Leftie or Rightie

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:07 am

Are you left or right handed? I'm left handed and I do a creative job. When I started watching Countdown all those years ago, I felt the letters game came naturally - maybe because I'm a creative person, words come more easily. The numbers game is something I've had to learn to play and do literally still count on my fingers.

I wondered whether Countdowners follow the average - are around 1 in 10 of us left-handed or does the fact that Countdown is a mental game give it a leaning towards the right handers?

To establish if the right-handers logic wins over left-handers creativity, we need a carefully compiled, scientific poll.

This isn't it. This is just a poll to pass the time!

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:17 am

ITYM Ambidextrous

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:20 am

Charlie Reams wrote:ITYM Ambidextrous

And, thanks - yeah, I've spelled Ambidexterous wrong.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:23 am

Sue Sanders wrote:To establish if the right-handers logic wins over left-handers creativity, we need a carefully compiled, scientific poll.

Is this a well known stereotype? Lefties are well over-represented among e.g. mathematics graduates.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:27 am

Sue Sanders wrote:I've spelled Ambidexterous wrong.

ITYM "I've spelled Ambidextrous wrong again."

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:45 am

Phil Reynolds wrote:
Sue Sanders wrote:I've spelled Ambidexterous wrong.
ITYM "I've spelled Ambidextrous wrong again."

Thanks, Phill Renolds

Matt Morrison · Post by **Matt Morrison** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:33 am

I am shit at throwing stuff with my left hand. Have spent several hours throwing stones on the beach with friends with our left hands and dying of laughter.
I went for essentially right handed, I'm more ambidextrous than most, but I'm not ambidextrous, and I still do most stuff with my right hand even if the left hand would suffice.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:40 am

Matt Morrison wrote:I'm more ambidextrous than most

Ohrly?

Dinos Sfyris · Post by **Dinos Sfyris** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:48 am

Matt Morrison wrote:I am shit at throwing stuff with my left hand. Have spent several hours throwing stones on the beach with friends with our left hands and dying of laughter.
I went for essentially right handed, I'm more ambidextrous than most, but I'm not ambidextrous, and I still do most stuff with my right hand even if the left hand would suffice.

You seem to pull off that rude-boy hand gesture rather well with your left hand in your avatar though

Some of you might know I have a kid brother called Alex. He's got acute cerebral palsy which affects his right side and as a result he lacks muscle definition in his right hand. He has physio sessions regularly to increase his coordination and strength but he still struggles with manual tasks in everyday life such as tying laces and he can't supinate either. I know there are kids out there a lot worse off but it's actually quite heart-wrenching knowing he might never be able to do certain stuff like ride a bike. Obviously its important for him to use his right hand as much as possible and to try and encourage him I'll sometimes only use my left hand to do anything, but I find it bloody difficult and have no idea how he manages to cope with essentially just his left hand 24:7.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:32 am

Charlie Reams wrote:
Sue Sanders wrote:To establish if the right-handers logic wins over left-handers creativity, we need a carefully compiled, scientific poll.
Is this a well known stereotype? Lefties are well over-represented among e.g. mathematics graduates.

I'm confident in saying that this is a widely held belief (though I'M not saying whether it's right or wrong) This is an interesting article about left - handedness being identified as an indication of a more symmetrical brain - i.e no left side/right side brain dominance. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/01/brain.html

On the question of mathematics, my opinion would be that right handed people could be good mathematicians and left handed people great mathematicians - it would maybe be the creative ability to think outside the box that makes maths a more exciting and rewarding - and therefore productive, subject for them. Maths at that level, which to me is elusive and incomprehensible, is nevertheless a concept I find fascinating. I know it's covering a slightly different subject but I'll often joke that I've read Stephen Hawkin's 'Brief History of Time' in that I've passed my eyes over every work of text but really only heard a penny drop on two pages! My 'creative' side wants to know more but my intelligence isn't up to it.

I am slow at adding up and still have to chant little chunks of my times tables to do multiplication, so perhaps I'm less blessed with those basic skills that a right hander has? Those skills that a good 'numbers game' player needs, maybe

Philip Jarvis · Post by **Philip Jarvis** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:49 am

Matt Morrison wrote:I am shit at throwing stuff with my left hand.

Do you find it's the same when you try tossing with your left hand?

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:52 am

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Some of you might know I have a kid brother called Alex. He's got acute cerebral palsy which affects his right side and as a result he lacks muscle definition in his right hand. He has physio sessions regularly to increase his coordination and strength but he still struggles with manual tasks in everyday life such as tying laces and he can't supinate either. I know there are kids out there a lot worse off but it's actually quite heart-wrenching knowing he might never be able to do certain stuff like ride a bike. Obviously its important for him to use his right hand as much as possible and to try and encourage him I'll sometimes only use my left hand to do anything, but I find it bloody difficult and have no idea how he manages to cope with essentially just his left hand 24:7.

I didn't know that Dinos - thanks for sharing. I can well imagine how difficult Alex's life must be but he's lucky to have a big bro like you.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:57 am

Philip Jarvis wrote:
Matt Morrison wrote:I am shit at throwing stuff with my left hand.
Do you find it's the same when you try tossing with your left hand?

The 'tossing' element. I knew it was only a matter of time......

Ben Hunter · Post by **Ben Hunter** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:10 pm

Right-handed for just about everything, though I start juggling with the left hand. My feet are evenly matched when it comes to football.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:14 pm

Ben Hunter wrote:My feet are evenly matched when it comes to football.

Me too. Also applies to dancing.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:22 pm

I write with my left hand, but do everything else with my right hand.

Derek Hazell · Post by **Derek Hazell** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:28 pm

Jason Larsen wrote:I write with my left hand, but do everything else with my right hand.

Which hand do you type "I write with my left hand, but do everything else with my right hand." with?

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:32 pm

I am right handed, which is a bit annoying when it comes to the mathmo test.

Craig Beevers · Post by **Craig Beevers** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:33 pm

I'm right-handed but often use my left hand with keys to lock/unlock stuff. I can throw 20-30 yards flat with my left arm, so not too bad - that compares to a very strong throw with my right arm though so isn't very good relatively speaking.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:07 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Matt Morrison wrote:I'm more ambidextrous than most
Ohrly?

Ha - that's interesting. Something mentioned in the article I gave a link to (ambidextrous people assuming that people on telly are actually taking directly to them) fits in quite nicely now I've checked out the Ohrly link.

JimBentley · Post by **JimBentley** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:31 pm

I'm pretty much totally right-handed. I can barely hold a pen in my left hand, never mind write anything and I can't throw (or catch) left-handed at all. However, I use both hands pretty much equally when typing, possibly because I do a sort of mutant touch-typing - once I know where I am on the keyboard, I don't need to look at it again unless it's to get one of the weirdo characters like "@" or "}".

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:41 pm

JimBentley wrote:mutant touch-typing - once I know where I am on the keyboard, I don't need to look at it again unless it's to get one of the weirdo characters like "@" or "}".

What makes your touch typing mutant?

JimBentley · Post by **JimBentley** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:47 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:
JimBentley wrote:mutant touch-typing - once I know where I am on the keyboard, I don't need to look at it again unless it's to get one of the weirdo characters like "@" or "}".
What makes your touch typing mutant?

I don't keep my fingers on any guide keys, or necessarily use the same fingers for particular keys in a consistent way. I've just sort of got used to the spacing between keys on a standard keyboard, so "know" where everything is by its relative proximity to other stuff, if that makes any sort of sense. When I got one of those strange ergonomic curvy keyboards at work it fucked me up for a while, as the keys aren't evenly spaced.

Ben Wilson · Post by **Ben Wilson** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:12 pm

I prefer my right hand though I can write perfect legibly (albeit slowly) with my left hand and there's very little I can do with my right I can't do with my left. And more than a few things I can do with my left I can't do with my right.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:30 pm

I type with my right hand, Derek.

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:49 pm

I taught myself to throw darts left-handedly, but I'm righty otherwise. I did hit some decent volleys on a tennis court left-handed the other day too.

Hugh Binnie · Post by **Hugh Binnie** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:02 pm

JimBentley wrote:I don't keep my fingers on any guide keys, or necessarily use the same fingers for particular keys in a consistent way. I've just sort of got used to the spacing between keys on a standard keyboard, so "know" where everything is by its relative proximity to other stuff, if that makes any sort of sense. When I got one of those strange ergonomic curvy keyboards at work it fucked me up for a while, as the keys aren't evenly spaced.

If it makes you feel any less freakish, I think a lot of people touch-type like that, myself included.

Jon O'Neill · Post by **Jon O'Neill** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:21 pm

ui think im quiet ambdexod trealtt, tylo sjow tyhaty i trpesdf thfis euoth my penisd, gho waiot i merat l;eft hand.

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:27 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Matt Morrison wrote:I'm more ambidextrous than most
Ohrly?

That article is of course irrelevant to me, as I am above average at judging my own abilities.

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:29 pm

I'm right-handed. People comment on how my writing is poor (although it's actually really good but no-one else seems capable of grasping this) and once someone suggested to me (as a joke, possibly) that I might be ambisinistrous.

George Jenkins · Post by **George Jenkins** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:30 pm

Hugh Binnie wrote:
Jim Bentley wrote:I don't keep my fingers on any guide keys, or necessarily use the same fingers for particular keys in a consistent way. I've just sort of got used to the spacing between keys on a standard keyboard, so "know" where everything is by its relative proximity to other stuff, if that makes any sort of sense. When I got one of those strange ergonomic curvy keyboards at work it fucked me up for a while, as the keys aren't evenly spaced.
If it makes you feel any less freakish, I think a lot of people touch-type like that, myself included.

Here I go again, in my young days we wrote right-handed or got a ruler across the knuckles. I was told years later, it was to assist us to be suitable for office jobs when ledgers were hand-written. I can't imagine us urchins from the back streets of Deptford being employed in offices. Another reason was the belief that being left-handed was the mark of the Devil. My German ex-sister in-law told me that her mother would tie her left hand behind her back, in order to force to use her right hand for everything, including writing. They were Catholics, so I assume that they were afraid of the Devil stealing their daughter. I was forced to use my right hand for writing from the age of three, which resulted in an unreadable script until my later years, when I learnt to write in Chancery italic script, again right-handed. I still do crosswords, use tools and paint pictures left-handed. I wonder if being forced to use the "wrong" hand against the natural inclinations of the brain has an adverse effect on intelligence. I suffer from a form of dyslexia where I get the letters the wrong way round. It's my excuse anyway.

Lesley Hines · Post by **Lesley Hines** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:50 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Sue Sanders wrote:To establish if the right-handers logic wins over left-handers creativity, we need a carefully compiled, scientific poll.
Is this a well known stereotype? Lefties are well over-represented among e.g. mathematics graduates.

I guess it is - if you watch TV loads more actors than the average population (not a carefully crafted statistical analysis but enough for a noticeable observation) seem to be left-handed. It's not surprising that maths graduates are >10% as maths in itself is a creative thought process. (Read Fermat's Last Theorem - Simon Singh - great book.

) I would even go so far as to suggest maths graduates may have other talents too - it often goes hand-in-hand with music, for example.

Many of my hb's family are lefties or ambidextrous, and they're often artists & he's very musical.

Not me - proper rightie (except when playing an instrument or typing and then it's pretty ambidextrous, but that's training).

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:15 am

Gavin Chipper wrote: That article is of course irrelevant to me, as I am above average at judging my own abilities.

Heehee.

Gavin Chipper wrote:I'm right-handed. People comment on how my writing is poor (although it's actually really good but no-one else seems capable of grasping this) and once someone suggested to me (as a joke, possibly) that I might be ambisinistrous.

I can confirm that your writing is indeed terrible.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:10 am

There was a thing rigged up at the dome when it was still that empty, rather disappointing, shed of random interactive exhibits. Essentially it was to see if you could do mirror writing/drawing. The group of people in front of us were laughing and getting frustrated and sticking their tongues out in concentration. When it was our turn, my Mum and I, both left handed, just walked up, put our hand in the box, wrote the words and drew the pictures.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:32 am

Sue Sanders wrote:There was a thing rigged up at the dome when it was still that empty, rather disappointing, shed of random interactive exhibits. Essentially it was to see if you could do mirror writing/drawing. The group of people in front of us were laughing and getting frustrated and sticking their tongues out in concentration. When it was our turn, my Mum and I, both left handed, just walked up, put our hand in the box, wrote the words and drew the pictures.

I can write upside down quite easily (useful for teaching small groups) and I'm a rightie, so I'm not convinced this is a HAIRYCLIT thing.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:03 am

Charlie Reams wrote:
Sue Sanders wrote:There was a thing rigged up at the dome when it was still that empty, rather disappointing, shed of random interactive exhibits. Essentially it was to see if you could do mirror writing/drawing. The group of people in front of us were laughing and getting frustrated and sticking their tongues out in concentration. When it was our turn, my Mum and I, both left handed, just walked up, put our hand in the box, wrote the words and drew the pictures.
I can write upside down quite easily (useful for teaching small groups) and I'm a rightie, so I'm not convinced this is a HAIRYCLIT thing.

Haven't got one of those!

No, you're right, any generalisation is up for question (I get fed up with being told, as a woman, I MUST be able to multitask). Of course, there are things you can become good at through practise, and things that come naturally. Drawing to me is natural, I've been good at drawing since I was tiny and at school, my two friends who were left-handed were good too. I had two friends, though, both right-handed who were fantastic at copying illustrations/cartoons/photos and very neat in the way they coloured things in and used to do things like preliminary drawings.

My leftie friends and I used to have scribble fests. It would have been interesting to know if our drawing skills showed our brains were all wired the same way, or whether our two different approaches were because they weren't.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:39 am

Sue Sanders wrote:On the question of mathematics, my opinion would be that right handed people could be good mathematicians and left handed people great mathematicians

Prompted to investigate by Sue's theory, I've just discovered that Alan Turing was left-handed. Never occurred to me to check this out when I was playing him.

Bugger.

Julie T · Post by **Julie T** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:34 pm

I'm a Maths graduate, and am left-handed.

I'm also useless at creative stuff, although I'm rather improved now that I'm mature enough not to give a monkey's whether things are brilliant or not, or what others might think.

I could be blowing hot air here, but maybe the more geeky type teenagers (when we usually decide what paths to take in life), tend not to hone their creative skills as much as others, because they worry about things not being 'perfect'.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:26 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:Never occurred to me to check this out when I was playing him.

Was this on apterous?

Yes, it's amazing what you can do with a Turing machine.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:49 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote:Never occurred to me to check this out when I was playing him.
Was this on apterous?

No, although the idea does prompt amusing speculation on what proportion of the conversations on aptochat might fail the Turing Test.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:54 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote:Never occurred to me to check this out when I was playing him.
Was this on apterous?

Yes, it's amazing what you can do with a Turing machine.

There's no 'I' in 'Team' but there is a 'Phil' in 'Necrophilia'

Derek Hazell · Post by **Derek Hazell** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 5:20 pm

Sue Sanders wrote:
Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote:Never occurred to me to check this out when I was playing him.
Was this on apterous?

Yes, it's amazing what you can do with a Turing machine.
There's no 'I' in 'Team' but there is a 'Phil' in 'Necrophilia'

And there's a "Sue" in "Phil might sue you for saying that, but he seems a rational guy so I doubt he will"

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:00 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Gavin Chipper wrote: That article is of course irrelevant to me, as I am above average at judging my own abilities.
Heehee.

Gavin Chipper wrote:I'm right-handed. People comment on how my writing is poor (although it's actually really good but no-one else seems capable of grasping this) and once someone suggested to me (as a joke, possibly) that I might be ambisinistrous.
I can confirm that your writing is indeed terrible.

Have you read this? I imagine you'd probably quite enjoy it, but then again I also imagine you'd be the sort of person who would only read the raw journal articles.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:14 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: Have you read this? I imagine you'd probably quite enjoy it, but then again I also imagine you'd be the sort of person who would only read the raw journal articles.

That looks kinda interesting, and I'm not averse to reading summaries of things outside my own subject.

Martin Gardner · Post by **Martin Gardner** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 10:44 am

I've often pointed out that there's a high proportion of left-handed Countdown champions. Julian Fell was the first one that came to mind. I've never actually counted (that would be really difficult) it's just an observation.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:13 pm

What?

They're not creative?

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:17 pm

Martin Gardner wrote:I've often pointed out that there's a high proportion of left-handed Countdown champions. Julian Fell was the first one that came to mind. I've never actually counted (that would be really difficult) it's just an observation.

Whilst you say you haven't counted, can you at least give an estimate of what you think a 'high proportion' is? It's one of those "interesting, if true" things, imo.

Left Or Right? Are you....