Left-handeders finally unlock the closet, researchers find
A sinister development
Scientists have been left scratching their heads with both hands, after research showed the number of left-handed people in the population has almost quadrupled over the last 100 years.
According to The Telegraph, the proportion of folks fiddling with standard corkscrews and taking their lives in their hands by using right-handed scissors has increased to 11 per cent, compared to three per cent a century ago.
The findings were made in a massive study of antique film footage by researchers from University College London (UCL).
Apparently when you pointed a camera at the Edwardians they would politely wave, before breaking into spontaneous clog dancing or a rousing chorus of "Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do", before marching off somewhere hot to extend the British Empire.
This means the academics only had to count the number of people waving with their left hand as opposed to their right to get a grip on the number of lefties.
What has left them puzzled is the disparity with the proportion of lefties out there today, struggling with right-handed golf clubs, musical instruments, and let's face it, underwear.
The conclusion is that it is largely down to schooling. Whereas the left-handed Victorian and Edwardian school child would have been soundly thrashed before having his left hand nailed to the desk, today's kids are free to use any hand they want, teachers being pleased they've decided to turn up at all.
Sadly, the research doesn't appear to have cropped up on UCL's website yet. In the meantime, if you want a left-handed keyboard or mouse, check out this. ®
COMMENTS
Taped hand
I had my left hand taped to the desk at school in Northamptonshire in 1970 and made to write right handed.
I had already been taught to write left handed at home before school, and for years used both.
Even now I use both hands evenly for most 'normal' things; right hand for writing (because I use ink pens and don't like smudging); and left for 'heavy', manual jobs.
And there are many jobs that I don't know which way round is left or right handed - pitch fork, shovel, etc.
I suppose that it's only 'private' things where you can truly go for the most comfortable way - so which five fingers do you shuffle with?
Definition of Left / Right Handed?
I'm not convinced that it's all that useful to describe people in such simple terms as "left handed" or "right handed".
My brother is clearly somewhere in between. Some things he does with his left hand, some with his right hand, some with either hand, and some with *both* hands (e.g. when painting, it's not uncommon to see him with a paintbrush in each hand!)
I on the other hand (ho ho) can hardly do *anything* worthwhile with my left hand, so I'm clearly more right handed than a lot of "right handed" people.
On the subject of left handed mice, I have no problem using them, it's only switching between the two arrangements that gives me pause to curse the lefties who insist on them. I'd be quite happy to use a left handed mouse all the time, or for them to use right handed all the time, but switching is just a pain in the neck...
Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny
Simple Illegible Mechanics
Duh,Can anyone say,'SMUDGE'?
Writing is Left to Right.
A lefty, [c'est moi] whether putting pen or pencil to paper tends to blur the script.
The fix is to contort the hand or be extra careful:
both resulting in reduction of writing speed& productivity.
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