# Lefties and MBTI



## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

This is as it has been explained to me, hopefully it is correct (neuroscientists I’d very much appreciate a correction if I’m wrong). @ilovegoodcheese @elvis2010

I’ve been curious for a while to ask this.

Background: Right-handed brains usually use the same areas of the brain for the same activities with something like a 99.9%. For (a very bad) example, on a brain scan a certain area of the brain lights up when you throw a ball or think of throwing a ball and it’s the same place on the brain as pretty much every righty. If we wanted to see if math is also related to that spot, all we have to do is see if that area or a close-by one lights up while the person does a math problem.

Lefties? Well, (I’m not sure of the exact percentile) a portion of lefties have the mirror opposite of righties, but there is a portion of lefties whose brain functions don’t follow any map. 
What this means is, if math is close to throwing a ball in righties, it might be very separated in lefties. To me this can only mean potential. Different is so so good!

This was a very bad way to explain this since I’m not trained to know where anything is on anyone’s brain. 

My question is this: do lefties feel like they do not fit the “typical” portrait of their chosen MBTI type more often?

If you are a lefty.... what do you experience? What do you think? I’m putting it to you in the NT forum first because of my darling lefty INTP daughter. I think about the potential of her awesome brain a lot. And I appreciate uniqueness. 

Please let me know if anything I said triggered anyone negatively, I know this is a weird question? But I have been curious to see what you guys think.


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## Eugenia Shepherd (Nov 10, 2017)

What an interesting question.
I'm left-handed (left-leg and left-eye dominant as well).
Do I consider myself a _nontextbook_ ENFP?... 
I really don't have a good answer for that; excepting, perhaps, my enneatype (which isn't even _all_ that unusual for an ENFP).
I see myself as (mostly) part of the tribe--I don't believe I'm mistyped--perhaps I "Te" more than peers (within my age group), 
but that's about it.


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## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

Eugenia Shepherd said:


> What an interesting question.
> I'm left-handed (left-leg and left-eye dominant as well).
> Do I consider myself a _nontextbook_ ENFP?...
> I really don't have a good answer for that; excepting, perhaps, my enneatype (which isn't even _all_ that unusual for an ENFP).
> ...


Definitely part of the tribe! Whether you thought you were a bit different or not wouldn’t matter. You are ours, Eugenia! You cannot get away, our superpower lefty ENFP 3. Ours, I tell you. /hugs. My fellow here, I’m always so glad for your input. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have asked this question! I have honestly been sitting on it ever since I heard about cool lefty neuro-mapping. I get so curious! But it’s not my intent to disrupt anyone’s sense of being part of the tribe they identify with. I hope everyone knows they are appreciated and that this isn’t one more thing to be judged on or anything. A positive would be if it helped people understand themselves...but then I’d want them to feel they belong.

I do wonder if people who type themselves on the line like INTP/INTJ or something might like reading it though? Or maybe not because..... “I know something you don’t know. I am not left-handed.”


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## Clare_Bare (Apr 6, 2015)

Llyralen said:


> My question is this: do lefties feel like they do not fit the “typical” portrait of their chosen MBTI type more often?


Such an interesting topic!
To me, your query has a lot of relevance to amberdexterity.
Naturally, true amberdexterity is extremely rare in the population!

I'll start off by saying that I am a 'mixed-handedness' person. Different hands specifically for different dexterous functions.
In a practical sense, I don't feel a dominance in either handedness.
If I had to state a preference, I would say I am naturally inclined to be a lefty, but only by a small margin ~15%

To get to the neurological crux of your question.
Yes, I do believe there is a correlation between MBTI and brain hemisphere utilsation.
Spatial orientation appears to be a right hemisphere function. This aligns for me - I was an aerobatic pilot in glider aircraft and I never experienced spatial awareness issues.
Left handed people have higher than average levels of inter-hemisphere information processing - they're quick thinkers. This is absolutely me, my brain seems to be in overdrive constantly.
Additionally, right brain users have a more divergent thinking syle - they're innovative and creative. Not necessarily exclusively in the artistic sense, but also as conceptual thinkers.

Conversely, I exhibit the emotional response stimuli of left hemisphere brained people. I am more balanced emotionally.
Also, a facet of a right handed people is their self-confidence and motivation, which I exhibit.

For reference, I am an ENTP.
Subjectively, I would summarise myself as:
Anything related to left handedness or right brain, I would correlate to my NeTi loop.
And for anything related to right handedness or left brain, I would correlate to my TiFe loop.
Does that make sense?

btw, I notice many people who are left handers tend to reflect the NF temperament or are at the very least, xNxP types.
Would you agree with that observation?


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

Llyralen said:


> This is as it has been explained to me, hopefully it is correct (neuroscientists I’d very much appreciate a correction if I’m wrong). @ilovegoodcheese @elvis2010
> 
> I’ve been curious for a while to ask this.
> 
> ...


Yep


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## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

Clare_Bare said:


> Such an interesting topic!
> To me, your query has a lot of relevance to amberdexterity.
> Naturally, true amberdexterity is extremely rare in the population!
> 
> ...


It is why I posted here first, because I observe it more with Ne... but my “n” size is really small.

My lefty daughter is an INTP—and I can’t think of any other MBTI type for her. She did have brain trauma at birth and has sensory processing disorder (diagnosed) and tests as a highly sensitive person. When she was 4 and then when she was 10 we took her to a neuropsychologist and she tested off the chart for visual-spatial. Her cute brain has always been really fascinating and many people thought she was autistic and maybe she is, but her teachers also recognize she is accedemicqlly brilliant and... she is also very nice and kind and optimistic. . All the social grace that was so hard to explain on my part and so hard for her to figure out— she figured it out. I think she little by little consciously thought it through and developed her Ti to Fe philosophy and I’m very proud of her. I’m really glad she just always pushed through everything, even when everything was obviously difficult. She has a twin brother who is right handed, supposedly there is higher chance of one twin being a leftie— I believe that is often seen in identical twins as well, although I should really go diving for that info before I discuss it.

Okay, now that I had fun talking about my daughter... I’m thinking of other lefties whom I know. My husband’s cousins, I am not sure what types they are. He is an architect. I think they may both be INxPs. One a T and one a F. When they first saw my daughter at age 3 get handed a fork and she very deliberately switched it to her left hand, they cheered and were really excited! :1). Love it.

Edit: I checked.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01067148


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## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

Electra said:


> Yep


Which part, Electra? Please elaborate on all things “yep” It looks like I should post it in the NF forum? Should I change any of the wording? Is any of it offensive? Honestly, I am worried, sometimes we don’t want to discuss one more way to feel different, but sometimes it helps to have label because maybe it means more of a discussion and potential understanding?


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## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

@Clare_Bare I just found out about cross-dominance from this: Do you think you have any cross-dominance as well? Interesting! 





Twins and handedness - Wikipedia







en.m.wikipedia.org


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## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

This is very interesting... especially towards the middle and bottom when it talks about the Brian function of lefties forced to write with their right hand. 









Brain Science Is Ignoring Left-Handed People


"It’s one of these 'rules of thumb' that people learn when they start doing neuroscience, that including left-handed individuals is bad.”




www.google.com


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## Eugenia Shepherd (Nov 10, 2017)

Llyralen said:


> Definitely part of the tribe! Whether you thought you were a bit different or not wouldn’t matter. You are ours, Eugenia! You cannot get away, our superpower lefty ENFP 3. Ours, I tell you. /hugs. My fellow here, I’m always so glad for your input.
> 
> Maybe I shouldn’t have asked this question! I have honestly been sitting on it ever since I heard about cool lefty neuro-mapping. I get so curious! But it’s not my intent to disrupt anyone’s sense of being part of the tribe they identify with. I hope everyone knows they are appreciated and that this isn’t one more thing to be judged on or anything. A positive would be if it helped people understand themselves...but then I’d want them to feel they belong.
> 
> I do wonder if people who type themselves on the line like INTP/INTJ or something might like reading it though? Or maybe not because..... “I know something you don’t know. I am not left-handed.”


_Squee_, I smiled at that--many thanks, Miss Llyralen; you are truly such a dear. <3








I don't see how the question comes across as particularly offensive, however. At least, not on this end.
It _is _rather remarkable, admittedly (notwithstanding exclusively psychological impacts of left-handedness)
that there's an extensive history of... what shall we call it? _Handism_, I suppose (_???_--I'm chuckling at how ridiculous this sounds)
wherein left-handedness was considered a mark of the morally-corrupt or _deviant_, even. Clearly it's merely a historical antiquity at this point in time
but it was of great significance many years ago.
Why, even this article's title--"Sinister Handed"--_good lord, _bahaha!--reminds me of how bizzare the concept is/was.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08998280.1999.11930194
Oh--my autistic INTP brother is also left-handed, like your daughter!
It isn't a trait that runs in our family; neither of our parents are--it's a rare genetic occurrence--roughly 1% chance.


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

Llyralen said:


> Which part, Electra? Please elaborate on all things “yep” It looks like I should post it in the NF forum? Should I change any of the wording? Is any of it offensive? Honestly, I am worried, sometimes we don’t want to discuss one more way to feel different, but sometimes it helps to have label because maybe it means more of a discussion and potential understanding?


I don't think you should change anything...it is just a general attitude I don't recognice my self in... elfs and ferries, the Hitler, the narsissist, the superstitious... another example when the job test said that what job I was fit to do, they did not take my traumatic life experiences into account, for example that I suffer from PTSD and how that effects my choises. That was just one example, but I think I will probably think of more 
Edit; ok I found another one: we are supposed to be superstitious. I am agnostic so stuff like that feels kinda disturbing to read. Here is another one: claiming that Hitler was an INFP or that we are narsissistic. That is probably one of the last types I believe he was, and I think those who claimed that are probably trolling. How can the stereoptype of an apologetic fey-loving superstitious INFP coexist with the narssisistic Hitler image who sent humans to the gass chambre? Strikes me as...ignorant at best.


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## Clare_Bare (Apr 6, 2015)

Llyralen said:


> This is very interesting... especially towards the middle and bottom when it talks about the Brian function of lefties forced to write with their right hand.


Absolutely!

Quote # 1
Until fairly recently, it wasn’t unheard of for parents or teachers to forcibly switch left-handed leaning children to use their right hands instead.
I recall in primary school wanting to learn handwriting with my left hand, but the teachers actively prevented me from doing so. (It was the late 60's and early 70's ...)
Thus I use my right hand for writing today, but my cursive style is awful. Even after all these decades, my handwriting looks like a scawl.

Quote # 2
Willems thinks it makes more sense . . . . . there is a group of people who are not born with a preference, but who choose to use the right or left hand more.
I'm guessing it is a very small percentage of the population, however I can confirm from personal experience that there are people who don't exhibit a preferential tendancy for hand dominance.
I remember in my youth, I was often confused about which hand to use when I was confronted with something new. I would experiment with each hand to determine which felt more 'natural' for the task.


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## Clare_Bare (Apr 6, 2015)

Llyralen said:


> @Clare_Bare I just found out about cross-dominance from this: Do you think you have any cross-dominance as well? Interesting!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is sooo me!



> *Cross-dominance*, also known as *mixed-handedness*, . . . . .
> For example, a cross-dominant person might write with the right hand and do everything else with the left one.


One of my fave sports was white-water slalom canoeing.
In a kayak, a double bladed paddle is used. They are available as left or right oriented designs depending on the person's preferred handedness.
In a canoe, a single bladed paddle is used. Obviously the paddle is the same design irrespective of the user's preferred handedness.

For me as a canoeist, I could only use a single bladed canoe paddle with my left arm/hand. It was impossible for me to use it on my right side! (see the random picture attached)
Ironically, in a kayak with a double bladed paddle, I preferred to use the right oriented paddle design. ie; using my right arm/hand as the dominant preference.

Same sport, different boat designs.
A lefty in a canoe and righty in a kayak.
Go figure ...



> It can also refer to *mixed laterality*, . . . . .
> A person who is cross-dominant can also be stronger on the opposite side of the body that they favor; for example, a right-handed person can be stronger on the left side.


I discovered when I started Bikram Yoga that I have superior balance on the left side of my body and that I had more strength on the right side.

Since I am not dominant on my left side, there is no reason why I should exhibit a stronger right side of my body? The same applies in respect to left side balance and right side dominance.
If I am 'neutral' dominance in terms of brain hemisphere utilsation and left/right handedness, shouldn't my body's balance / strength ratio be more even?


I can totally relate to 'Cross-Dominance' as so many facets of my physical life compare to this concept.
But I struggle with whether 'Mixed Laterality' theory applies to me. It doesn't quite reflect 'me' in reality.

It's all so fascinating isn't it?


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## Clare_Bare (Apr 6, 2015)

Llyralen said:


> It is why I posted here first, because I observe it more with Ne...


Yep, I get that.




> My lefty daughter is an INTP—and I can’t think of any other MBTI type for her. She has a twin brother who is right handed, supposedly there is higher chance of one twin being a leftie— I believe that is often seen in identical twins as well, . . . . .


 The Wikipedia and Springer articles would seem to confirm that.




> I’m thinking of other lefties whom I know. My husband’s cousins, . . . . . I think they may both be INxPs.


Once you notice the obvious connections between xNxP's and left handedness, it's amazing how many of them you will discover!
However, in my private life, the majority of left handed people I know are NF's. Not sure why that is my experience though.


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## attic (May 20, 2012)

Might answer more lately, but thought I'd link this old thread, in post 11, I post some bad statistics (too few and almost no sensors, lefthanded might be more likely to answer a poll about handedness because of identifying more with it as a minority etc. but still, I have not been able to find any proper data on handedness and mbti or similar, one said lefty women were more extroverted as a group another the opposite...). Bad as it is intps stand out a bit in that 100 people-sample, with approx. 50/50 righthanded and lefthanded.








[INFP] - Are you left-handed or right-handed?


As a left-handed INFP, I'm curious whether left-handedness is more prevalent in INFPs as oppose to the general population (where it only accounts for 10%).




www.personalitycafe.com





found this now when I searched some more for info, not exactly the topic, but related and new








Left-handed DNA found - and it changes brain structure


Scientists start to chip away at the mystery of why one in 10 people is left-handed.



www.bbc.com


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

I'm a leftie and I pretty much fit my type. INTJs are basically a slightly eccentric type who live in their heads and view stuff more than being the centre of the stuff.

From what I've read about left-handedness they are separated into some sort of early brain damage and genetics (as there were famous Scottish families who were lefthanded). My ancestors: The curious case of the left-handed Kerrs.

There were studies done years ago about prison populations being disproportionate with leftie inmates and self-reported early head trauma. There are plenty of studies done about TBI (traumatic head injury) and left-handedness and a professor who thinks we're all brain-damaged (yay). Health: Left behind from the very beginning?: A new theory says brain

The brain has plasticity, especially when you're young, and there are plenty of barriers that a left-handed person might come up against while living in a rightie's world, and in an obstacle, there might be plenty of different inventive ways to get around it. So the mirror image of right-handedness should probably occur less often. Dyslexia is said to occur more in left-handers and although it might be an obstacle plenty of dyslexics find different ways to process information.

Lefties are thought to have different language areas than right-handers, and use both sides of the brain more often. Left-Handed Gene and Verbal Skills


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## Allostasis (Feb 2, 2021)

In school I wrote with right hand but I do a lot of things with left as well, even if they require precision.
Not sure if there are any differences in preferences and how I qualify. Can't discern which hand will be most likely used in some abstract scenario.


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## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

Electra said:


> I don't think you should change anything...it is just a general attitude I don't recognice my self in... elfs and ferries, the Hitler, the narsissist, the superstitious... another example when the job test said that what job I was fit to do, they did not take my traumatic life experiences into account, for example that I suffer from PTSD and how that effects my choises. That was just one example, but I think I will probably think of more
> Edit; ok I found another one: we are supposed to be superstitious. I am agnostic so stuff like that feels kinda disturbing to read. Here is another one: claiming that Hitler was an INFP or that we are narsissistic. That is probably one of the last types I believe he was, and I think those who claimed that are probably trolling. How can the stereoptype of an apologetic fey-loving superstitious INFP coexist with the narssisistic Hitler image who sent humans to the gass chambre? Strikes me as...ignorant at best.


Yeah that’s way way off. Actually just yesterday I almost went over to the aiNFp forum and said “Aren’t you guys sick of hearing that you are a certain way from people who don’t know beans about it? If there is one type who people in the type community think they know and think they can speak for and who are almost always dead wrong, it’s INFPs.

Okay, but what about lefties ans you?


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## attic (May 20, 2012)

I wonder if the disagreements about dyslexia and language problems could be about what age-group they studied... I didn't have dyslexia, but some problems of similar sort though milder, but overcame it around age 11-14 and language became my strongest subject even I think. (I am lefthanded, by the way) If lefthanded process language a bit differently, perhaps written language and how we are taught is not ideal for lefthanded? but could be overcome with practise? I saw in one of beth x's linked articles that it was suggested by someone that lefthanded tend to rely more on visual than auditory, which I relate to, and with learning to read and write I think that was part of the problem, even if both are visual, it is connected to sounds, that is the key to the code, so to speak, and for me it was a bit difficult to get a grip of letters and figures, as they were so... unrelatable, unconnected, sort of soulless. So perhaps for me language is not as much sounds as for many. I think in sentences more often nowdays, but I have gathered than many almost don't realise they think in anything other than sounds/words, and for me the inner voice is really not that central. So that could be a difference for some perhaps? Something along those lines, language less reliant on sound, but I doubt it is for all lefthanded. Another thing with the differences in language could be relying more on delivery than content of the words (body language, tone of voice etc) as that is said to be focus of the right side of taking in language (not producing, that I know, though perhaps it is?), but if things are reversed or thrown around, then who knows what is processed where?

found this which compare with big 5, and find no link, except for mixed-handers:


> Abstract
> Is there a left-handed personality? Is there a left-handed stereotype? Although psychologists have enthusiastically compared left- and right-handers across myriad cognitive, behavioural, and neuropsychological domains, there has been very little empirical investigation of the relationship between handedness and personality. In Study 1 we assessed the Big 5 personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotionality, and openness to experience) in a sample of 662 young adults in New Zealand. Left- and right-handers did not differ on any factor. However, there was a curvilinear relationship between hand preference and extraversion; mixed-handers were more introverted than either left- or right-handers. This finding is consistent with other research indicating that degree may be of more psychological consequence than direction of handedness. In Study 2 we assessed beliefs and stereotypes about the left-handed personality. Both left- and right-handers shared the belief that left-handers are more introverted and open to experience than right-handers. This stereotype is not negative, and argues against the status of left-handers as a stigmatised group in modern Western culture.





https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1357650X.2011.631546



edit: read and thought a bit more, and wonder if it is true, this study above, and there is no relation to openness to experience, which make it likely there isn't one to Ne-ishness. Then perhaps it is just an impression one might get as those groups might share some other trait to some extent. Like that some mental health conditions are related to left-handedness, and so is low latent inhibition, though it doesn't have to mean those two are related.


I think it is interesting though, how little can be said for certain, and how many opposing studies there are, for something that seems like it should be comparatively easy to measure. It seems a bit like we want there to be more differences than there are, but I wonder why?


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

Llyralen said:


> Yeah that’s way way off. Actually just yesterday I almost went over to the aiNFp forum and said “Aren’t you guys sick of hearing that you are a certain way from people who don’t know beans about it? If there is one type who people in the type community think they know and think they can speak for and who are almost always dead wrong, it’s INFPs.
> 
> Okay, but what about lefties ans you?


I am not left handed but I have a family member who is. If I wear I would not nknow beause we were discouraged as children to write with the left hand and stongly encouraged to use the right. I have had bth ADHD (mostly ADD variant) and a reading and writing disorder through my whole childhod without knwing, I did not know beofre I bcame an adult and got tested for it after a request from the unemployment office, so who knows. Thank God today many digets has autocorrct (not this computer though, haha!) However one I was in gym class and I could not jump over a stick, but my teacer said just go and stand on the other side, then run towards th stick and jump, and after that I jumped over like smooth sailing. Maybe it is related.


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