This simple survey will tell you how left-handed you are and give you an overall score you can compare to the thousands of others who have taken the test.
You can see our analysis of the test results so far here.
So go ahead and tick the options for which hand you use for various things and see how you rate overall…
How left handed are you?
We all have our own view of whether we are left-handed or not and, ultimately, that is the the test - if you consider yourself to be left-handed then you are! That said, most people are mixed in their handedness and it is rare for people to do everything with just one hand or side of their body. Our test below will show which side you use for various tasks and how consistent you are in the use of your hands. It will also give you give you an overall score out of 100 for your level of left-handedness and you can see how you compare to other people. To get the overall score, we have weighted the various factors so, for example, writing left-handed gets a far higher weighting in the overall score than which way you hold a bat two-handed (see this page for more information on how we did this).
I AM a little “mixed-handed,” as I am more able to adapt to a right-handed world when I must, but I don’t think this test is that true a test. You see, I do most sports right-handed simply because it was the only option available! Same with using scissors – there were no left-handed scissors available to me when I was growing up, so I learned to use scissors right-handed (using the left hand ends in disaster with RH scissors!)
I think you’ll find a lot of much more LH people will test as mixed handed simply because they were forced to adapt when growing up. Once you learn something (say, tennis) RH, it becomes ingrained and, after YEARS of doing it RH, changing to LH is awkward (not because RH is your natural way, but because the brain paths have been trained to do it RH).
So, IF I had had access to LH equipment (and lefty people to teach me the skills), I probably would have done most things LH.
I AM right- EYED, but definitely left-HANDED. I think you’ll find that most people are “mixed-body.”
i totally agree with u bc its hard to get use to grab things like school tools with ur right hand when ur a lefty. Even though i got use to them i keep feeling strange when i use them. Do u know what i mean? 🙂
How high percetage of lefthanders write an draw mirrorimage if trying to write or draw the same thing with both left and right hand at the same time?
How is the senes of direktion and orientation in My fellow lefthanders?
When I was being taught how to write my teacher kept trying to make me write with my right hand and almost everything I wrote was the mirror image of what it was supposed to be.
And my sense of direction and orientation is way off.
I used to when younger. Also did mirror writing normally when first learning to write.
The questions about using scissors slipped me up. I use the left hand when I have scissors that will let me (left-handed or ergonomic), but will use right handed scissors with my right hand when the scissors only work that way.
I’ve used right handed scissors with my left hand for so long that I find it difficult to use left handed ones. I simply reverse the pressure with my thumb and fingers. It works well on most scissors.
A good fairly comprehensive little survey. One comment on bat holding – with two hands my Right hand is on the bottom but I face right. I also hold my bat in my right hand. These questions fail to take into account social conditioning. I had to change my rounders bat hand at the age of about 8/9 because my classmates could not bowl to a left-hander and once we started to use proper hard rounders balls rather than tennis ones the teacher advised the left-handers to try swapping for their own safety! I threw at netball with my right but landed left foot first which always got me into ‘trouble’. Another question to ask could have been which hand is preferred for heavy tasks like carrying suitcases etc. Good eye opener though may be for right handers too.
Interesting survey.
Whilst I use a spoon in my Left Hand, I do the same with a Fork, which is the right handed.
My Dad made me a left handed Tee-Square for Technical Drawing at school – but I found it easier to use a Right handed Tee-Square and swap hand to draw lines!
Ken
I’m sixty years old. Most of the things I do right handed is a result of forced adaptation; such as no left handed scissors and being shown how to do things from a right handed parent.
its awesome to be left handed ,so is my daughter
happy left handers day to the world on 13th August
from warm sunny day in Durban South Africa
Left handed test.
I am left handed but use my right hand and ear for the telephone. This leaves my left hand free to write notes and messages whilst on the ‘phone.
Also, I use a left handed mouse with my computer and my left hand to text. My left hand to iron and fill/empty the kettle. These may be additional questions that you may wish to ask in the future.
Regards,
Jeremy
Jeremy,
I function exactly the same as you – right ear to phone; dial with my left hand. Left-handed mouse; write with left hand.
Great note about telephone!You’re not alone doing this))
me too , as to phone , to leave my hand free …. but my mouse is on the right side , for the same reason.
I agree completely, in fact this stupid phone is on has all the buttons on the right, I have to cross over to push them. Not only that but my whole office is oriented to the right, so i have to reach across to take notes and crisscross my phone.
I have to disagree with the question about holding a cricket bat coupled with the question about holding it in one hand,as playing cricket left handed with only the left hand is virtually impossible.
Im 90% seriously left handed! Thank you for your monthly updates
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