# Not Totally Left/Right Handed Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 12, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006 "2010-08-12T02:17:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/41 "2010-08-15T08:05:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/42 "2010-08-15T10:21:11Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I am surprised the first two options are nearly dead even. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/43 "2010-08-15T11:47:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/44 "2010-08-15T13:12:16Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/45 "2010-08-15T13:15:46Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/46 "2010-08-15T13:24:34Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > > [@AmunRa](#): > > > > Come to think of it that’s pretty much the only thing I do with my left hand. 😛 > > 🙂 I think this is something a lot of people use their non-dominant hand for. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/47 "2010-08-15T14:18:02Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/48 "2010-08-15T16:34:05Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I write and eat and drink with my left hand. I am right-handed when it comes to anything sports-related. I tend to use the computer mouse with my right-hand, but can manage just fine with my left if I need to. > > I consider myself to be left-handed, although other lefties make fun of me because I wear my watch on my left hand, as well. 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. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/49 "2010-08-15T21:50:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Runestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@Runestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runestar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/50 "2010-08-15T22:20:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/51 "2010-08-15T22:24:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/52 "2010-08-15T23:50:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/53 "2010-08-16T01:50:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Hazel\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Ms.Hazel\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Hazel_Ice)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/54 "2010-08-16T02:42:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/55 "2010-08-16T05:22:44Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Oh, yeah…I always forget brushing my teeth is something I do left-handed, as well. 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. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/56 "2010-08-16T14:53:06Z")
> [@boomerwang](#): > > > [@chizzuk](#): > > > > I’m right-handed, but I eat with the fork/spoon in my left hand. I also deal cards left-handed. For some reason, I cannot do it any other way. I’ve tried dealing with my right and I’m extremely slow and drop them all over the floor. > > > > Someone told me that I put my belt on like a lefty, but I didn’t even know there was such a distinction. I thread it around clockwise. Apparently this is strange. > > I had a similar thing with tying shoelaces. Teachers and my na freaked out, ‘You’re doing that lefthanded!!!’. I was 😕 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. ---
**Author:** ![Cinebar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Cinebar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinebar)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/57 "2010-08-16T18:08:02Z")
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: ---
**Author:** ![TBortz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/91b2a8/32.png) [@TBortz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBortz)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/58 "2010-09-17T19:54:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/59 "2010-09-17T20:00:35Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/60 "2010-09-17T20:06:28Z")
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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006.md?page=4)