I was asked to write an article for the website AnythingLefthanded.co.uk. I am reprinting the article here for the readers of In Your Hands. If you wish to see the original text and read the associated comments, click on this link. AnythingLefthanded. Remember that August 13th is International Left-handers Day.
Handedness switching is a topic of particular interest to left-handers. This is probably because, in the past, many were exposed to pressures to change their preferred hand from the left to the right. Fortunately, these pressures have dissipated in recent times and left-handers in most cultures are tolerated and even encouraged to remain using their preferred left hand. What does science say about the who, what, when and where of handedness switching?
Who is switched and who does the switching? Most often switch attempts are applied to left-handers. However, there are three groups of left-handers when it comes to conversion attempts. First, there are left-handers who are pressured and successfully shift their handedness from left to right. Second, there are left-handers who are pressured but resist the attempt and remain left-handed. Finally, there are left-handers who are never pressured to change their handedness. This third group has grown considerably as we have moved into the 21st century. Switch attempts applied to left-handers are most often initiated by third parties, such as teachers or parents. Some left-handers report that punitive measures are applied, such as slapping the left hand when it is used. Almost forgotten is the existence of right-handers who switch to the left hand. Right-handers tend to initiate conversion attempts on their own and the process is typically benign.
What is switched? Handedness is displayed during many one-handed activities. However, it is the writing hand that is most frequently targeted for rightward shifts among left-handers. Right-handers focus on changing handedness side for sporting activities, such as tennis, fencing, or golf. Although the shift attempt for the targeted behavior may be successful, other one-handed activities do not change and remain with the naturally preferred hand. A left-hander may successfully shift his or her writing hand to the right, but behaviors such as eating, brushing teeth, and combing hair continue to be completed with the left hand. The same is true for right-handers. The golf superstar, Phil Mickelson, plays golf with a left-sided stance, but he signs autographs for fans with his right hand.
When does the switch occur? Rightward conversions of the left hand usually occur in the pre-school or early school years. This makes sense since the behavior most frequently targeted for change is the writing hand of left-handers. In the past, teachers found it easier to teach writing if all students used the same hand, the right. Now, most teachers agree that allowing a left-hander to continue to write with the left hand aids in the achievement of full academic potential. Switch attempts occur at a later age for right-handers. Since these shifts are often related to sports activities, it may be a coach who encourages the use of the left hand. Recent research emphasizes the ability of adults to change handedness side. This may be necessary, for example, if the preferred hand is injured permanently or is amputated. Studies reveal that, with enough practice, adults can gain high levels of proficiency for many activities with their previously non-preferred hand. This is true even for cursive writing, one of the most difficult behaviors to switch from one hand to the other.
Where do switches occur? With a few exceptions, switch attempts applied to left-handers have diminished in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. However, in countries where there are religious restrictions applied to left-hand use, rightward conversion attempts may still occur. For example, in Muslim cultures, writing and eating are done with the right hand. The effect of contemporary switch attempts in certain areas of the world follows the pattern mentioned previously. The targeted behavior changes from left to right but other activities remain with the left hand. Right to left conversions have not been studied in a cultural context. Since they occur often for practical reasons or out of necessity, one can assume they are happening around the world.
A final word. One of the persistent myths related to handedness switching is the idea that it affects the brain in adverse ways. Switching handedness, regardless of how it is done, is not connected to stuttering or other language difficulties. Neural imaging studies of converted left-handers writing with their right hands show brain activity in the movement centers of both hemispheres but no indication of disruption in speech or language areas of the brain. Interviews with hundreds of left-handers, including the successfully converted among them, reveal they have adapted to the constraints of a right-sided world with little difficulty. Pressure on left-handers to change writing hand is disappearing in many countries, but, even when the left writing hand is successfully switched, left-handedness remains manifest in other one-handed activities. Recent studies indicate that handedness behaviors are flexible. A person can acquire skill with the non-preferred hand, either right or left, with enough practice and with no harmful side effects.
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