Handedness

[EC]

I'm left handed and am wondering if maybe the percentage of lefties among Objectivists is higher than among the general population since left-handed people use the right brain more, etc. For this to be at all accurate you should answer (if you choose to) obviously whether you are left or right handed, I don't want this poll to be artifically biased towards one choice or the other.

[Hugh Akston]

I like to use both. I always thought, "why waste a perfectly good left hand"

[Charles T.]

since left-handed people use the right brain more

I recently read that that whole "right-handed/left brain, left-handed/right brain" thing is a myth, just one of those stories that got started, and stuck. Has anybody else heard that? I'm pretty sure I read it in Michael Shermer's book, "The Borderlands of Science", but I don't have a copy so I can't confirm that.

CT

[HaloNoble6]

I've heard of the myth, but can't remember where I heard it.

[Chumley]

I'm left handed and am wondering if maybe the percentage of lefties among Objectivists is higher than among the general population since left-handed people use the right brain more, etc. For this to be at all accurate you should answer (if you choose to) obviously whether you are left or right handed, I don't want this poll to be artifically biased towards one choice or the other.

I write left-handed, but I do almost everything else like a right-handed person: I play guitar, swing a baseball bat or golf club, and throw right-handed. Once summer when I was teaching pistol marksmanship, I tried shooting left-handed and got the same score I had the day before when I shot right-handed.

[softwareNerd]

Anuone know what the % of left-handedness is in the population.

I'd be shocked if a proper study shows less right-handedness among Objectivists.

A silly joke just occured to me...sorry, couldn't resist the urge to post!

Q: Why are there more right-handed Objectivists?

A: Because they aren't second-handers.

[EC]

The percentage of left-handers in the general population is about 10%.

[Richard Roark]

I am like Chumley. I am right handed but will do other activities left handed. I shoot hockey left handed, feel more comfortable swinging a golf club left handed, and I skate board goofy footed, ie left foot in front and right foot in the back.

[EC]

I write left handed, but I throw a ball right handed, golf right handed, bat right handed, etc. Then again I bowl left handed. It's kind of weird and random what thing feel more comfortable using which hand. I don't know why I brought this subject up curiousity I guess, and the fact that I'm left handed, and noticed that other left handed people seem to always be more intellectual in general to me.

[realitycheck44]

I am like Chumley. I am right handed but will do other activities left handed. I shoot hockey left handed, feel more comfortable swinging a golf club left handed, and I skate board goofy footed, ie left foot in front and right foot in the back.

That's regular, man. Goofy is right foot in front and left foot in back.

[unskinned]

Has anyone ever wondered whether such a thing exists as "handedness?" I don't have much experience with small children and don't remember this part of my childhood so I am not familiar with the facts of a child being partial to a side. As far as I know, I could be left handed as much as I already write and throw baseballs with my left hand, and nothing more than that.

Edited April 4, 2005 by unskinned

[TomL]

Things I do naturally that were un-taught, e.g. throwing, dribbling a basketball, etc I do left-handed. My left arm is stronger than my right.

My mother tried to force me to be a "normal" right-handed person. She had my teachers force me to write right-handed when I was learning in early grade school. My mother thought that left-handedness was a defect and wanted me to "fit in". Some things like shooting (which I also learned very young) I can do with either hand but I'm better left-handed.

As a result, I have horrible hand-writing.

[Pony Girl]

Has anyone ever wondered whether such a thing exists as "handedness?" 

I think people do have a dominant side. I say this because animals also have a dominant side, and they don't have volition. Horses, for example, are always stronger on one side than the other. On some horses, there is a bigger difference in strengths than on other horses.

Part of a good training regimen is making sure that you work both sides equally, even though the horse naturally performs better on one side. I usually introduce new movements on the horse's good side in order to make the movement more easily achievable; the easier it is to achieve, the more quickly I can reward, and the more quickly he learns what I want him to do.

[Capitalism Forever]

I am FIRST-handed! (And surprised to be the first one making this joke...)

To get serious: I've always preferred to use my right hand.

[ann r kay]

I was born left-handed, but was forced in kindergarten to use my right.

So now, I write with my right hand, but I bat left-handed and kick with my left foot.

So yes, I am all screwed up, for more reasons than one.

[DavidV]

I was born left-handed, forced to use the right hand for everything by my Soviet teachers, and then forced to switch back again by my mother when we came to the U.S.A.

If I ever wanted to give her one heck of a guilt trip, I could show her

this:

[HaloNoble6]

You poor sap.

I too was forced to be right-handed after starting left. However, this was done after only one week of me showing any favor for my left.

Edited April 5, 2005 by Felipe

[softwareNerd]

Exhibit 1: This poll shows we have 30% left-handness on the forum. This is more than twice what we'd expect from...

Exhibit 2: David's graph, which also "might show" left-handers are dying faster the the population

There's a recent thread that asks why there aren't too many older forum-members. Well... now we know the other side (left-side) of the story.

[EC]

Awww, it all makes perfect sense.

[Bryan]

Exhibit 1: This poll shows we have 30% left-handness on the forum. This is more than twice what we'd expect from...

Exhibit 2: David's graph, which also "might show" left-handers are dying faster the the population

There's a recent thread that asks why there aren't too many older forum-members. Well... now we know the other side (left-side) of the story.

If that's not conclusive evidence I don't know what is

I'm very dominantly left-handed. I write, throw, bat, and eat left handed. I can play hockey and golf either way.

There are a few things that I can only do right handed, like put in my contacts (which actually requires a lot of dexterity) and open a lock with a key.

[Laure]

OK, here's another interesting question: which hand is your mouse-hand?

I'm left-handed and mouse right, which I think is the most sensible way, since then I can write with my left hand while using the mouse. But it seems a lot of people mouse with the dominant hand. What do you think?

[JMeganSnow]

Um, not to rain on anyone's parade, but the right side of the brain controls motor function for the LEFT side of the body and vice-versa. So, if you're thinking that more analytical people (left-brainers) would be Objectivists, then there should be a significantly higher proportion of RIGHT-handers here.

Men are three times more likely to be left-handed than women, btw.

[Bryan]

OK, here's another interesting question:  which hand is your mouse-hand? 

I'm left-handed and mouse right, which I think is the most sensible way, since then I can write with my left hand while using the mouse.  But it seems a lot of people mouse with the dominant hand.  What do you think?

Using a mouse is another thing that I can't do left-handed. I think its because the first time I used a mouse in was on the right side of the keyboard.

[A.West]

If that's not conclusive evidence I don't know what is 

I'm very dominantly left-handed. I write, throw, bat, and eat left handed.  I can play hockey and golf either way.

There are a few things that I can only do right handed, like put in my contacts (which actually requires a lot of dexterity) and open a lock with a key.

Left-handers are more interested in the question of handedness than right handers, which biases the results of the poll. I'm right handed, but didn't vote.

You'd probably get similar results if you polled on "Are you gay?" or many other subgroupings.

[EC]

Left-handers are more interested in the question of handedness than right handers, which biases the results of the poll. I'm right handed, but didn't vote.

You'd probably get similar results if you polled on "Are you gay?" or many other subgroupings.

That's why I labeled the thread handedness, and not "are you left handed?". I was trying to "unbias" it to the extent that is possible here.