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From: ps@fps.com (Patricia Shanahan)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Left Handed programmers (was Sinister Hackers 8-))
Message-ID: <10964@celit.fps.com>
Date: 20 Aug 90 19:33:02 GMT
References: <1488@chinacat.Unicom.COM> <19624@well.sf.ca.us> <12772@hydra.gatech.EDU> <1990Aug20.084113@bert.llnl.gov>
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Reply-To: ps@fps.com (Patricia Shanahan)
Organization: FPS Computing Inc., San Diego CA
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In article <1990Aug20.084113@bert.llnl.gov> howell@bert.llnl.gov (Louis Howell) writes:
>First, the opinions:  I tend to react to all the left brain/right
>brain BS the same way I react to people who sharpen their razor
>blades with a pyramid.
>
>I write with my left hand, but I don't think there's a deep reason
>for it, just an accident when I was learning to write that grew
>into a habit.  I use scissors with my right hand because virtually
>all scissors are built that way.  I use a mouse with my right hand
>because the default placing on a public terminal is to the right.
>A pencil, however, has no preferred orientation.
>
...
>Louis Howell
>
>#include <std.disclaimer>


I think there is more to the left/right handedness business. I am the same
general way as you. I tend to do things either with the hand that I first
learned to use for that activity, or with the more convenient hand if there
is one. I write right-handed, draw equally badly with both hands, started
using a mouse with it on the left because there was more room on my desk
that way, but switched to right handed because it was easier to work out
which button is which that way. (I actually first learned to write left
handed, using a pencil. When I was switched from pencil to dip pen and ink
I decided to switch to right hand writing.)

However, I know a lot of people who will go out of their way, even when it 
is obviously inconvenient, to use a particular hand. They always learn new
activities with the same hand in the leading role. They will do an awkward
backhand throw rather than throw something with the wrong hand. It is 
especially obvious when someone is strongly left-handed, because they
have trouble using commonly occuring right handed equipment. They look
for and buy special scissors, rather than just using ordinary ones right
handed. 

This seems to be a much deeper dependence on using a particular hand than
the tendency I have to stick with the hand that I used when I learned to
do something. Although it is difficult to understand without having
experienced it, I think there is a genuine phenomenon of physiological
handedness, that affects most, but not all, of the population.
--
	Patricia Shanahan
	ps@fps.com
        uucp : ucsd!celerity!ps
	phone: (619) 271-9940