I am not left-handed

[differenceblog]

In a Cal State Fullerton press release (3/29/07), some highlights from a BBC online survey conducted by Richard Lippa are discussed. More complete findings (Blanchard and Lippa, 2007) were published in the April issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior. The survey, which was taken over 200,000 times, found a relationship between hand preference and

Comments

[plumtreeblossom]

I like the term "mixed hand preference," since it best describes me. I'm told that prior to elementary school I was ambi, but was trained into right-handedness starting in kindergarden. So I write and use scissors with my right hand. But there are still some earely-learned skills that I still only use my left hand for, like brushing my teeth. My left arm/hand are stronger, and they carry all heavy things. I type using only the three middle fingers of my right hand and both thumbs (It's not hunt-n-peck, just and organic method that evolved from my frequent untrained childhood use of the family typewriter. At 45wpm it's efficient enough that I don't bother learning normal typing).

Similarly, I have "mixed sexual preferences," somewhere between a Kinsey 1 and 2. Interesting.

[differenceblog]

I'm curious about the distinction between "mixed hand preferences" and "ambidextrous" -- although obviously, I'm not curious enough to keep digging right now.

[beaconeer]

I suspect it would be that "ambidextrous" refers to possessing the ability to use either hand for any task, and "mixed hand preference" refers to preferring one hand for one task and the other for a different task, or incomplete ambidextrous ability.

[beaconeer]

sounds like comp[aring sexual preferences with the domination of one side of the brain over another...interesting coorelation, but honestly I dont think it will pan out to be a direct causal relationship.

[differenceblog]

Holtzen suggests that it is a combination of hormonal and genetic effects which create both handedness (hemispheric dominance) and sexual orientation, if I read his work correctly.

[differenceblog]

Yeah, poor lefties. Not at all like not-heterosexuals, who are never heavily socialized towards heterosexuality. ::chuckle::

[differenceblog]

Well, that does sort of touch on one of the gender differences Blanchard and Lippa reported that I left out of today's post, because I felt it had been done to death. Apparently, they're another vote on the side of "women's sexuality is more fluid than men's."

[beowabbit]

I’d strongly expect that people who are comfortable self-identifying as members of one minority would also tend to be comfortable self-identifying as members of another minority. (I’d also expect that parents who make an effort to discourage one non-majority attribute would also tend to make an effort to discourage another.) Your Blanchard and Lippa quote (I confess I haven’t followed the links) has relatively low differences among the various sexual-orientation categories that I can easily imagine being explained by effects such as that.

(Which of course is part of what you were getting at with your comment.)

[mycrust]

Since I have not written anything in my journal in quite a while, I refer you to this poll from the distant past on the topic of masturbation and handedness. Unfortunately it's not broken down by gender.

[differenceblog]

Interesting. I was thinking about posting a poll on dan4th today about handedness and orientation, but your poll seems more interesting.

I don't think that your poll is necessarily biased against women. But I'd be interested to see the breakdown of people who always use both hands or who don't have to use their hands.