Do any of you know why some people are ambidextrous? And also why are some people left- handed or right handed? Can anyone answer these questions? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
We just had a thread on this under Biology & Genetics called "Right handed preference?". Go to that subject category and go through the posts. "Hercules Rockefeller Registered User (300 posts) 10-06-05, 07:38 PM report | reply Approximately 9 out of 10 people are right-handed, a proportion that appears to have been stable over thousands of years and across all cultures in which handedness has been examined. Anthropologists have determined the incidence of handedness in ancient cultures by examining artifacts; the shape of a flint ax, for example, can indicate whether it was made by a right- or left-handed individual. Handedness in antiquity has also been assessed by examining the incidence of figures in artistic representations who are using one hand or the other. Based on this evidence, our species appears always to have been a right-handed one. Moreover, handedness is probably not peculiar to humans; many studies have demonstrated paw preference in animals ranging from mice to monkeys that is, at least in some ways, similar to human handedness. From: Neuroscience (2nd Ed.) By Purves, Augustine, Fitzpatrick, Katz, Lamantia, Mcnamara and Williams Sinauer Associates, Inc. ISBN 0-87893-742-0 valich essential lifelong learning (649 posts) 10-06-05, 09:12 PM edit | reply Now that's a darn good analysis pointing in the right direction. According to the Wikipedia (a constantly updated online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute to) "The associated left brain hemisphere is said to be more active in right-handed people, and has been found to be correlated with linguistic and logical skill. Logical skills like using tools perhaps? So right-handedness is probably a result of practical thought arising from the left hemisphere "logical skill" side of the brain for applications useful to coping with our environment?"
Most people are right-handed because most people are left-hemisphere dominated (LHD). The left hemisphere of their brain is the dominant side in thinking, and the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body. The minority of people who are right-hemisphere dominated (RHD) may develop left-handedness. However it is not guaranteed. The two hemispheres contain different brain centers that deal with different aspects of cognition and brain activity. Even in an RHD person the brain centers in the left hemisphere happen to deal with brain activity that is more likely to be coordinated with tool use and writing, so even an RHD person is likely to naturally choose his right hand for those activities. (Sorry I don't have a list of those activities. I pulled this out of a Google search just like you could have. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) Some RHD people are naturally driven to use their right hands just like the rest of us. A much smaller number are naturally driven to use their left hands. An even tinier number are not driven to have a strong preference, and they are the ambidextrous ones.
Some people are ambidextrous because they trained themselves. Fighters train to be ambidextrous so they can punch with both right and left hands. I trained myself to be ambidextrous because I like a challenge. It is really funny to reach out with the left for change, or to extend your left hand for a handshake. Then when the other person freaks out, change the left for the right as if it doesn't matter. It doesn't. Either hand works just as good. Left handedness has been repressed in many human cultures. All the data about people being born one way or the other is suspect. Were the people actually born that way, or did their culture force them to become right handed?
They are that way so in case they are holding their beer in either hand they can wipe their asses off with the other! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I was right handed, and I have scoliosis so i always tip to the right. So i've been doing everything with my left hand for a few years now, to feel more balenced, and I've become pretty ambidextrous. my back feels better too. sometimes. not now, tho. I've also found some things i like doing better with my left, like stepping out and putting on clothes, but this is probably because i was in marching band. for anyone who'd understand. not just the left-side dominance, but the playing of an instrument that required equal or more movement and dexterity from the left side.
