Hand dominance is a common trait among primates and has been around for millions of years. This is a feature that has always fascinated human beings; a percentage between 70 and 90% of the population is made up of right-handed individuals, the remainder is represented almost entirely by left-handed people, while only a small slice is made up of ambidextrous people. Hand dominance is not a one-dimensional trait, it is not defined by a single gene, skill or brain structure; instead it is the result of a series of lateralized adaptations to specific tasks.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Writing and Drawing
Step 1. Practice holding a writing instrument in your hand
A stylus, pencil, pen or even a Chinese stick (which has a similar shape) is fine; try to figure out which hand you feel most comfortable with to grasp the tool.
Step 2. Write a sentence
Write it down in a notebook and then try rewriting it using your other hand. Again, pay attention to which hand you use when writing the sentence in the most definite way.
- When choosing your sentence, take one you've never written before.
- Remember that people were often forced to write with a specific hand at a young age; you may therefore naturally prefer the other hand, while using the opposite, because you have been taught this way.
Step 3. Draw several figures
Use one hand and draw a circle, a square and a triangle. Repeat the exercise with the opposite hand and compare the drawings; observe which series is more defined and precise.
Part 2 of 3: Performing Manual Activities
Step 1. Get something
Choose different objects and arrange them in front of you. Grab one without consciously choosing your hand. This exercise requires several attempts over a certain period to eliminate accidental preferences; pay attention to which hand you used most frequently.
Step 2. Use the cutlery
Bring food to your mouth with a kitchen utensil by alternating hands. Be aware of which movement has been easier, smoother, and whether this preference changes based on the cutlery you are using (fork and knife, sticks, spoon or just fork). Since most cutlery isn't built specifically for right- or left-handed people and is easy to use, you have to repeat the exercise several times until your preference is apparent.
Step 3. Color a drawing
Make sure it's a relatively simple figure to draw, but requires some fine motor skills to stay within the edges. Make a copy of the design and color each with a different hand, being careful to stay within the lines. Notice which hand made it easier for you to do the task.
Step 4. Cut out shapes from a sheet of paper with ambidextrous scissors
Using a pair of scissors specifically designed for left-handed or right-handed users alters the results and leads to choosing a particular hand. Cut out shapes such as circles, triangles, squares and compare them at the end.
Step 5. Play pass the ball
Throw it at another person or at a target and see which arm allows for a more accurate and faster shot. If you are playing with another person throwing the ball back at you, pay attention to which hand you instinctively raise to grab it. You have to repeat the exercise several times to determine the degree of accuracy, the speed of the throw and which hand you prefer for the catch.
Part 3 of 3: Coming to the Conclusion
Step 1. Make a list indicating which hand was preferred in each test
Add up the times you used each hand to draw and write; repeat the calculation for the other manual activities and find the total.
Step 2. The hand you have used the most in writing and drawing is often the dominant one, as this activity is the most socially relevant, the most obvious and most dominant dependent
The other exercises should give you an idea of the preference in general. The hand you intuitively identify as dominant probably is, even if you write with the opposite.
Step 3. Pay attention if the number of times you use the right is the same as the number of times you use the left
If so, you may not have any preferences, but to be truly ambidextrous you shouldn't have any difficulty in performing tasks with either hand or the results you get shouldn't be different. The criteria for defining left-handed and right-handed people are subjective and it is not simply a matter of preferring one hand to carry out most of the tasks.
Advice
- It is quite common to use one hand for certain activities and to prefer the opposite one for others; it is in fact a binary characteristic based on a continuum of lateralized abilities and motor functions.
- One hand preference develops and consolidates during early childhood, and dominance typically becomes evident and stable at the end of this period.
- The preference of one hand has nothing to do with the dominance of the cerebral hemispheres; it seems that neurological asymmetry is not the cause of being left-handed or right-handed and no relationship between the two phenomena has been demonstrated.
- Some people practice using their natural non-dominant hand to perform several tasks.
Warnings
- When using scissors be careful not to cut yourself. Do not buy those specific for left or right handed, because when you use them with the opposite hand you increase the risk of injury.
- Be cautious when playing ball to avoid injury or arm strains. If you have great difficulty controlling the throw with one arm, it probably doesn't match your dominant hand for that activity.
