You may be more left-handed than you think…
Left-handedness test
We all know which hand we hold a pen with, but how far does this bias extend throughout your body? Are you left-eared? Left eyed? Here are some simple tests you can apply to yourself.
- Imagine the centre of your back is itching. Which hand do you scratch it with?
- Interlock your fingers. Which thumb is uppermost?
- Imagine you are applauding. Start clapping your hands. Which hand is uppermost?
- Wink at an imaginary friend straight in front of you. Which eye does the winking?
- Put your hands behind your back, one holding the other. Which hand is doing the holding?
- Someone in front of you is shouting but you cannot hear the words. Cup your ear to hear better. Which ear do you cup?
- Count to three on your fingers, using the forefinger of the other hand. Which forefinger do you use?
- Tilt your head over on to one shoulder. Which shoulder does it touch?
- Fixate a small distant object with your eyes and point directly at it with your forefinger. Now close one eye. Now change eyes. Which eye was open when the fingertip remained in line with the small object? (When the other eye, the non-dominant one, is open and the dominant eye is closed, the finger will appear to move to one side of the object.)
- Fold your arms. Which forearm is uppermost?
If you have always considered yourself to be right or left-handed you will probably now have discovered that your body is less than total in its devotion to its favoured side. If you are right-handed the chances are that you were not able to be ‘right’ 10 times.
We have produced a survey for Left-Handers Day where you can record which hand you use for various activities and get an overall rating for how left-handed you are – click here to see the test form.
Interesting! In all the tests save one I’m a Leftie. That one is the dominant eye, the right.
I believe this condition is known as cross-laterality.
For all my life (77years) I’ve been clumsy, breaking plates and glasses and other stuff. I’ve known about the dominant eye business for a long time, yet I never seem to sort things out.
One left-handed item I found extremely useful was back in the days when using a cheque book to pay a bill was more common than it is today. Cheque books normally have the counterfoil/stub on the left of the book which makes it very difficult to hold the used stubs back out of the way with the right hand whilst writing the cheque with the left hand. Fortunately my bank introduced cheque books with the counterfoils on the right side of the book making this a much easier process. Although rarely used in the modern world, my bank still provides me with a left-handed cheque book.
I am a true Lefty!! Not that I ever doubted it.