are people born lefties/righties? or do they chose to become?

[Lifer]

from the useless fact thread, 83% of the population are right handed.
so is that humans inherently right handed, and lefties subconciously chose to become lefties?
do genes determine whether you're righty or lefty, i.e. lefties are a recessive gene.

i know a few people who instinctively used their left hands primarily when they were young (probably lefties by nature), and their parents would train them to use their right hands instead. and now they use their right hands exclusively.

 

[boyRacer]

i have no idea... but i wish i were both.

is it true that its traumatizing to force a kid not to use his dominant hand?

 

[filmmaker]

Originally posted by: boyRacer
i have no idea... but i wish i were both.

is it true that its traumatizing to force a kid not to use his dominant hand?

I used to be able to write with both hands

 

[gigapet]

i'm a lefty when writing, eating, errr and other "activities"

I throw righty, kick righty, bat righty, all sports I am right handed. My right arm is the strongest. All physical activies i am usually righty.....


i guess i'm just a freak

 

[TwinkleToes77]

my brother is ambidextrous.... we didnt realise he was right handed when he first started writing and other such activities so we kept "correcting" him so he wound up learning both ways.

 

[Ynog]

People are born that way. They used to try to force people to write right handed back in the day.
Didn't work. People would learn to right with their right hand, but would still
favor the left for other tasks.
Eventually they stopped trying to force people to always use their right hand to write.

Edit: Clicked too early.

 

[neovan]

i was born right handed but taught myself how to use my left hand. this came about when i was eating and i would always clash elbows with the person on my right so now i always use my left hand to hold the chopsticks.

 

[Dudd]

My brother does everything natural left handed. He eats with his left hand, writes with his left hand, etc. Yet, he throws right handed, has a dominant right hand while dribbling, kicks with his right foot, etc. Anything that requires a specific skill that needs to be taught, he does right handed, probably because he copied the rest of the family who are all right handed. We should have let him do everything left handed- if he ever learned to pitch, lefty's the way to go. Billy Wagner, the Astros closer, is a natural righty. However, he broke his arm when he a young kid, and over the summer forced himself to throw left handed. That's the way to go.

 

[gigapet]

Originally posted by: Dudd
My brother does everything natural left handed. He eats with his left hand, writes with his left hand, etc. Yet, he throws right handed, has a dominant right hand while dribbling, kicks with his right foot, etc. Anything that requires a specific skill that needs to be taught, he does right handed, probably because he copied the rest of the family who are all right handed. We should have let him do everything left handed- if he ever learned to pitch, lefty's the way to go. Billy Wagner, the Astros closer, is a natural righty. However, he broke his arm when he a young kid, and over the summer forced himself to throw left handed. That's the way to go.

if anybody needs me i'll be outside breaking my right arm and throwing with my left.

 

[dullard]

People are born that way. Clasp your hands together and intertwine the fingers. Which thumb is on top? Now switch fingers such that the other thumb is on top. Doesn't it feel really odd that way? Do you honestly think you chose that or that you were trianed by parents to put one thumb on top? Same goes with crossing your arms (which hand is on top of the bicep, and which is underneath) or any of the other multitude of tasks where one just feels right.

 

[isekii]

I can do both

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: gigapet
i'm a lefty when writing, eating, errr and other "activities"

I throw righty, kick righty, bat righty, all sports I am right handed. My right arm is the strongest. All physical activies i am usually righty.....


i guess i'm just a freak

nah I'm the same way.

 

[DarkManXY2G]

I am right handed in everything except hockey. I play lefty for hockey. I think its because when I first picked up the game when I was younger, my friend was a lefty and I just used his stick. I can't play hockey righty at all, but I play baseball and golf righty. Funny how that worked out.

 

[MithShrike]

I'm right handed but I can do things like threading a needle better with my left...

 

[imported_Papi]

My first son used his left hand when he started to draw and write. He is now a righty.

My other son, who is 2 right now, he is also using his left to draw. I don't think you are born with it.

It's like learning to ride a bike, eventually you just do.

 

[Lifer]

yeah, i don't think we're naturally righty or lefties.
i think whatever we chose to develop will eventually become our dominant side.

if a parent who corrected their child to "become" a righty and never told their child they used to do things with their left, the child would never have known.

 

[ElFenix]

its genetic. thats the hand you start using, but its training that makes either hand more useful than the other... its just that the hand you start using has much more practice than the other

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: gigapet
i'm a lefty when writing, eating, errr and other "activities"

I throw righty, kick righty, bat righty, all sports I am right handed. My right arm is the strongest. All physical activies i am usually righty.....


i guess i'm just a freak

....wow thats cool. Im the same exact way.

Also this is starting to sound like a gay debate.... genitic vs. choice

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: dullard
People are born that way. Clasp your hands together and intertwine the fingers. Which thumb is on top? Now switch fingers such that the other thumb is on top. Doesn't it feel really odd that way? Do you honestly think you chose that or that you were trianed by parents to put one thumb on top? Same goes with crossing your arms (which hand is on top of the bicep, and which is underneath) or any of the other multitude of tasks where one just feels right.

Wierd. My left thumb is on top.

Now get this - I write, throw, and eat right handed, but I bat, golf, and play hockey left handed.

What's wrong with me?

 

[fatbaby]

i'm left handed and i f@p with either hand.

I can eat with both hands too, but can only write with left.

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

What's wrong with me?

Herpes outbreak?

 

Both of my parents are right handed, and my sister and I are both left handed.

I think it's genetic, but it can be changed though hard work. When my Jewish grandmother lived in Germany, the Nazis made her switch from her natural left handed ways to right handedness in their effort to stomp out diversity.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: Lifer
from the useless fact thread, 83% of the population are right handed.
so is that humans inherently right handed, and lefties subconciously chose to become lefties?
do genes determine whether you're righty or lefty, i.e. lefties are a recessive gene.

i know a few people who instinctively used their left hands primarily when they were young (probably lefties by nature), and their parents would train them to use their right hands instead. and now they use their right hands exclusively.

I think it's more complicated than a single gene, I believe it has to due with brain structure.

My wife is an identical twin. She's right handed, got her degree in biology with an emphasis in genetics, will be pursuing a masters in Paleoethnobotany. A scientist.

Her genetically identical sister is left handed, was a punk rocker, is a drummer, got her degree for Chicago Columbia in photography. An artist.

They're "mirror twins" The cowlick on thier heads goes in the opposite direction of each other (one CW, one CCW). They each have a slightly misaligned wisdom tooth each diametrically opposed.

Very interesting.

 

[conjur]

Well...don't be surprised if Bush enacts a new Amendment making righties the only accepted way.



My daughter, in her earlier years, would sometimes use her left hand to write or draw but always used her right hand for eating/drinking/picking up things/etc. I never tried to stop her from writing w/her left hand but she doesn't do that anymore.

 

[Dedpuhl]

I do everything left-handed....except for golf...