Left or Right?

Left or Right Handed?

I recently came across an article about a study on people who are ambidextrous (people who can use both their right and left hands just as well) The article revealed that the study brought back a main conclusion that basically, such people actually suffer from some kind of brain damage. Here’s a little about the basics of how our brain functions. I suppose that it is common knowledge that the human brain is made up of two hemispheres, the left and the right side, divided exactly in the middle. Interestingly, the left side controls are right limps and vice versa. Most of us were born to be right handed, fewer are left handed. (there is 1 in every 5 persons who are left handed) We can use both our limps just as well, however, when it comes to the finer actions such as writing or throwing a ball, one will dominate over another. The handedness of a human being is an expression of an inborn, innate lateralization of the cerebral hemispheres where one side dominates. In the neural system, the tracts are "crossed". Thus, a dominant right cerebral hemisphere results in a dominant left hand and a dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere is responsible for right-handedness.

I used to think its better to be able to use both hands just as well, so that in case one is out of action, I won’t have to be incapacitated for long. Sure, it sounds silly… I started “training” my left hand to eat, hold chopsticks, and I can say im quite good at it now. Well, one of the evenings when I had dinner with my dad, he kinda chided me for using my left hand, and when I asked him why, he simply told me that its not good. Fine. So I went back to do a little research on “changing handedness” and that’s when I came across the article. The research was based on a group of people who were forced by their parents to use their right hand FROM YOUNG despite being more comfortable with the left.

“The consequences of converting handedness: be it from a dominant left hand to a non-dominant right or the reverse, (especially during writing) does not result in a change in cerebral dominance but rather a multifaceted cerebral disturbance or damage. This functional cerebral damage (dysfunction, blockage, and inhibition of brain functioning) can then be manifest in the following primary disorders: disturbances in memory for all three areas of information processing (encoding, storage, and recall); difficulty in concentration (early fatigue); difficulty in reading and spelling (legasthenic problems); spatial disorientation (e.g. confusion of left and right); speech problems ranging from stammering to stuttering; fine motor disturbances evident in writing and other activities requiring precision.

The primary consequences can then go on and transform into secondary consequences: feelings of inferiority; shyness; introversion; overcompensation; defiance to belligerence; braggadocio; provocative behavior; bed-wetting; nail-biting; emotional problems that can last into adulthood with neurotic and personality disturbances.”

Interesting huh? Hmmm…. Didn't know that a “small” act actually had such a great effect on our brains... Wonder if my recent absent-mindedness had anything to do with my attempt to "train" my left hand? Oh well... Anyway, here’s the link for the article if you are interested…

http://www.linkshaender-beratung.de/english/Ambidextrous.htm