Why do some struggle to tell left from right?
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I’ve always had it. Apparently I’m ok clever so guessing it’s just an inbuilt thing. Weirdly, I know my left instinctively but have to go ‘not left’ for my right. It’s annoying but has always been that way.
Weirder still is that I’m right handed so I can’t even blame that.
The brain has a lot of specific functions that can go wrong or work better or worse in different people, or just work differently.
Just like the ability to recognize faces and interpret facial expressions is one such function, telling left from right is another.
Usually this is related to differences in, or damage to, the parietal lobe of the brain (and typically on the left side), a part of the brain where damage is often associated with inability to understand or perform the shape and form and structure of things. Everything from recognizing specific patterns or associations, to the understanding of language, letters or math.
My first language is Spanish and I have no difficulties telling left and right, but ever since learning English the word left sounds like derecha(right) in my head I have no idea why, in English I always have to invert their meanings to get it right.
i am one of those people. for me what tripped me up as a kid was how left and right would change depending on how you were facing but I recognise its probably not all that hard if you’re not neurodivergent
I have no idea why, but all my life I have had to pretend to write to identify which is my right hand before I can give or understand directions.
Once I have done that motion, I am solid for the rest of the conversation, but I will have to do it again next time.
Right and left don’t really have a meaningful distinction. Up is where the head is and down is where the feet are. Up is where the sun is and down is where the ground is. Front is where the face is and back is where the butt is. Front is where i can see and back is where i can’t see. But right? Well, kinda indistinguishable from left.
I mean, we memorize it and many memorize it just fine. But there is not a meaningful distinction for the brain to easily latch onto.
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