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Are there lots of left-handers in your family?

Anything Left-Handed Research
Research

We have been asked by our friend   Professor Chris McManus (University College London) to see if we can help find families with a lot of lefthanders for some new research that is being conducted.   This is what he said...

Left- and right-handedness are almost certainly determined by genes in some way or another, as left-handedness undoubtedly runs in families. The genes have however proved elusive to find using standard methods, probably because there are a number of different genes which can be involved.

Dr Clyde Francks, a colleague of mine now working in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, is carrying out a study which takes a rather different approach.   Clyde’s team is interested in families in which there are lots of left-handers, which then should allow the genes responsible to be identified as they pass between family members.

Families with lots of lefthanders?Work such as this does need very large extended families where there are a lot of left-handers. Clyde is really interested in families known to have at least TEN left-handers. These do not need to be immediate relatives such as parents and children, but can also include uncles, aunts, cousins, grandchildren and so on.

Clyde is also interested in families with somewhat smaller numbers of left-handers, as they can also be of importance once genes have been found. He doesn’t commit himself on what is meant by smaller, but if you can quickly think of four or five left-handers in the immediate family, then he is probably also interested.

If you think yours might be one of these unusual and interesting families, then Clyde and his colleagues would be grateful if you could go to the website to register and fill out a questionnaire on your family's handedness.   Needless to say, if you have any questions about the project then Clyde is the person to go to (and his email address is on the website). However his team receives a high number of emails, so if you are interested to participate it is best to simply register and fill in the questionnaire.

Left-handed DNA found

How do you write a letter X?

Synesthesia and left-handedness

Comments 56

  1. Rochelle Gaston
    My grandmother was a left-hander. My mother, my brother, myself, my granddaughter, my niece, and my great-niece are also left-handers. Therefore, I thought being a left-hander was genetic.
  2. Karen Taggart
    All five members of the family are left handed
    Could we help with research
  3. Nicole
    My sister and her husband are both right handed. They have 4 kids (including 1 pair of identical twin boys) of which, 3 are left handed. The only right handed child is one of the twins. Our brother was also left handed and our dads sister is left handed.
  4. Nicola
    Hi, I have 3 children and all are left-handed. You can contact me if you are still researching this field. Nicola from Ireland
  5. Dr Harold Heller
    Family handedness: My father was left-handed but forced to use the right (born 1911). I am left handed and two of my four children are lefties, as are three of my seven grandchildren. My wife is right-handed.
  6. joyce ebrahimi
    both my parents were left handed out of 7 kids 2 are left handed i'm left handed and my 2 kids are left handed
  7. Kate Kerr
    My four children - one son three daughters are all left handed and both my husband and I are right handed.
  8. Susan Manderson (Baskin)
    Hi - family of five, the oldest born in 1943, the youngest born in 1964, wide spread in ages. Three of them are left handed. The oldest girl, plus the 3rd born, a boy, then the youngest, a boy. The oldest girl was forced to write with her right hand as was the practise at the time. I am the 2nd born, girl, and right handed. My brother, 2nd to youngest, is also right handed. Interesting thing is that we are both blonde, and the other three are dark.
  9. Julie Moore
    My husband, myself, my mother, my brother, husband's dad, my daughter by first husband, my husband (Now) and our daughter and our granddaughter are all left-handed.
  10. shalla
    my 3 sons (ages 17, 13 and 7) and my father are left handedoff the top of my head i am not sure who else in my family might be left handedside note, each of my children have a different father with different ethnic backgrounds (native american, italian and french), my father is of german/polish decentall of my kids and my father are from the states, same for their fathers...except my youngest who's father is from france
  11. Madalyn McLean
    My family tree is loaded with lefties. I have five brothers and sisters (three lefties and three righties). My cousins four girls (two on my mom's and two on my dad's side have three lefties and one righties. My dad's sister is a leftie. I have not seen it carried down to the next generation in any of our children. That is strange as well as a little sad.
  12. carol mundie
    i am the only person in my immediate family who is left handed. i grew up in a totally right handed household
  13. Pat Shine
    Four out of Seven in my family are lefties. Mom, sister, brother and I.

    But in my current family, my wife and all three kids are righty. The only other lefty is my boxer dog Rocky.
  14. Joel
    Hi everyone - I come from a family of all left-handers. Mother, Father, Son and 2 Daughters. We've always been somewhat interested in this fact but are all rather confused as to how this has come about. I'm the son in the family and, with it being two left handed parents always presumed it was a 'nurture' thing,, needless to say perhaps I was wrong, which is fine as we certainly aren't right! I'll sign up
  15. Dianna
    One of my brothers is left handed, I also have 2 cousins, 1 aunt, 2 nephews and myself that are left handed. The aunt and cousins are on my mothers side of the family. I am sure there are more. When my mom found them, she got me a pair of left handed scissors. I still have them. Left handers have to make a lot of adjustments to use things made for the right handed majority. My husband loves to watch me use things such as hammers, etc. He said he was going to find me left handed hammer (just joking). I love being left handed...none of my grade school teachers tried to change me. My first grade teacher showed me how to turn my paper so my arm so I would not write upside down. But, there are some things I can do right handed, but not many.
  16. Eve P
    Only 4 people in my family (immediate and extended) left handed. My maternal grandma, one of my mom's twin brother, and one of my cousin on my mom's side,vand myself is left handed. I think it does run in the family.
    I'm born in the 80s so I never really had a problem with teachers or my parents trying to convert me to be right handed. I did not like the desks in school that were mainly right handed especially the ones at my university where most of desks are small like 2'x2'. If I was taking a test it would look like I'm trying to cheat. I wish universities and primary schools would invest more in left-handed desks, not just like 1 in each class, sometimes none.
  17. Alan
    Both my younger sister and I are left handed but none of our children are not. However my older sister is righthanded but her chilhdren are lefthanded.
  18. Marie
    Hi I am left handed, my dad was left handed and my son is left handed. My grandparents, my mum and brother were right handed.
    My son's father is right handed as are his three brothers and mum and dad. My mum and dad's siblings were all right handed too
    So just dad me and my son that are left handed.
    (just to note there was a lot of stigma attached to being left handed when I was young and more so for my parents and grandparents - nuns at the catholic school punished left handers and you were forced to use your right hand, so there may have been more left handers in the family)
    1. Alan
      Know how that feels because I had a teacher who hit me with a ruler if I used a pen in left hand. She was also so backward in her thinking that according to her I was backward because I was unable to write with my right hand
  19. Nicola Pruce
    My Husband and I are right handed. All of our three children are left handed. My brother is left handed.
    My husband's nephew, his sister's son is also a leftie!
  20. Jay Friedman
    My 2 uncles (on my father's side) were left-handed.
    My grandmother (on my father's side) was left handed.
    I am left-handed.
    My 2 brothers are left-handed (My sister is right-handed, as well as my parents).
    Two of my 6 cousins are left-handed (One male and one female).
    I have 6 children, all right-handed.
    I have three grandchildren (The 2 boys are right-handed and the one girl is left-handed).
  21. Dee
    My parents were both right right handed and grandparents were also right handed. My oldest two sons are right handed but my youngest is a lefty like me. He is the only one to go to a four year college. My older sons went to a two year community college.
  22. Mark
    My parents are right handed. No one in their family's background was left
    Handed. My 5 brothers and 5 sisters are all right handed. Only my first younger
    Brother's daughter is left handed. Also I was born a Libra (the scales/balance).
    How fitting. I have a good sence of humor and am quick whitted. Also a
    bit of a perfectionist. Don't know why I am the first in the family I know
    About that is a lefty.
  23. Michele
    Hello! My grandmother, mother and myself are all left handed. Two of my three children (daughter and son) are left handed and of my five grandchildren three are left handed. What amazes me is that all of us left handers do things totally opposite from one another from playing sports to ironing.
  24. Diana
    When I was at school I was kept in after school with three other children and we were made to write with our right hand this happened week in week out. I refused to do this so every week I had the slipper on my backside and I was then only 8 years of age. Poor me!! I never did 'manage' to write with my right hand!
  25. Faye Tyree
    Hello there. I don't know how I ended up left handed. I have a great aunt on my mothers side, who 's daughter is ambidextrous. As far as I know, there are no other left handers in my family. I'm 59. when I was in grammer school, teachers tried to take the pencil out of my left hand and put it in my Right hand. But writing left handed was just natural to me. Of course, they don't try to do that anymore. Anyway, I just wanted to make that comment. Thanks, Faye Tyree
  26. Angela Eccleston
    I am the only left hander in my immediate family (my parents were both right handed and I believe my grandparents were too). My brother and sisters are also right handed, but my oldest niece and three of my nephews are left handed. The above research says that left handedness runs in families, so if it is genetic, how did I come to be the only leftie in an immediate family of right handed people?
  27. Rod Bliss
    Hello
    I am Left handed, and my mother (deceased 4 years ago) was also left handed) in fact she was ambidextrous
    In a right handed world i have had to adapt. so I write left handed, kick left footed. golf , bat and use a bow and arrow ,play guitar right handed, but play darts with my left hand and eat with a knife and fork (fork in left hand)in the normal way , but eat with a spoon with my left hand.
    I am not sure if I am the kind of person you would be interested in
    look forward to hearing from you
    kind regards
    Rod Bliss
  28. Patricia arce
    In My family My father Was Left handed but in The school they mame himno to be right hand .from The part of My mother My ancle Was Left handed,My sister Was but in The school they mame It to be right handed . They (school) tried to do The same thing to me but at The moment i am Left handed ,My son Was lef t handed in fact he decided to usted The right hand and My daughter as Well.
  29. Tabitha Wright
    I am a left hander. I took after my mom's mother who also a lefty as well. My mother had only 2 kids and i turned out to be left handed. I have two children and only my daughter is a lefty.
  30. Mary Cirelli
    We have 3 left-handers in our Family. I also can write backwards with my Left hand and forward with my Right hand at the same time, It is not anything I can think about I just can do it ? If you find others that can do so, I would be interested to know about them as well. Thank You. Mary Minarcheck-Cirelli
    1. Patricia Joseph
      Hi there,
      I am the only leftie in a family of 10 people. Both my parents are righties and all 7 of my younger siblings are righties too. I can also right backwards with my left hand and forwards with my right hand at the same time.
      I have four children with a rightie and two of them are left-handed like me! Yay!
      Just thought I'd share and let you know that you are not alone.
      Best regards,
      Tricia
  31. Jacquelyn
    My uncle, 2nd cousin and myself are all leftie.
  32. Carol
    My Dad was left handed. I have 2 sisters. One sister is left handed and so am I. I have 4 children and I have 2 of each. Interesting observation, my youngest and only girl was very ambidextrous until she was about 6 years old. Playing sports i had to have glove and stick that went both ways to meet her needs for equipment!!!
  33. tom burke
    7 children in family, 4 girls, 3 boys, 1 girl (3rd in birth order) left handed but forced to be a righty. brother (4th in birth order) left handed but does a lot of things right handed. I (6th in birth order), do everything left handed, i am the youngest male
  34. Diana
    My mother was left handed, my son is and two grandchildren and so was my Mother-in -law.p97S
  35. lanell
    I am left handed as well as my now deceased sister & dad my brother. I am sure we have had other relatives left handed but most of them have passed away now!
    1. lanell
      My brother is still alive- my sister & dad were both lefties and are dead. I wanted to clarify this.TY!
  36. Sue Knight
    I am left-handed, both of my parents were left-handed and my grandson is left-handed.
    Neither of my siblings or my children were, though.
  37. Ginge
    I have a strange arrangement of lefties in my family. My grandma married an ambidextrous man and they had three children (all right handed) they all married and had children of their own. In each case, the eldest child is always left handed, and the rest are right!
  38. MarthaRobersonGreen
    I had to smile for I was born left-handed on August 13...Left-Handers Day!!! I WILL celebrate....!!
  39. Patricia
    In my family, my Dad is left handed, one of my cousins is left handed and myself. Not sure if my paternal grandfather was left handed, as he may have been forced to be right handed.
  40. Chris Roberts
    I'm left handed. My son, aged 32, is left handed. I am fairly sure that both my parents and grandparents were right handed. My wife and two daughters are right handed but my grand daughter aged 5 (presented to me by eldest daughter on my birthday) is proving to be left handed
  41. Andrew
    I am the only leftie in my immediate family(parents and sibling). My paternal grandfather was left handed and one of my cousins is. My wife is a fellow lwftie as are all our children(2 boys and a girl). I am hoping that most of my grandchildren (when I get any) will be lefties.
  42. Anna
    We used to be 4 siblings, now we are 3, all lefties! Both my parents are right- handed, but then I guess one of them used to be left- handed and forced to use the right. I have two sons, both of them are left- handed, which is rather weird because neither my first nor my second husband are left- handed. But, and this is really strange to me, one of my brothers who is left- handed, married a left- handed woman too, and their only child is right- handed!
  43. M Barcus
    I think that my maternal grandfather and my paternal grandmother were left handed, but since they were of that age they were forced to do all things right handed. There are five siblings in my family and starting with my oldest sister the left handers go every other one. That make three out of five left handers. The two youngest are fraternal twins and one is left handed and the other isn't. The only time it was an issue was at the dinner table. The left handed side was more crowded than the right handed side.
  44. Michael hultz
    Out of twelve kids in the family, six of which are boys. All of the boys are left-handed and none of the six girls.
  45. April
    I'm left handed and so is one of my younger brothers. My father is left handed, and so is his mother. His father was ambidextrous.
  46. Debra
    My oldest brother and myself (youngest of four kids) are lefties. Also my father had a daughter from a previous marriage that was left handed. My great niece is a lefty. But at daycare they insisted she use her right hand. She writes right handed but still does a lot of things left. My entire life people have asked me why I do thinks in a different way than they do. Even at my jobs. My comment was always "what's the difference I get the same result you do" just in a different way.
    I think that's why I always sucked at math!! I always wanted to do it my way. LOL!!!!
    1. Sue Knight
      That's strange, Debra. I did maths 'my own way' and excelled! lol
      I became a teacher when my children started school (I was an accountant BC - before children) and was a teacher who did things 'my own way'. I got away with doing this because my SATs results were unusually high, always in the 90%, even with children who had special needs.
      Perhaps you should have persevered doing maths 'your own way' :)
  47. Rachel
    I am left handed and so is one of my cousins, our grandma was also left handed and my mum gets confused sometimes. We are the only ones as everyone else is definitely right handed. My mum and grandma are only linked through marriage.
  48. Rosalie Zacher
    I am one of 5 children, last born, and i am the only lefty in my family. Neither parent
    was lefthanded. I have a niece and a great nephew who are lefties.
    some of my Mothers nephews are also lefties, but not many. So my thinking is it comes
    from her side of the family. Looks like it doesn't travel directly down a family line but zig zags.
    I have identical twin grandsons who are both right handed. I was kind of hoping at least one of them would follow in their Nanans foot prints, but alas no.
    Do any of fellow lefties always notice another Lefty? I do. Gives me something in common with them. Its a real ice breaker.
  49. Andy
    My elder sister and I are both left handed. my son is left handed, and my 16 month old daughter is showing signs of being lefthanded, but her right hand is trying to fight this!
  50. Marilyn
    I'm the only one in my family that's left-handed. I have grand children that are ambitextorious...
    I tell people I meet that I'm the only one they know in their right mind!! LOL
  51. Lloyd
    Nope, just me. I have a female cousin who is left handed. No one in my immediate family is left handed, I am the fortunate one! Lefties rule!
  52. Leah tone
    I am the only left hander in my immediate family (close and within all my cousins), much to my sister's amusement all my (child and adult) life!!!

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