# Do you turn twist ties clockways or counter clock ways?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 1, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318 "2012-09-01T00:24:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/1 "2012-09-01T00:24:10Z")
Asking for a niece in college. She needs 400 to 600 replies and is asking people in the hallways. Her prof said votes here count too.
Interesting study. Do right & left handed people have a preference for turning things clockwise or counter clockwise?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/2 "2012-09-01T00:28:58Z")
Right handed. Definite preference for turning things held between thumb and forefinger clockwise. Better utilization of the thumb.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/3 "2012-09-01T00:29:19Z")
Um…to twist them or untwist them?
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/4 "2012-09-01T00:31:39Z")
Right Handed - prefer counter clockwise. I also checked an extension cord I recently tied with twist ties.
I naturally go counter clockwise. Use both hands for tasks pretty well. But I write right handed. Thanks to my teachers.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/5 "2012-09-01T00:32:44Z")
To twist and tighten a twist tie.
> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> Um…to twist them or untwist them?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/6 "2012-09-01T00:33:44Z")
> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> Um…to twist them or untwist them?
I assumed twist because you don’t have a choice for the direction of untwisting.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/7 "2012-09-01T00:38:24Z")
My niece is walking around with a bread bag and twist ties. Asking people to fasten it. Then observing which direction it was tightened.
Nothing like class projects and written papers. Fun times.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/8 "2012-09-01T01:00:34Z")
1. Wrap twist tie around bread bag.
2. Hold twist tie in left hand.
3. Spin bag clockwise with right hand.
This assumes I haven’t just thrown away the twist tie and instead am just tucking the end of the bag under the bread.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/9 "2012-09-01T01:37:30Z")
Followup question: do you twist them in the opposite direction when you cross the equator?
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### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/10 "2012-09-01T01:44:24Z")
I am left-handed. I actually hold the ends of the twist-tie and turn the object (loaf of bread or whatever). The result is as if I had turned the twist-tie clockwise since I generally turn the object counter-clockwise. So the opposite of **Mr. Me**. But like **Mr. Me** , I usually throw the twist tie away.
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/11 "2012-09-01T01:48:33Z")
I came here to note that it’s “clockwise”, not “clockways” - but the poll choices show that.
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### Author:  [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/12 "2012-09-01T02:36:32Z")
I chose “Other,” since you didn’t mention whether I was opening the twist-tie or closing it.
I’m right-handed and I close a twist-tie clockwise, open it counter-clockwise. Interestingly, my right-handed husband operates twist-ties the other way 'round.
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### Author:  [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/13 "2012-09-01T02:47:10Z")
Right handed, twist clockwise. +1 for my wife, who is and does the same.
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### Author:  [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/14 "2012-09-01T03:28:37Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#):
>
> I chose “Other,” since you didn’t mention whether I was opening the twist-tie or closing it.
As **TriPolar** pointed out, the question is self explanatory since you don’t have a choice when opening. Which is interesting, because I think most commercial breads are wound closed counter clockwise, which always seemed counter intuitive to me. Threaded fasteners (screws, bolts and such) are very rarely threaded counter clockwise, and it seems obviously tied to dominant handedness. So much so that fasteners threaded counter clockwise are frequently referred to as “left-handed” thread.
A twist-tie, being another type of fastener, could be expected to follow the same general rule that dominant hand rotated away from the body = tighter or closed. Even with the small sample of votes in this thread so far, it would be expected. But in my experience, the bread people don’t get that. Then again, I don’t eat a ton of bread, so it could be my own confirmation bias and I only notice the bread that has its fastener twisted the “wrong” way.
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### Author:  [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/15 "2012-09-01T03:44:42Z")
Missed the edit, but I wanted to add that I have never in my life encountered a jar of anything that was threaded counter clockwise. Surely somebody made such a jar at some point in human history. Has anyone here ever seen one?
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### Author:  [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/16 "2012-09-01T04:26:01Z")
I’m right-handed, but I’m just now realizing that I operate twist ties with my left hand. Counter-clockwise. That’s odd. I also deal cards left-handed and drop them everywhere if I try to reverse it. Just one of those things, I guess.
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### Author:  [@scratch\_llll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch_llll)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/17 "2012-09-01T04:34:09Z")
Right handed- clockwise.
The reason is likely because most people have worked with tools tightening bolts and it’s always righty tighty (clockwise to tighten) which is what you are doing to the twist tie. Although it could work both ways with a twist tie the brain still associates tight with clockwise.
I mostly just tuck bread wrappers under though.
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### Author:  [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/18 "2012-09-01T04:37:21Z")
Righty tighty, lefty loosey.
Don’t you people watch Ask This Old House?
Roddy
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### Author:  [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/19 "2012-09-01T05:39:20Z")
> [@scratch\_llll](#):
>
> Right handed- clockwise.
>
> The reason is likely because most people have worked with tools tightening bolts and it’s always righty tighty (clockwise to tighten) which is what you are doing to the twist tie. Although it could work both ways with a twist tie the brain still associates tight with clockwise.
Correct, and I already metioned that. But handedness of tools (or more correctly the fastener thread that the tools drive) is not arbitrary.
Point either arm straight forward from your body, forearm up. If you rotate away from your body in either direction, you are likely to get 180° without discomfort. Rotate in towards the body, and you’ll get maybe 90° and probably feel strain and discomfort. A jar is the same way, if not as pronounced. You have more range of motion away from the body than towards it.
Maneuvering a twist-tie is not the same, as you said. You can bring the twist-tie close to your body and change the axis of motion, which completely eliminates the motion stress. I agree that the habit is mostly ingrained, but I don’t think you’re giving enough credit to the fact that threaded fasteners are threaded clockwise for good reason (at least for the majority of right handed users). You didn’t say that it’s arbitrary, but I think it’s worth saying that it is absolutely not.
None of which addresses the bread people. Why are they so wrong? 😉
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### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-turn-twist-ties-clockways-or-counter-clock-ways/633318/20 "2012-09-01T06:30:43Z")
Right handed, clockwise. Lefty loosey, righty tighty!
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