Difficulty telling left from right.

[Deleted-355425]

Just remember 'i write with my right'..... unless your left handed then forget this post lol.

 

[grossaffe]

OP is not an ambiturner

 

[drenal]

i've only ever had this problem when i'm dizzy

 

[FAST6191]

i've only ever had this problem when i'm dizzy

Does it also vanish if you are really thinking about things (a maths problem is the usual one used in psychology testing but anything which really taxes the brain will do it)? There are a whole bunch of skills some people, or even cultures, have that appear to be hardwired in under basic tests but vanish as soon as they are doing anything mentally taxing.

 

[Quantumcat]

I don't understand how anyone could know how to drive and not be able to tell left from right. You have to be able to drive on the correct side of the road. And even if you can't drive, you need to know which side of escalators to stand on to let people pass, etc.

When I was a little kid I had to make an "L" with my left hand to work out which was which, but not after the age of 7 or 8 or so.

Maybe this is a by-product of Google maps and automatic navigation --- as a kid in the car I was often charged with directing from the street directory and if I messed up there was hell to pay. So I learned quickly. But today's kids have probably never even seen a paper map.

 

[CMDreamer]

Myself, can't tell if I ever had such "problem"... I use both of my hands without issues, I'm what they call "ambidextrous"...

Initially I was right handed, and left one was used only for support. Then I started doing things with my left hand, I usually did with my right hand, like brushing my teeth, then something more, and everyday I gained more control over my left hand, and now I can use them both at the same level. It surely gives you a boost on hand work.

 

[DinohScene]

I don't understand how anyone could know how to drive and not be able to tell left from right. You have to be able to drive on the correct side of the road. And even if you can't drive, you need to know which side of escalators to stand on to let people pass, etc.

Actually, driving on the left/right side is something completely different as compared to telling the difference between left/right.

For example, if me brother says "go left", I usually steer to the right and viceversa.
But when it comes to going onto the motorways etc, it's just following the flow of traffic.

 

[hippy dave]

Not an issue I have but I know a lot of people who do.

Make 2 L's with both hands using index fingers and thumbs... The one that looks like an L is your left. Now picture that in your head when you can't tell left or right.

I was going to suggest this. It works for some people, but not others tho. If my wife tries it, she's just as unsure about which is the proper L. She has dyslexia and stuff, which as someone mentioned often go together with this left/right problem.

 

[Quantumcat]

Actually, driving on the left/right side is something completely different as compared to telling the difference between left/right.

For example, if me brother says "go left", I usually steer to the right and viceversa.
But when it comes to going onto the motorways etc, it's just following the flow of traffic.

But you need to know which way is the 'easy' turn and which way is the 'hard' turn. If you drive on the right, then you can turn right most of the time without issue, and if you want to turn left you have to wait for the people coming straight ahead etc (other way around for me, driving on the left). Like, there must be lots of signs at traffic lights saying things like 'turn right anytime with care' etc (turn left anytime with care, for me).

 

[DinohScene]

That's just part of paying attention to traffic really.
At that moment, you're not handling the left/right issue.

 

[FAST6191]

I don't understand how anyone could know how to drive and not be able to tell left from right. ... you need to know which side of escalators to stand on to let people pass, etc.

But today's kids have probably never even seen a paper map.

Arguably the same way some people can't tell emotions that well, or hot and cold, or any one of a myriad of odd quirks and conditions. Equally driving could be a more instinctual thing or know that you tend to want to be towards the middle of the road, and again I have had people not know left and right but be fine with port and starboard. Moreover do you really live in a place where people stand on certain sides of an escalator or use certain sides of stairs?

On paper maps then they stuck around until quite recently. Equally is it that hard to use a paper map if you are used to an online one? They may not know things like counting paces and full bore orienteering but it is not like paper maps teach that either.

 

[Quantumcat]

do you really live in a place where people stand on certain sides of an escalator or use certain sides of stairs?

Yes - if you don't stand on the left side of escalators coming into or out of train stations in Sydney you'll get knocked over or yelled at by people in a hurry running up or down them. In shopping centres they won't knock you over but you may get tut-tutted by people behind you who would rather be walking up than standing still.

 

[Beerus]

i make a l with my hand to see which one is left good for messy situations

 

[MockyLock]

Actually, driving on the left/right side is something completely different as compared to telling the difference between left/right.

For example, if me brother says "go left", I usually steer to the right and viceversa.
But when it comes to going onto the motorways etc, it's just following the flow of traffic.

My fiancee has the same problem, she can't tell at the first ask, where is the right from the left.
I use to mock at her gently, telling her that the right side is the one where the hand has the thumb on the left... It doesn't really work.
So it's always :
- you should turn on the left
...
- no, the other left...

 

[gohan123]

well no not in a single moment I can confuse left with right. but on compass direction, I just can't remember those things. I always need to say "nicht ohne seife waschen" in my head which I learned in school to remember it for like 10sec. I need to do that every time.

but what gave me trouble in games are quick time moments, I had a hard time in god of war 1-2 before they aligned the buttons on screen with the buttons on the gamepad like in god of war 3+. same reason I dropped the one piece game and the annoying fishing quick time chaos.

another problem. I play all my games with a wii u pro controller on my pc and a xbox controller emulator. If I see a xbox prompt which is colored, I have no problem press the right button. if I play wii / u games with white buttons, I automatically press the right button. but if I play eg assassins creed on pc and they use white buttons I constantly pressing wii buttons to a xbomx prompt.

 

[FAST6191]

Curious that it is the left. Of those people here that do pick a side it is usually the right hand one. I know you get shops arranged differently according to what side of the road people drive on (and people can get quite upset, or just simply spend less if you change it) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-23854-3_32 https://tribalinsight.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/supermarket-psychology/ for a start there.

Everywhere I have been in the UK though it has been a free for all, unless it involves queues and everybody has that down pat. Going back to driving it probably leads to the thing I tend to call and see called "I know where I'm going".

 

[Quantumcat]

well no not in a single moment I can confuse left with right. but on compass direction, I just can't remember those things. I always need to say "nicht ohne seife waschen" in my head which I learned in school to remember it for like 10sec. I need to do that every time.

but what gave me trouble in games are quick time moments, I had a hard time in god of war 1-2 before they aligned the buttons on screen with the buttons on the gamepad like in god of war 3+. same reason I dropped the one piece game and the annoying fishing quick time chaos.

another problem. I play all my games with a wii u pro controller on my pc and a xbox controller emulator. If I see a xbox prompt which is colored, I have no problem press the right button. if I play wii / u games with white buttons, I automatically press the right button. but if I play eg assassins creed on pc and they use white buttons I constantly pressing wii buttons to a xbomx prompt.

I do the same thing with compass directions, except my acronym is "Never Eat Soggy Weetbix". Weetbix is a kind of breakfast cereal.

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

I don't have trouble with L and R, I have trouble with LB/LT and RB/RT. I always mess these up!

 

[Mr_Reaper]

If you have trouble telling your left from your right, just hold your right out in front of you. The left one is the one you didn't hold out.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Method #2:

If you have trouble telling your left from your right, then hold your right hand out in front of you and make a fist, then extend the thumb and index finger only. Hold it up to your forehead and leave it like that, Loser.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Method #3:

If you have trouble telling your left from your right, check which hand you just wanted to slap me with. If you are right-handed, it was probably your right hand. If you are not right-handed, then it was probably your not right hand. If you wanted to kick me in the ouchies instead of slapping me, then you still won't be able to figure out which is your right hand, so please don't do that.

 

[DinohScene]

If only it was that simple.

Left right discrimination is a complex neuro-psychological process.
You can just expect for those "methods" to help you remember.

It's the same as expecting an newborn to walk.