Ambidexterity

[Usehername]

I have over a dozen baby/small child pics (all at different stages) of me using a utensil to eat with my left hand, but none with my right hand. Yet, I'm right-handed.

The only things I do left-handed are eating (I've never eaten with my dominant hand) and teeth-brushing (I've never done that with my dominant hand either).

 

[Usehername]

I batted lefty though when I played baseball and would should lefty for hockey.

Weird! You're the first lefty I've ever met who shoots left for hockey! I swear I know about two dozen lefties and they all shoot right (though in hockey righthanded people are approaching 50/50 for shot preference).

 

[wolfy]

I do all one handed activities right handed and all two handed activities with the left. My dad and brother are the same.

do most americans really switch hands? i am from the United States, but i have never really paid attention to how people eat. i hold the knife in left and fork in right and never switch hands with them. i would assume that people who eat lots of steaks learn to eat this way.

I eat that way. I've put away a few steaks in my time. I never switch.

 

[sofmarhof]

Eating utensil etiquette - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Walking Tourist]

I hold the knife in my right hand and the fork in my left and never switch hands with them.

do most americans really switch hands? i am from the United States, but i have never really paid attention to how people eat. i hold the knife in left and fork in right and never switch hands with them. i would assume that people who eat lots of steaks learn to eat this way.

 

[Alwar]

Can the training of a person's less dominant hand affect her/his perception/behavior? And if your ambidexterious, do you feel your mind works faster than most people? Feedback/insult/jokes would be appreciated.

I am almost completely left-sided (hand, foot, eye, ear etc) with some ambidexterity for certain activities, and potential for full if I cared enough to say, practice writing with my right hand. The brain does allow for new neuropathways to be forged (neuroplasticity) by exploring unfamiliar territory so to speak. However, neuroplasticity doesn't mean blank-slate, so there are limitations.

 

[forzen]

I am almost completely left-sided (hand, foot, eye, ear etc) with some ambidexterity for certain activities, and potential for full if I cared enough to say, practice writing with my right hand. The brain does allow for new neuropathways to be forged (neuroplasticity) by exploring unfamiliar territory so to speak. However, neuroplasticity doesn't mean blank-slate, so there are limitations.

I agree, when writing with your inferior hand, the information of which the brain attains the signal to write is from your brain's dominant hemisphere. Therefore, the confusion of having to send signals to your inferior hand causes delays and confusions because of the brain's function to create autonomous algorithm to repeated experiences, which in this case, sending signal to the hand that's normally used for writing. This is due to the brain's ability to create involuntary responses to repeated stimuli as a process of adaptivility. I think this explains even with the knowledge to write, it's demanding to coordinate the process of writing with your inferior hand because the brain has not created those autonomous responses.

An example of these autonmous responses would be the ability to walk without thinking or the innate ability to balance in a 3 dimensional environment.

PS. Thanks for the feedback, and the info on neuroplasticity, it was an interesting read .

 

[sLiPpY]

I have over a dozen baby/small child pics (all at different stages) of me using a utensil to eat with my left hand, but none with my right hand. Yet, I'm right-handed.

The only things I do left-handed are eating (I've never eaten with my dominant hand) and teeth-brushing (I've never done that with my dominant hand either).

It's called manners silly.

An individual who is learned in appropriate etiquette for items such as State dinners. One should always wield the fork with the left hand and cut their moo with the right.

 

[sLiPpY]

Eating utensil etiquette - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

oh, dear god a learned N.

 

[Tamske]

I always confuse what left and right brain are supposed to be... About handiness, I'm a special one.
I've never been taught to be righty, but I'm convinced I am because of mimicking and not because of a natural preference. If I was brought up among lefties, I probably would be lefty too.

My left side is more muscled than my right side. A doctor once asked me if I was lefty because of that. I've named my two hands: Handy (right) and Strong (left).
Writing, drawing, using screwdriver,... -> right
Carrying, bowling,... -> left
Opening doors,... -> whichever is nearest and free.

Because of a bet, I ate a whole week with fork in right and knife in left hand. I didn't have any problems with that (and won the bet ).
I never know how to fold letters and things like that - do I have to do this how I want to do it or not? 50% of the time my preferred way is also the polite one.

 

[wildcat]

"Brain function lateralization is evident in the phenomena of right- or left-handedness and of right or left ear preference, but a person's preferred hand is not a clear indication of the location of brain function. Although 95% of right-handed people have left-hemisphere dominance for language, only 18.8% of left-handed people have right-hemisphere dominance for language function."

Lateralization of brain function - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A very good point.

Why?

 

[King sns]

The concept of left brain and right brain is probably familiar with people. The general concensus is that a person uses the opposite side of his or her brain from his or her hand. This concensus is generally why most people consider left handers to be right brain dominant. With that said, how does ambidexterity affect the functions of the brain? Does training your less dominant hand affect the way your mind works? I ask this because it seems to me that perhaps the coliation between personality type and compentence regarding hand dexterity affect behavior the same way a person with undevelop shadow function behave. Now i say this because people claim that immature personality type are imature because they have not develop their shadow functions. Now my question is:

Can the training of a person's less dominant hand affect her/his perception/behavior? And if your ambidexterious, do you feel your mind works faster than most people? Feedback/insult/jokes would be appreciated.

Nice topic. I always wondered this myself. I have a weird hand coordination set up. I write with my left hand. But do almost everything else primarily with my right hand, but can switch to my left hand for many tasks, but not all. Like I can't bat a baseball or use scissors with my left hand, but can peel, play tennis, bowl, the list goes on with whatever I prefer at the moment. I can't use a fork or spoon with my right hand. God help us if I tried to chop vegetables with my right hand. I always score "balanced" or "right brained" on those little tests. Its rather interesting. BUt not sure if it has anything to do with handedness because you see right brained/right handed people all the time.. (or so I believe.)

 

[King sns]

A very good point.

Why?

Isn't language primarily a left brain function no matter what?

 

[Andy]

The concept of left brain and right brain is probably familiar with people. The general concensus is that a person uses the opposite side of his or her brain from his or her hand. This concensus is generally why most people consider left handers to be right brain dominant. With that said, how does ambidexterity affect the functions of the brain? Does training your less dominant hand affect the way your mind works? I ask this because it seems to me that perhaps the coliation between personality type and compentence regarding hand dexterity affect behavior the same way a person with undevelop shadow function behave. Now i say this because people claim that immature personality type are imature because they have not develop their shadow functions. Now my question is:

Can the training of a person's less dominant hand affect her/his perception/behavior? And if your ambidexterious, do you feel your mind works faster than most people? Feedback/insult/jokes would be appreciated.

I learned how to write with my left hand some years ago. I can do so with speed and proficiency. It has had no noticable effect on the way I think as far as I can see. It is quite useful in some situations.

As it happens, I'm probably dyslexic (no-one tested for that sort of thing when I was at school), so I've always had problems distinguishing between left and right. It's possible that this ambiguity made the task of becoming ambidextrous easier.

 

[Ulaes]

ambidexterity can be trained. the onyl i think that enchances specific brain functions is by doing activities that require them. if you want to strengthen your right brain, try using a map without rotating it or drawing a portrait or stop going to school (lol). although it is a learning experience for the brain and i think everyone's silly for not becoming ambidexterous. you'll be shocked how over worked your preferential hand is.
writing with both hands at once it harder than simply using the less preferential hand. writing two sperate things is even harder. why not challenge yourself?