[Closed] Left handedness

I am right handed, but have been told before I tie my shoes left handed - I'm not sure how this is different.

Shakey - Member

I am sure that most people eat with a knife in the right hand and a fork in the left even if you are left handed but I want to know if this is just a custom and if left handed people feel uncomfortable doing this.

Everyone I know that is left handed (including my wife) holds their fork in their right hand.

Mind you, my daughter is right-handed and does the same. I don't blame my wife for it though.

Both my wife and I (and every girl I went out with before meeting Mrs C very spookily) are left handed and eat with knife in our right hand and fork in left. I find it very weird that you rightys would want to eat that way too - your knife only has to do basic cutting but your fork has to do all the fiddly bits like balance stuff to your mouth so I would have thought you would all want your fork in your "best" hand too.

Being a lefty is way cool - make sure your sprog realises it!

i'm predominantly left-handed (i write with my left hand) but i eat knife in right, fork in left.
and i play guitar right-handed too.

convert - Member
Both my wife and I (and every girl I went out with before meeting Mrs C very spookily) are left handed and eat with knife in our right hand and fork in left. I find it very weird that you rightys would want to eat that way too - your knife only has to do basic cutting but your fork has to do all the fiddly bits like balance stuff to your mouth so I would have thought you would all want your fork in your "best" hand.

That's my daughters logic!

I'm left biased. Hold my knife in my left as I find the sawing action easier to control put it in my right hand and food starts going all over the place. No idea about shoe laces though. Can write with both mostly use my right as my left gets squirrelly after a while.

I never thought to check, but you rightys - when you eat "fork only" meals, do you switch to your right?

If its fork only I switch!

case closed!

convert - Member
I never thought to check, but you rightys - when you eat "fork only" meals, do you switch to your right?

Yep.

I've seen some folk (particularly Americans) cut food using both implements, put the knife down, transfer the fork to the other hand and then use that to eat with.

My mother and sister are lefties and both hold their knive and fork in the conventional "right handed way", although as kids we could tell who set the table. It should be said that my mother writes with her right hand but that is more of an inditement on the education system in the '50s.

Not all things are done differently just because someone is right or left handed. Cars aren't left or right handed and neither are the vast majority of musical instruments (the guitar being the only notable exception).

Left handed writing was beaten out of me in a Forces school in the 70's

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous

Stuff like using cutlery is mainly down to social conditioning you are taught from a pre-cognitive age to use a knife & fork in a right handed way hence the contradiction of laying the table left handed but eating right handed.
Much of been left handed is not just using an alternative hand to the majority of people its often a totally different and opposite approach, for something we are often discriminated against – keyboard layout been one example

Fork right hand and knife left hand. I wouldnt want to be trying to cut something with my non-dominant hand.

Another Right handed, right fork holder here. My wife its the "normal" way but if its fork or spoon only its in the right hand...

My Sons Left handed and eats with a fork in his right hand.

Only seems to be a probably at large table meals, where your squashed in and out of sink with the conventional cutlery holders

I'm left-handed but hold my fork in my left and knife in my right. As both hands are used when eating, just as driving, playing guitar etc, I don't understand why any left hander would change. I'll also add that I'm very left handed and am completely useless at using my right hand on its own.
A young child learns to eat first with a spoon, which they hold with their dominant hand, then move onto a fork. It is the right-handers who therefore have to change to put the food into their mouth with a fork held in their left hand.
So Shakey..your son is just doing what comes naturally...using a fork in his left hand.
It is the right handers who have to re-learn how to eat, when a knife and fork are introduced.

keyboard layout been one example

In what world can that be described as discrimination? It's the layout, you learn to it, same as for every other musical instrument. Granted you might be more predisposed to playing things like Chopin but that's life. I have small hands and I struggled to play a lot of things on the Piano that required a large reach. Is it discrimination because the keys are too big?

Knot tieing is down to which is your lead hand, your dominant one being more dextrous and generally the lead, for example, most people tie a reef knot as left over right and under, right over left and under as most of the work is done with the right fingers this way whilst the left just holds. Spent years at a marquee firm teaching new staff knots and splicing, teaching the 'wrong' handers always took a bit longer as I had to re-learn the knot and do it cack handed 😉

So a leftie will most likely tie their shoe lace in a mirror image to a rightie.

I assumed he was referring to computer keyboards (like the numeric pad always being on the right)

I assumed he was referring to computer keyboards

That would certainly be another interpretation, yes. 😳

nickc +1 (but ordinary scottish primary school)
I now write/draw with the pen in my right hand but facing the wrong direction.
am predominantly right handed now, only things I still do left handed is eat and I whip to the wrong side (footing wise) on my bike.

gonefishin - Numeric pads are on the wrong side, it make more natural for me to use my left hand, but ergonomically it is awkward. Carriage returns are also in the wrong place – the discrimination comes from the lack of an alternatives for left handed people, the lack of thought from designers in failing to understand the needs of left handed people and the idea that most right handed people have that been left handed is like been right handed but with your left hand – ‘cause its not

Can you tell this is something of a hobby horse of mine?

I am left/right confused. I eat with my knife in my left hand. My hand writing is appalling left or right handed but I normally use my right hand as I sometimes start writing backwards with my left hand. I used to upset my trombone teacher by setting up my trombone left or right handedly pretty much at random (well that and the fact I have no rhythm.

Whoever thought that tromboning could be done left or right handed?

I'm lefthanded. I make love with my left hand 😉 and fire my machinegun from the hip lefthanded whilst thinking of Stanza's.

So, IMO lefthanded people are warriors, lovers and poets.

I agree with the Numeric pad thing, it's something that has been pointed out to me in the past by my sister. The return key on a modern computer keyboard isn't something that I can see however (old typewriters, yes). As a right hander I could just as easily say that the Tab or Caps Lock key is in the wrong place. There will always something that will need to be operated with your wrong hand and given that the most common letter in the English language is operated by the left hand I think you're on shakey ground there.

I do agree that there is insufficient thought in a lot of things and I am actually aware of some of the difficulties as the kitchen in my parent's house was/is set up left handed. I remember not being able to use a tin opener as the one we had was left handed and as for my mother trying to teach me how to tie my shoelaces...

Lefty, fork left, knife right, dessert spoon left. Throw right, shoot right (dominant eye); used to shoot left. Left footed.

I tried shooting left- spent cartridges can be a hazard 😉

Another Sinister person here - when eating its left hand for the fork, right hand for the knife, whereas when chopping veg etc its left hand for the knife...

also right master eye, right hand shooter, archery, throwing etc. left hand for using computer mouse, and for self relief incidentally.

Left handed grown up in a right handed world. I use all cutlery 'normally' but use a spoon in my left hand. I can't use LH scissors or other stuff as that wasn't an option as a kid. Probably best to not over-compensate with the LH gadgets as the rest of the world isn't fitted out the same way.

At Primary school my teacher used a ruler on my lefthand every time I picked up the pencil or reached-for. Idiot woman didn't realise even a small boy has more mental strength than she did.

I reckon don't try and influence his choice of hands- let him be natural. If the bollox about left-right brain dominance is true you are only messing with his thinking/confusion etc.

OOh another left hand mouse user.

My Father and Nephew as left handers, used the fork in the left hand and knife in the right.

I can use tools in the left hand, except a saw or hammer.

Left footed too, but write with my write hand.

Write left-handed, shoot left handed, box orthodox, kick right footed, struggle with fork in right hand.

Left handed here too

Fork - left
Hockey - right
Throw - left
Cricket - right
Shooting - left
Boxing - right, right, right, big left 😉

I reckon don't try and influence his choice of hands- let him be natural. If the bollox about left-right brain dominance is true you are only messing with his thinking/confusion etc.

I agree, just let them do what feels natural

Oh, this is quite a relief, all you lot are as ****ed up as I am 😀

There are loads of things I do wrong keyboards don't bother me, never had a left hand one, not sure if I'd be able to use it. Comparing with the missus, I tie shoelaces leftie, but play guitar rightie. Tools mostly right. leftie for intimacy..."ahem" 😳

I'm 'left' handed, but use both hands for different tasks. For 'power' tasks, such as punching or holding a tennis or squash bat, I use my right hand. For precision tasks, I use my left. Interesting.

I am left handed but only use my left hand to write. For everything else I use my right hand. I also use my right foot to play football etc.

I am left handed. When eating I hold my fork in my left hand and my knife in my right hand, but I hold a spoon in my left hand and when preparing food hold the knife in my left hand. I use a computer mouse with my right hand. Otherwise I'm pretty strongly left handed.

I'm very left orientated - writing, all racket sports, I kick with my left, fork in left, ride a skateboard regular (pushing with left foot) my son still on the fence ATM

I'm a lefty! Eat with knife & fork the correct way (fork left, knife right) mouse right handed - football right footed - racquet sports whatever confuses the opponent most. Most other stuff I tend to favour my right.

[i]Boxing - right, right, right, big left [/i] Brilliant!

I tend to use things with whichever hand I pick them up - hammer, allen key, cutlery, computer mouse - no difference. That said, I'm definitely left handed - snooker, writing - cack with me right.

I reckon most left-handed people are similar to an extent - although we're left-handed, we learn/copy things the other way around. It took me ages to learn to tie laces (my little sister beat me to it. She used to deliberately tie hers in front of my while I struggled. I was NOT happy.) - because I tie them right handed, as I was taught. I can use my right for lots of things because I learnt to with scissors/computers etc etc.

There are pictures of me thowing things as a kid - left arm all the way. Now it's my right that's the more powerful and accurate one (left's still fine though!).

As to discrimination - WTF?

so I would have thought you would all want your fork in your "best" hand too.

I'm righthanded but I tend to use whichever hand is nearest, except for writing. I'm curious how a flat keyboard could be considered handed...

I almost never eat with a knife and fork so I can't comment on which goes where.

I'm left handed and I eat right handed. It's one of the few things that I think I would encourage any new lefties to do. Most things are easier to do 'left handed' if you are left handed....but you rapidly discover we live in a right handed world and as a result many many tools are right handed, which does make being a leftie a pain at times. Even things like driving a tight screw in with a screw driver BUT the extra strength and co-ordination make most things easier for me with my left hand.
Eating however is pretty darn simple and FACT where ever you go, all tables will be laid for right handed people. Okay, yo can pick up the knife and fork and swap them over but it just seems weird so I never did and never really struggled. The one thing that is odd though is a posh dessert that requires a fork and a spoon as I would normally use both of those in my left hand.

Oh yeah, I forced myself to learn a mouse right handed (work system had locked the setup and I couldn't swap it to left handed) only tok about a day of feeling weird.

Another product of the early 70's school system here having had my left-handedness knocked out of me. I'm now "confused". I write, hold a knife & fork and use a mouse with my right hand. Throwing, kicking and other sporty stuff (leading foot) is with the left.

You all have varying degree's of Cross-dominance.

I can perform certain tasks with my right hand and others with my left, but can also perform some equally with both hands.

I hold the fork and write with my write hand, use a mouse with both, aim with my left eye, use tools/delicate work with both hands and used both feet equally when playing football.

One of the downsides apparently that cross-dominance can manifest itself is by making people look a little clumsy, particularly when sport is involved, which might explain my riding sometimes.(Thats my excuse) 😉

No one here so far is completely ambidextrous which is actually a rare occurrence in people.

Being an old git I’m a product of the 60s educations system, in my primary school I was encouraged to use my right hand, not only because this was the “right” thing to do, but we had no left hand teachers. I was taught to write by a neighbour who himself was left handed. Throughout school I was constantly told off for having my books on an angle, as I tend to write down the page rather then across. We had to use ink pens (yes with in wells) so whatever I wrote would just be smudged by my hand & little finger.
As for discrimination other have commented that we live in a right hand world, and while I’ve never seen any signs saying “No left handers” the fact is that as a distinct group very few concessions are made for us, through social conditioning we are “forced” to go against our intuition. I am unable to use left handed implements (although my left handed ruler is great), because that how I‘ve been taught/ indoctrinated often from a very early age. Still and tries to make us conform to right handedness, thus is discriminatory. Society tries to ‘cure’ us of our ’infliction’ and the language used to describe left handed people is generally negative, and at times offensives .In the great scheme of things most of this is minor annoyance and as such is likely to continue

I can't think of any situation where I use my right over the left...

Edit. Actually the only thing I can think of is right foot forward when dowhilling/descending as it feels right as I board right foot first and push with the more powerful left

As with most people above, I do things with both hands, but each task has its preferred hand. Eating fork-left. Football - more power on the right, more control on the left. Tools - right for power and accuracy. Fiddling with nuts and bolts - generally right for accuracy and strength, but can move to left fairly happily ifit's awkward to get with the right. Always write with the right, left just feels wrong. My chocolate foot is my right on a bike, but on a kiteboard I kite left-foot-forward, possibly because my right controls the edging of the board a little more positively.

Writing = left hand
Fork = left hand
Spoon = left hand
Tennis racket = right hand
Sewing with needle = right hand
Using a hammer = either hand
Cutting bread or using a saw = right hand

Being given a dessert that needs to be eaten with both a fork and a spoon is a problem for me as I can only really hold one at a time with any comfort, as left handed with both.

When I was at school there was a lad who's handwriting was so bad it even made mine look neat , for a joke when we had 5 minutes left at the end of the lesson the teacher suggested that everyone should try to write with their opposite hand. This lads writing went from barely legible drunken spider to nearly the neatest in the class !

I think too many teachers just assumed that everyone was right handed and automatically forced pens into that hand . The lad in question never started using his left hand as by the time he tried it he was too used to using the right.

No one here so far is completely ambidextrous which is actually a rare occurrence in people.

I certainly display 'cross-dominance' (a phrase I've never heard of), and have often wondered if I might qualify as genuinely ambidextrous.

How would I know if I am?

I can write with either hand, but prefer left, and do everything else right-handed. It makes learning sport confusing, because I write left-handed but instinctively pick up bats with my right hand.

Can't hit anything with it though; I hate all bat-and-ball type games. Could this be why?

Society tries to ‘cure’ us of our ’infliction’ and the language used to describe left handed people is generally negative, and at times offensives .In the great scheme of things most of this is minor annoyance and as such is likely to continue

Isn't left-handedness supposed to be a marker for creativity?

Yes – large numbers of creative people are left handed as are those in the ‘caring professions” – worked on award once were all the qualified nurses were left handed – it was a great place to work every thing in the office and ‘clinic’ room was in the right place & the right way round – It drove all the right handed people mad

My mum is left-handed and so am I. She uses cutlery left-handed but always set mine out right-handed so this is how I've always eaten (fork in left hand). It makes it easier in restaurants and stuff.

I do pretty much everything with my left hand but shoot right handed (right eye dominant).

At home computer I use the mouse in my left hand. At work I use the mouse in my right hand so I can write at the same time.

I can confuse meetings by attacking the white board with a marker in each hand: one black, one red.