i listed which tasks i do with my right, left, or both hands, and what i figured out is
my right hand is better with precise movements done in front of me, such as writing, peeling vegetables, crocheting, washing the dishes. i also use it in activities that require a chiral tool (where left-handed tools are less accessible and it's easier to just do it right-handed), such as using scissors, a computer mouse, playing guitar
my left hand is better and feels very natural in bigger, 3-dimensional movements, especially when they're directed at myself, e.g. brushing my teeth and hair, playing tennis, catching, holding objects, pouring a drink, drinking from a cup, holding a flashlight or a pointer, sword fighting, holding an umbrella, dragging a suitcase, eating a sandwich. it is also physically stronger
if a task is not very complicated and is awkward to do both sides with one hand or practical to be able to use both hands, or requires both a big/self-directed movement and precision (so neither of my hands feels exactly right), i'll do it with both, e.g. doing my makeup (right eye with my right hand, left eye with my left hand), shaving my legs, shaping my eyebrows with tweezers or an eyebrow razor, eating with a spoon or fork, grating cheese (hand gets tired!!). or just to have a fun party trick: i can use chopsticks both right- and left-handed B))
i feel like my brain is very plastic when it comes to laterality. in my life i have several times learned to do a task with the other hand, or even changed my dominant side!!
all of this developed naturally and i was never forced to write with my right hand (as far as me and my mom know). my brain could be just undecided and prone to changing and choosing different sides. but that's kind of a boring explanation, well, it's not even an explanation, it's just saying that i am this way because i am this way. this doesn't satisfy me. i love to dig deeper, overanalyze, and know all the reasons why i am the way i am, even if it means i'm gonna have to separately analyze every single neuron in my brain.
both neurologists i've mentioned this to initially said i'm left-handed (forcibly?) switched to right (unfortunately i didn't get to talk about this further because it was during my clinical rotation classes and not as a patient or study subject). which is something i've never considered before. and because my laterality has always been a mystery to me, i got excited to explore this hypothesis. i don't think it's going to turn out to be 100% the answer, but there could be something in it. i could have picked up the crayons and pencils with my right hand just because that's how everyone else around me was doing it and showing me, and then all the other tasks requiring precision followed. when i was younger, i did tend to assume i was the default thing and not even realize i could explore other options. when i was forced to learn the volleyball serve in pe lessons at 13, i was frustrated i wasn't able to do it until i realized i should have been doing it with my left hand. it didn't occur to me that i could be a lesbian for an embarassingly long time and i realized i wasn't attracted to men before i discovered my attraction to women. i tend to exactly follow rules and directions and not even get the idea to bend or break them for my own convenience.
so i think i'm going to exercise precision with my left hand and see what happens.
i would really love to be studied so i think i'm going to ask around if there are any related studies going on in my area (a very slim chance but it won't hurt to try).
