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The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

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Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#81

Post by howard941 »

au8er wrote: post #30
twoodfin wrote: post #4

The symmetry or lack thereof between mirrored “left-handed/right-handed” phenomena is a deep problem up and down the physical world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality

Often times chirality is not just a fun quirk. For certain drugs, the left handed and the right handed versions can have completely different effects on the human body: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiral_drugs#Drug_toxicity . To avoid making the wrong type of drug, a specific way of producing the chemical molecule has to be derived: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enantioselective_synthesis .

And sometimes it doesn't change much at all except for the patent and withdrawal as with citalopram/escitalopram (generic Celexa/Lexapro).

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#82

Post by goosedragons »

deafpolygon wrote: post #14

I'm predominantly left-handed, except on the computer. Where I use the mouse with my right hand and play FPS games using the mouse on my right hand, as well. Not sure how common this is.

I'm guessing your school or home computer had it on the right growing up? I got used to using it on the right because I didn't want to move the mouse to the left in the school computer labs as it was always a clutter of cords. At home half my family was left handed and mainly the PC was used by the lefties so I got used to playing FPSs with the left hand. I kinda hate playing on PC now because WASD is trash left hand mousing and it's A HUGE PITA to remap every single key to make sense on the the other side of the keyboard, some games don't even let you map keys like ';' because IDK, fuck me I guess.

I do think I'm more accurate with my left too.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#83

Post by tejohnso »

zdragnar wrote: post #51

I write left handed, and use a fork in my left and knife in my right. Left hand for holding a phone or a drinking glass, and for shaving. I'm right eye dominant, though, so I throw, swing, shoot, use scissors, play instruments and use a mouse right handed. I'm not at all ambidextrous, I can't do most of those things with my other hand.

I guess it's possible to be non dominant in either hand. I write left and eat with a fork or spoon in the left, but I bat, bowl, or throw with the right. In the boxing gym, I'm not a southpaw. But I play lefty guitar.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#84

Post by inglor_cz »

n4r9 wrote: post #47

The percentage of left-handedness correlates strongly with how pacifist vs warlike the society is. According to this 2005 study it varies from 3% up to 27%: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1634940/

Wow, this really blew my mind.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#85

Post by inglor_cz »

gsej wrote: post #38

I lost a little faith when I saw the article referred to Neanderthals as "our ancestors"... Intrigued by the throwaway comment that we know handedness is genetically determined. Is that true? I was under the impression it was a developmental issue (identical twins with opposite orientation being one piece of evidence here).

Basically all people with ancestry outside Subsaharan Africa have nontrivial Neanderthal admixture. Even many Africans do, although it is a fresh (post-1600 or so) contribution from other parts of the world. So they were "our" ancestors, just not the dominant ones.

That statement would only be categorically wrong if made about pureblood Khoisan etc.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#86

Post by aklemm »

zdragnar wrote: post #51

I write left handed, and use a fork in my left and knife in my right. Left hand for holding a phone or a drinking glass, and for shaving. I'm right eye dominant, though, so I throw, swing, shoot, use scissors, play instruments and use a mouse right handed. I'm not at all ambidextrous, I can't do most of those things with my other hand.

This is me exactly. I always say "strength in my right, finesse in my left" even though it's not exactly accurate; I couldn't hit the ground with a football from my left hand.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#87

Post by aklemm »

n4r9 wrote: post #47

The percentage of left-handedness correlates strongly with how pacifist vs warlike the society is. According to this 2005 study it varies from 3% up to 27%: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1634940/

Imagine a society of red-headed left-handers.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#88

Post by rabid_turtle »

tejohnso wrote: post #83
zdragnar wrote: post #51

I write left handed, and use a fork in my left and knife in my right. Left hand for holding a phone or a drinking glass, and for shaving. I'm right eye dominant, though, so I throw, swing, shoot, use scissors, play instruments and use a mouse right handed. I'm not at all ambidextrous, I can't do most of those things with my other hand.

I guess it's possible to be non dominant in either hand. I write left and eat with a fork or spoon in the left, but I bat, bowl, or throw with the right. In the boxing gym, I'm not a southpaw. But I play lefty guitar.

Same here. Left hand is precision, right hand is power.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#89

Post by altruios »

aklemm wrote: post #87
n4r9 wrote: post #47

The percentage of left-handedness correlates strongly with how pacifist vs warlike the society is. According to this 2005 study it varies from 3% up to 27%: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1634940/

Imagine a society of red-headed left-handers.

Study does not exactly imply that left-handers are the cause of the violence, just corelated to societies' total violence. Perhaps we are exceptionally annoying to right-handers. This 'um, actually...' post would then be a salient self-referential sample of what I mean.

Re: The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer (2016)

#90

Post by PaulDavisThe1st »

pclmulqdq wrote: post #60
retrac wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Piano music is mostly written by right-handers for right-handers. I'm strongly left-hand dominant. For music that's intended to be easy to play, the primary voice is almost always on the right hand. Where the music wants the most dexterity, I have the least. At the developed level where the composer doesn't give a damn about how easy it is for the musician to play, yes, both left and right-handers have to figure out…

I don't think that's the actual reason, even for teaching music. The primary voice is in the right hand because the right hand is higher and so the waves it generates have higher energy at the same volume, making it the easiest voice to hear. I assume that in arrangements and pop music, the arranger naturally puts the melody on top and fills in as much harmony as they care to (which is usually not a lot unless you pa…

This in no way disagrees with the GP comment and in most ways reinforces it.
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