Right or left ?

Are you right-handed? Or left-handed?


I'm right-handed in writing, but I'm a bit of a mix-up when it comes to dominant sides. I've been recently reminded of this with the camera I got for an early birthday present.

I decided to try putting my right eye on the viewfinder and realized that cameras are built for right-eye dominant people, just as most things are made for right-handers. I'm left-eye dominant so instead, my oily nose smushes up against the back of the camera and always leaves a smudge on it.

But my confusion doesn't stop there. I also play sports semi-left-handed, haha. I golf as a lefty, bat as a lefty, play tennis as a lefty, but I shoot pool as a righty, throw a ball with my right hand, and if I hunted I would shoot with my right hand (and with a dominant left eye that would make things kinda complicated.)

I was wondering if handedness is genetic, since my mom is left-handed and my dad is right-handed. Scientists suspect that it is genetic, but not in the traditional sense that explains why I have CF (I do), if you have red hair (I don't), or which of your toes is longest (my second one.) All of those follow the standard dominant/recessive patterns. Genetics have always fascinated me and I would love to look at a whole bunch of data on traits people have and inherited, just for fun.

So I have no answers as to my odd combination of the two, but I have yet to hear of many other people who have things both ways like I do. I know they are out there, but again, I'd love to see some data on just how many of us there are. So I ask you, are you kind of a mix when it comes to right- or left-handedness like me?


 
As a side tangent, if you're unsure which is your dominant eye, there's a little trick you can do to find out. I didn't figure this out "officially" until a few months ago, though I've always closed my right eye in times where you need just one eye open; I just didn't give it any thought.