this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2026
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Ambidextrous people are around as well (1% of the population).
Until I got nerve damage to my left hand, I used both hands equally. It was handy in school to swap out my writing hand when one got tired. Used to freak teachers out because my writing is significantly different for each hand.
One of my sisters is ambidextrous. My younger son is also ambidextrous. So I suspect it has a genetic link.
I started out as ambidextrous, but they tried to force me into right handed in school. Now each hand handles different tasks. Based on precision or strength. Left is precision, right is strength.
I'm right handed, but for some reason I play sports left-handed.
Handedness is considered genetic these days. Being a leftie or ambi can be considered a genetic fault also. Since we are the definite minority. We just ain't normal in the head.
And it's thought that lefties are far more likely to show at least tendencies to being ambi than righties also. Though no one is very sure just how much is due to just genetics vs needing to learn to live and survive in a predominately right hand world. And they claim even the most die hard ambi person has at least a slightly favored hand.
While I claim to be a leftie, I can, like you write with both hands and some other tasks equally from both sides. Though I still prefer the left. But I can't hit a baseball from the right side of the plate. Even though I prefer to throw right. I suspect that many ambi people are just lefties that are more willing to swing both ways.
****It been a long time since I went down this particular rabbit hole. I would not be surprised if I misremembered something or knowledge has advanced.
Now you made me read up on the genetics.
Lefties and ambidextrous are appear to be genetically mostly independent. With lefties being a much more complex inheritance with multiple genotypes.
https://sci-hub.st/10.1038/s41562-020-00956-y
Lefties also tend to have a higher rate of bipolar and schizophrenia so about that not being right in the head... They also tend to have an gene for increase in inter-cranial volume.
Standard disclaimer: With human genetics the results always have to be taken with a grain of salt. A few annoying things like ethics and time prevents cleanly associating cause/effect. So human genetics use mostly correlation studies with their inherent inaccuracy.