons I chose the French Horn as one of my primary instruments is because it’s very lefty-friendly - the left hand is used for all of the valves, while the right hand is used for quick-tuning and muting in the bell, something that can be practically ignored most of the time.
I do play golf right handed, since left handed clubs are totally incompatible, and I learned to play using my parents’ set. I also bat right handed, although I throw left handed. And I always used a left handed hockey stick.
Another mixed handed here. I do most things right-handed, but when doing something that requires dexterity (such as writing, or detail work), I use my left hand.
So when painting my Warhammer or D&D miniatures, I use my left hand, but if I pick up a paintbrush to paint a wall, i’ll use my right hand.
BTW - I suspect that your survey might be producing skewed results, because I bet that the ones most likely to respond are those who use both hands for various activities, rather than a single hand for everything. Still, it is interesting to read how everyone uses their hands differently.
I am right handed. I used to mention to my left handed golf partner how about 11 percent of people are left handed. Also 11 % are gay. Kinda nice how god made it so easy to pick them out.
He didn’t think it was funny.
I describe myself as right-handed, because I do most things with my right hand. Eating, brushing my teeth, throwing and catching, scratching my butt. But I know my brain isn’t completely right-oriented, because my left hand is significantly stronger and obviously larger. If I’m opening a jar or turning a lock, I use my left automatically. I can also “mouse” with my left using my touchpad as easily as I can with my right. To add further confusion, my left leg is dominant, as is my left eye and ear.
My mother tells me that in nursery school, I was left-handed and the teachers converted me to being right. I have a pretty good memory and it seems like I’d remember this happening at least a little bit, but I don’t. So either it happened and the “conversion” was so traumatic that I repressed the memory (which is possible, knowing that nursery school), or my mother is exaggerating what happened. I think what might have happened is that I showed mixed-handedness and didn’t know what hand to write with, so I used both. The teachers probably just encouraged me to use the right hand, like all the good girls and boys used, and I complied. Whatever they did, they must have done a good job because my left hand is completely handicapped when it comes to writing and most other things involving fine motor dexterity (except for violin/viola playing). But my right hand is not perfect. I have decent penmanship when I put effort into it, but I have a very strange pencil grip. People look at me when I write and say, “Hey, you’re a leftie!” even though I’m obviously using my right hand.
I will say, when I was younger I had a hard time with “left” and “right”. It wasn’t until I was in the second grade that I realized what made a left shoe different from a right shoe. Before that, I’d have to consult my sister before putting on my shoes. I don’t know if that’s related to mixed-handedness, but I do know that mixed-handedness has been tied to dyslexia, which has been tied to left-right confusion.
Oh, yeah…I always forget brushing my teeth is something I do left-handed, as well. I also cut my own hair, and I’m always far more comfortable using my left hand on the left side of my head. Everything feels…wrong when I have to switch.
I am primarily right-handed (writing, opening doors, etc.), but I crochet left-handed. I’ve tried to force myself to do it right-handed, but I can’t get my hand to work the way it would need to. I’ve become used to reading patterns backwards.
That sounds very awkward to me. I use my right hand to brush the left side teeth, and my left hand to brush the right side teeth.
Huh. You know, this is probably why my 7 year old is having so much trouble learning how to tie his shoes. It’s really stupid that that never occurred to me.
I’m pretty much right handed, but I can do things with my left hand, like write legibly. My son is a total combo. He eats and writes with this left hand. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. He kicks with his left foot, rides his skateboard “regular” (as opposed to goofy), and has a great golf swing with both his left-handed clubs and his brother’s right-handed clubs.
I voted “I have one or fewer hands…” because that came closest.
Born right-handed, spent all my life until three years ago right-handed. But an industrial accident (crushed right hand - lost one finger, half my thumb, nothing works/bends) caused my to have to become predominately left-handed.
I can do a few (very few) things with my right hand. When I type, I use all my fingers on my left hand but just my middle finger on my right. I can sort of hold things in place with my right hand (the heel or palm) while I cut (or whatever) with my left.
I had to learn (at the age of 52) to write left-handed. It’s still very hard and I get very tense and stressed if I have to do very much of it. In fact, if I have to write more than a few things out (like checks, when paying bills), my right hand starts aching and wanting to move. :rolleyes:
Question, Where does this put me?
I write with my left hand, don’t think I tend to hook,with a little practice I can write fine with my right hand, however I have found that I can also write with my right hand in mirror writing ie backwards and joined at the same speed I do so forward with my left. gets worse. using 2 pens can write both together backwards or forwards or opposing with either hand at the same time. just to point out, I am writing the same thing with both hands. Also play sports with either hand, am a bit dyslexic. Guessing that most people can do these things if they ever tried.
I’m right-handed, but my left hand is probably 75% as coordinated as my right. I throw a frisbees with my left hand for some reason. I can use my left hand for tennis and billiards.
Right-handed but I:
-open jars with left hand
-generally use trackpad with left hand
-generally pick things up with right hand, manipulate with left hand
-can snap fingers on left hand much better than right hand
Have tried to teach myself to write left-handed, but just can’t do it.