What does being left-handed mean?
A very good question. For the purposes of this document, being
left-handed means having a preference for using your left hand for
a variety of tasks, including reaching, throwing, pointing,
catching. It also implies a preference for using your left foot
for tasks such as kicking, as well as the preferred foot with
which to begin walking, running and bicycling. However, there are
no hard and fast rules for determining which hand or foot the
Lefthander prefers to use for a particular task. Most will prefer to
use the left hand or foot for delicate work.
One may also have a dominant left eye, preferring to use the left
eye for telescopes, camera sights, and microscopes.
In general, being left-handed means having a dominant right side
of the brain.
What does being ambidextrous mean?
To be ambidextrous means to be equally dextrous with either hand.
That is, the ability to use both hands with equal skill and coor-
dination.
What percentage of the population is left handed?
There have been many different numbers put forth, with the most
common numbers we have seen being in the area of 13 percent. However,
we have seen numbers as high as 30 percent, when you allow a
very loose definition of left-handedness.
Is lefthandedness inherited?
While lefthanders doubtless runs in some families, scientists
are unsure that the issue is completely resolved. Part of the
problem has to do whether a person's hand preference is the result
of genetic determination or some other reason ie forced to switch
because of convention, accident, what ever.
Are lefthanders naturally clumsy?
An emphatic NO to this. The problem most lefthanders have is that
the world is configured for right handed people. Lefties, in the
act of accommodating to this opposite world, may appear awkward
using tools that have right hand preference designed into them.
However, right-handers display even more awkwardness using left
handed tools than lefthanders do using right handed tools. This
is probably because righthanders are less used to adapting.
Is there a quick test to determine eye dominance?
Try the following to determine eye dominance. With both eyes
open, line up the tip of your finger, at arm's length, with a
distant object. Close each eye separately. The eye that results
in the object and you finger remaining aligned is your dominant eye.
What makes a cup right or left handed?
First, you must realize that (drinking) cups come in two varieties:
symmetric and not symmetric. Cups that are not symmetric may have
a lip to ease pouring the contents. If this kind of cup is right
handed, the lip will be on the side of the cup which is away from
the body, which allows for a easy neat motion. If this cup is
picked up with the left hand, the lip is toward the body, which
makes it awkward and messy to pour.
For symmetric cups, the problem is that when the decoration is only
on one side. When the right handed individual picks up a right
handed cup, he is able to see and enjoy the decoration. A leftie
using that cup presents the decoration to the world; he is unable
to see it.
Lefties would benefit with symmetric cups with designs on both sides;
cups with lips would have to be made in both right and left handed
varieties.
What makes scissors right or left handed?
You can see the difference easily, by placing the scissors on
the table like this:
\ /
\/
/\
O O
For right-hand scissors, the part of the scissors lying `on top' at
the intersection of the two parts, will be the one from top-left
to bottom-right, whereas for left-hand scissors, the uppermost will
be the part from bottom-left to top-right. Turning the scissors around
or up-side down won't change this relationship.
Secondly the reason for this difference lies in the way the
scissors are opened and closed by your left or right hand. When you
close the scissors, the cutting edges close and the cutting edges
are pressed together because your fingers holding the scissors bend
and your thumb stretches. If the cutting edges are pushed away from
each other, the material being cut slides in between, and is definitely
not cut. This is what happens when you use a right-hand scissors
with your left hand.
Since your left hand is a mirrored version of your right hand,
your scissors should be `mirrored' as well. This is why the cutting
edges are made on the opposite side of each part, and the parts
are assembled just the opposite way, giving you perfect left-handed
scissors.
Do Lefties die younger than right-handers?
Stanley Coren, who is the author of "The Lefthander Syndrome" found
statistical evidence of this, and didn't believe it for the longest
time. However, he remains unable to disprove it. He was able to
demonstrate a possible reason for this might be that a left hand
startle reflex would be much more dangerous when driving a car
on US or Canadian road since the car would end up pointing
against traffic while a right hand startle reflex would simply
cause the car to drive of the road.
As a double check, Coren did find a statistical difference in
left handed traffic fatalities in countries where they drive on
the left, such as Great Britain or Australia.
Many thanks to ...
===== Copyright 1995 - 2000 by Barry D. Benowitz. Use and
copying of this information are permitted as long as (1) no fees or
compensation are charged for use, copies or access to this
information, and (2) this copyright notice is included intact. ====
