# [Personality-psychology] Why do I always tend to sit on the left side of the room?



## ks90 (Oct 13, 2009)

It's a pattern I've recently noticed in my behaviour and it's not like I purposely do it, rather I do it subconsciously most of the time without even realising it. Some times however, I do sit on the right side of the room, but somehow it doesn't always seem as comforting; I typically sit on the left side, away from others if possible, and prefer not to be so much as seen or noticed. Others can sit in the middle of the lecture hall in and around everyone else, and while that doesn't bother me in the slightest, I'd rather just be left alone, near the corner, unnoticed and not in the spotlight; I'm assuming this has to do with personality, and if that's the case, I must be the only INTJ in some of my classes of >200 people. What is this?


----------



## Grey (Oct 10, 2009)

If it has to do with personality, it could be that you just prefer to be unnoticed and keep your own company, as you've said. It could also be the desire to focus on the class or lecture, and subconsciously, you've decided that the left side is less populated and therefore less liable for distraction. It could also like having a favorite chair: you favor the left side of not just your lecture halls, but of most rooms you go to, and continue to do so for the comfort. It's just as likely to be a personality-related choice over something unrelated. In the lecture hall you've noticed, however, is the left side of the room quieter, less crowded, and even somewhat hidden from the rest of the room?


----------



## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

Maybe your hearing is just better in your right ear, or your right eye sees better than your left eye?


----------



## entperson (Sep 14, 2009)

I believe I once read somewhere that location preference has a correlation to brain dominance. If you're right brained you sit on the left side and if you're left brained you sit on the right side. Or something of that nature.

There's a slight chance that I just made all of that up though.


----------



## Scruffy (Aug 17, 2009)

Are you left handed?


----------



## Ben (Aug 23, 2009)

Freud would say you had a tramatic childhood experience involving something on the right side of the room and that you are neglecting that experience by sitting on the left side of the room.

On a more serious note, it could be what entperson said (unless she completely made that up), or you have a preference for sitting on the left side of the room, especially in a corner where you are generally unnoticed and undisturbed due to your INTJ-ness.


----------



## TurranMC (Sep 15, 2009)

I don't have any preference for sitting on the left or right side, but I always sit towards a wall, usually in the back, so that I can see as much of the room as possible at all times. Its not because I don't want to be seen, because I usually make myself known, but I want to observe everyone else.


----------



## ks90 (Oct 13, 2009)

Grey said:


> If it has to do with personality, it could be that you just prefer to be unnoticed and keep your own company, as you've said.
> It could also be the desire to focus on the class or lecture, and subconsciously, you've decided that the left side is less populated and therefore less liable for distraction.




I can focus on any side of the room; noises or other people entering don't ever bother me, unless I'm hungry or have gotten <4 hrs of sleep that night, at which point I pretty much space out non-stop and start looking around as if I'm unconscious yet have my eyes moving around.



> It could also like having a favorite chair: you favor the left side of not just your lecture halls, but of most rooms you go to, and continue to do so for the comfort.


I typically don't sit in the same spot twice, but in the same area? Yes; no favourite chairs though.



> It's just as likely to be a personality-related choice over something unrelated. In the lecture hall you've noticed, however, is the left side of the room quieter, less crowded, and even somewhat hidden from the rest of the room?


Nope, but it does at times seem further away from everyone else, and that in itself is quite comforting.

Who knows why I am like this though. Could be numerous reasons, but whatever the hell it is, it's not something that keeps me awake at night, more like something out of sheer curiosity. I just want to know why I keep to the left because I saw this on some kind of test some time ago, but it just didn't occur to me until I started observing this pattern in my behaviour, that regardless pretty much the reason, when I enter a room, I take a seat on the left vs right side; so it has to do with something. And no, I'm not left-handed, but I am I will admit, somewhat moderately ambidextrous.

EDIT: @Ben, Freud would also say I'm [blank] because I have a penis, and that you're not [blank] because you're a female and suffer from penis-envy, -- stop buying into that philosophical trash (because this is philosophy at it's finest); that man belonged in the furnace, along with his work; and it's quite a shame he narrowly escaped.

I do love being left alone though, and will sit where I have a view, closer to the wall, and nearer to the fire exit, that way, in case of a fire or any kind of accident, I can push everyone in front of me out of the way and bolt out the door while leaving my manners, and all of those other poor suckers, left in the room. 

EDIT (2) @entperson, that's what I'm thinking, but the problem with this theory is I'm >75% left-brained vs. right, both on tests and in real life. Hell, even my multiple intelligences indicate 'logical' as my top intelligence, -- you couldn't get any more left-brained in my opinion.


----------



## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I'm right-brained and prefer sitting on the right side of the room, so if it is about being right or left brained, it's the opposite of what has been said, at least for me. I'm pretty sure my preference comes from the fact that my left eye is dominant, and when I am sitting to the right of whatever I am observing, everything is happening to my left where it is more visible. I am more attentive to things on my left. This could also be because I used to be a compulsive bibliophile. I am used to looking left first because of reading from left to right.


----------



## Ben (Aug 23, 2009)

ks90 said:


> EDIT: @Ben, Freud would also say I'm [blank] because I have a penis, and that you're not [blank] because you're a female and suffer from penis-envy, -- stop buying into that philosophical trash (because this is philosophy at it's finest); that man belonged in the furnace, along with his work; and it's quite a shame he narrowly escaped.


Overreacting a bit, aren't you? I was only kidding!:laughing:


----------



## ks90 (Oct 13, 2009)

Ben said:


> Overreacting a bit, aren't you? I was only kidding!:laughing:


Not at all.


----------



## TurranMC (Sep 15, 2009)

Ben said:


> Overreacting a bit, aren't you? I was only kidding!:laughing:


As I'm sure you're now noticing he is quite the baby.


----------

