# Ambidextrious people, do you alternate hands for "me time"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678 "2009-10-21T23:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/1 "2009-10-21T23:41:45Z")
So how about it, I’m sure there are some of the teeming who are either ambi or know someone who is. Do you trade off manos or do you have a preferred set of digits for that activity but always use the other own for mousing and holding the toothbrush? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/2 "2009-10-22T01:50:19Z")
A perfect thread for IMHO. Moved. **samclem** Moderator, General Questions ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/3 "2009-10-22T02:25:07Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > A perfect thread for IMHO. Moved. > > **samclem** Moderator, General Questions Payback’s a bitch. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/4 "2009-10-22T02:28:32Z")
I’m not ambi, but my opposite hand shakes with the middle one. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/5 "2009-10-22T02:38:53Z")
OP: No. Each hand has it’s own set of things to do. Most of the time. There are obviously going to be circumstances that require I use my “other” hand for specific activities. Most of the time though, each hand has it’s own duties. **Right Hand:** [ul][li]Using a computer mouse[/li][li]Writing[/li][li]Using a knife during a meal[/li][li]Holding a can of precious precious Dr Pepper if there is a fork in my hand during a meal[/li][li]Flipping a shitty driver off[/ul][/li] **Left Hand:** [ul][li]Using a fork during meals that involve cutting (That is, stab fork with left hand, use knife in right hand to cut, move food to mouth with left hand)[/li][li]Holding a can of precious precious Dr Pepper if there is _not_ a fork in my hand[/li][li]Holding a phone or doing much of anything on a phone (dialing or text messaging) [/ul][/li] EDIT: So yeah, does that make me ambidextrous? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/6 "2009-10-22T03:11:58Z")
I was right handed until the world wide web got going, then switched. Not really ambidextrous, although I shoot archery left handed, too. All else is righty. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/7 "2009-10-22T03:28:48Z")
I tend to do certain tasks with one hand or the other, but I can usually switch hands if there’s a need to. One exception is writing - although my writing with either hand is legible, the right-handed writing is better because that hand is more practiced. Other than that, I’m pretty ambi but since it’s a right-hander’s world guess which hand winds up doing more than the other. ---
**Author:** ![Pulp\_Friction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@Pulp\_Friction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pulp_Friction)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/8 "2009-10-22T03:43:55Z")
I’m not ambi, but I am ambi-curious. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/9 "2009-10-22T03:57:12Z")
Assuming the OP is pussyfooting around the term “masturbation”, no, this ambidextrious person uses Lefty exclusively. And I just realized the opposite of “pussyfooting” could be said to be dick handling. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/10 "2009-10-22T04:53:27Z")
I don’t use my hands. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/11 "2009-10-22T06:12:24Z")
I’m right-handed, but have always used my left for “me-time.” ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/12 "2009-10-22T06:35:29Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > Assuming the OP is pussyfooting around the term “masturbation”, no, this ambidextrious person uses Lefty exclusively. And I just realized the opposite of “pussyfooting” could be said to be dick handling. Yes, I’m pussyfooting a bit. I haven’t posted on this forum in a number of years and don’t have a feel for the board as it is today. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/13 "2009-10-22T06:44:07Z")
Saying the word “masturbate” or any such variants is not ever going to be off-limits to this message board. And to actually answer the OP, if I am ambidextrous, no I don’t alternate hands. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/14 "2009-10-22T07:48:45Z")
I’m not ambidextrous, but it would not matter if I were, because it’s a both-hands job in my case, due to size. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/15 "2009-10-22T09:39:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’m not ambidextrous, but it would not matter if I were, because it’s a both-hands job in my case, due to size. What - one for the magnifying glass and one for the tweezers? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/16 "2009-10-22T11:08:07Z")
Modesty prevents me from saying more. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/17 "2009-10-22T21:12:08Z")
I’m somewhat ambidextrous. You be the judge: I write right-handed when using pen and paper, but I can write equally well (in terms of legibility and speed) with either hand when writing on a vertical surface, like a white board or chalkboard. I can use both hands equally well to key numbers on the number pad of a key board, but only use my left thumb when spacing. As far as sports are concerned, I was taught to do everything as a righty, but over time have come to realize that some stuff I’m better at using my left. Layups, for example, [though I’m awful at basketball in general, so the casual observer wouldn’t be able to ID this as an improvement over the right handed ones] and taking a breath on the left side when swimming freestyle [on the left side, I do it perfectly,–right side, a little awkward, less fluid). Most fine-motor skills I do with my right hand (like using carving tools, using tweezers, cutting things with an exacto knife, or trimming dogs’ nails), but I can still do them with my left if I have to, it’s just a little awkward or less precise sometimes. As far as the masturbating thing is concerned, I similarly favor my right. However, I can switch hit as necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambidextrious-people-do-you-alternate-hands-for-me-time/514678/18 "2009-10-22T21:18:01Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > What - one for the magnifying glass and one for the tweezers? Too bad they don’t make a tweezer-equiped version of [this gem](http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Files2/2009-3/25/magnifying-nail-with-1-5-inch-2x-lens-and-4-inch-long-nail-clippers-17093214716.jpg). That’d make masturbation in such cases a breeze!