Right handed / Left Handed...?

Question

I read a section on here about being left handed/right handed..and all the answers refer to it as being genetic...well for starters im left handed and as a matter of fact the only one in the family no one else, so why is that?

I wonder why they thought left handed people were evil lol...cos i read some of the comments and its true i read somewhere that left handed people many many many years ago were burnt at the stake because they believed we did witchery and also that we were associate with the devil...mmmm right.. lol

Answer 1

There are at least two schools of thought on the issue. One is that left handedness is totally genetic. The other school of thought suggests that some distress in the womb or during birth may be a contributing factor.

Here are a couple of links that discuss it.

Answer 2

Lefty,

I too am the only left-hander in a big family. In fact, I am ambidextrous, prefring left-hand, but write clearly, quickly and comfortably right-handed. I played sports right-handed, but occasionally threw or shot left-handed to mess with people ;) I have 4 children - all right-handed, though due to my influence, all can write legibly left-handed.

I don't believe in the genetic formula - I see and hear many people state many things as being genetically inherited, but few people can actually explain why they say that. I personally believe 'genetic' is a catch-all term for the unexplainable.

My hypothesis at this point is that handedness is similar to savants and autism whereas document areas of the brains have different textures and connectivity to the brain. I believe, and am working towards building studies, that the brain is shaped during pregnancy. Such events that Mom exposes to child (smoking, second-hand smoke, alcohol, sodas, sleeping pattern, delivery trauma, and a host of other environmental factors) cannot be ruled out.

Of course, handedness could follow the language center (normally left-brain - which correlates to the normal right-handedness). It has been shown that in many left-handed (right-brained creatives) that the language center is indeed right-brain. So, that's a possible explanation and it would be easy to state it as genetic. I have a little different bent though as there are plenty of people who don't follow a genetic pattern.

These are just some thoughts, but there is no documented clear answer.

Answer 3

I don't know why some are left or right, but conditioning plays a large part in it. In the middle east, and far east, places like Iraq, and India, there are few if any left-handed people. Children are forced to use the right hand because the left hand is considered dirty. When I was young, I went to Catholic school, and they tied my left hand to my chair so I couldn't use it. The reason? The word for left, in latin, is "sinister", so left = evil. The result was that I now use my left hand for eating and writing, but nothing else. I throw a ball, hold a cue stick, point, and carry objects in my right hand. I can also write with both hands at the same time, upside, and backwards. My mother and my sister were both left-handed, but of my 3 children, only 1 was a lefty. On a lighter note, it is said that the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. Therefore, only left-handed people are in their right mind.

Answer 4

Just the way the genes "played their hands." Left handedness is more common over the entire human race than having two different-colored eyes and albinism. But , I've seen a couple of those and they, alone, within the family carry the trait. Once expressed, though, there is a good chance that your children will carry it.

Answer 5

I think it could be genetic. If you think back though to even our own parents generation and earlier on, writing with the left hand was so discouraged that I know my parents had friends in their schools (they were in Catholic school) who were beaten on the wrists with rulers for writing with their left hand. They were forced into writing with the right. So your family members very well may have been destined to be left handed, but ended up being forced into being right handed.

My family is the exact same way. I'm the only lefty too :)

Answer 6

Sometimes being right handed is a learned behavior. Even as late as my fathers generation, he had his left hand tied behind his back and made to write with his right hand.
In my early generation, things were not made for left hand people--everything just was right-handed. example: pinking sheers, handles on things. This sort of discouraged people from being left handed.
Now, there are right handed as well as left handed appliances. No longer is their a big stigma against being left handed.
I think that you will find that in generations in the past there were alot of left handed people that were frustrated and discriminated against so much that out of necessity they became right handed.

Answer 7

well my eng prof was talking about religion when she talked about superstitions and left handed ppl...."we" left-handed ppl are consider evil cuz according to the western faith it was believed that the devil was on the left side waiting to snatch our soul so ppl who used left hand were believe to be more in touch with the devil........its true for most cultures as well.... that is also why some ppl throw salt over their left shoulder to hit the devil in the eye ...haha funny but that is religion and superstition for ya lol
woohoo go "LEFTY" :o)
"lefties" are smarter though

Answer 8

I don't recall how it all works out but it has to do with dominant and recessive genes. Your parents could both be dominant but you can still have recessive traits.

Answer 9

I have often wondered this myself being in your exact same situation, but I have no clue.

Answer 10

I'm the only one in my family that is ambidextrous.
No idea why