splodgeyAl Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laterality#Laterality_in_other_animals Apparently, a lot of parrots are left-footed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I too am left-handed,but use the keypad on my mobile with my right! And like yourself,use cutlery the same as you....Rather bizaare. Hmm. Most things can be learnt on both arms, I can use a mouse with either hand because I can't be bothered to move it over when using a leftie's PC. But by preference I'd use my right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 http://io9.com/5840005/why-are-most-people-right+handed It looks like there is no accepted scientific answer to this question at the moment, although there are several hypotheses. That's pretty interesting to read actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splodgeyAl Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Sword use would be one skill where you would get a very important evolutionary advantage from being ambidextrous as they were absolutely a matter of life or death. Interesting article about handedness and the side of the road (no, really, it is interesting), here: http://www.lhdspecialist.com/history_of_lhd_and_rhd.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinz Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 It’s nothing to do with the limb, it’s the brain, if someone threw a ball to you or you go to kick a ball the brain decides which limb to use and in many people the brain as a preference, because it as a preference this limb will be used more than the other and will gain more practice and become stronger. When the brain doesn’t have a preference then both limbs will be used equally and both will become stronger but not as strong or well controlled as the person that just uses one limb for the given task. So in effect the brain is saying that both limbs are not required to be equal..and if it does, as in your case, the inequality you experience is matched by the inequality of a left or right user? In which case evolution is saying to both, one and a bit is actually adequate overall...for now. Maybe evolutions plan has something in store, and provided us with a flexibility we have yet to experience. This is all conjecture mind you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splodgeyAl Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 So in effect the brain is saying that both limbs are not required to be equal..and if it does, as in your case, the inequality you experience is matched by the inequality of a left or right user? In which case evolution is saying to both, one and a bit is actually adequate overall...for now. Maybe evolutions plan has something in store, and provided us with a flexibility we have yet to experience. This is all conjecture mind you. Surely, in terms of limbs, having two is mostly for efficiency and redundancy. We could all live and reproduce with only one arm or leg each, but if you lose that only one, you're buggered, so two allows for one to be injured or lost without necessarily resulting in the loss of your life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 So in effect the brain is saying that both limbs are not required to be equal..and if it does, as in your case, the inequality you experience is matched by the inequality of a left or right user? In which case evolution is saying to both, one and a bit is actually adequate overall...for now. Maybe evolutions plan has something in store, and provided us with a flexibility we have yet to experience. This is all conjecture mind you. The brain isn't making a decision, it doesn't work like that. It appears though that fine motor control is commonly performed in just one hemisphere of the brain (and most often that's the left) hence most people have better fine motor control of their right hand. Why the brain is organised like that is the real question. Evolution doesn't plan anything, it's not something that thinks, it's a process that happens to select for advantageous traits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deltic Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Conversely, if you were left side dominant would that give you a learned / trained advantage over fighters used to fighting righties? When I used to fence (foil), many years ago, it was generally accepted that left-handers had an advantage purely because the majority of fencers are, like the general population, right handed. It was simply because you got used to facing a right-hander most of the time. The left handed minority still tried to practice as much as possible with other left-handers because it was as rare for us to face another leftt-hander. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Surely, in terms of limbs, having two is mostly for efficiency and redundancy. We could all live and reproduce with only one arm or leg each, but if you lose that only one, you're buggered, so two allows for one to be injured or lost without necessarily resulting in the loss of your life Try catching your dinner with only 1 leg to run after it... Bilateral symmetry is common amongst many animals, it's more efficient to have equal numbers of arms and legs, it's not really for redundancy, it's just to be able to use them effectively. One thing related to that that has puzzled me in the past is why we have 2 kidneys and 2 lungs, but only 1 heart, 1 spleen, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splodgeyAl Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Another interesting read... http://news.discovery.com/animals/hand-preference-animals-human-110202.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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