Handedness
is only one way in which humans can be asymmetrically “sided.” For
almost all people, one foot, eye, and ear is dominant as well. Overall,
nine of ten people are right-handed; eight of ten are right-footed;
seven of ten are right-eyed; and six of ten are right-eared. Women
tend to be more right-sided than men in all respects except “eyedness.”
Determine your dominant foot, eye, and ear by answering these questions:
Foot
(1) Which foot do you kick a ball with?
(2) Try picking up a pen with your toes. Which foot do you use?
(3) If you’re starting up a staircase, which foot goes first?
Eye
(1) Select a spot on a wall at least ten feet away. Quickly lift
a hand and point to the spot. Then close each eye in turn and see
which eye lines up with the finger and the spot. (If you’re right-eyed,
your finger will be pointing directly at the spot when your left
eye is closed.)
(2) Which eye would you use to peep through a keyhole?
(3) Which eye to look down into a dark bottle to see the liquid?
Ear
(1) If you wanted to eavesdrop on a conversation in the next room,
which ear would you press against the wall?
(2) In a noisy, crowded place, which side of your head would you
turn toward a companion to hear her better?
(3) If you want to hear the “ocean” sound in a seashell, which ear
would you hold the shell to?
If your results are mixed, that’s typical. Fewer people are strongly
right-footed, right-eyed, and right-eared than strongly right-handed;
less than half of all people are consistently one-sided (either left
or right) in everything. |