# Do you use the mouse with your right or left hand?



## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

I've been using a mouse since 1990. My first mouse driven computer was the Amiga A-500. Ever since then I have been using my right hand. Over the past year or so, I've been getting pain in my wrist (probably Carpal Tunnel but I'm too afraid to go to the doctor to find out). I have now switched to my left hand.

Ever since 1990, I have spent many hours on the computer both at home and at work so it's understandable that this has happened. What is very interesting is that switching to my left hand was not all that difficult and Windows makes it easy by allowing users to switch the mouse buttons around in the control panel.


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

I use my right hand since I am right handed.


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## TopCat99 (Nov 3, 2002)

Right hand does the mouse, touchpad, and if I'm unfortunate enough to work on an antique wiht the joystick thingamabobber, it gets right pointer finger.

A bit off topic, but is anyone else like this: I'm perfectly coordinated/ambidextrous when it comes to typing, but I can't do really anything else (at least not well) with my left hand. You should see me try to dial a rotary phone with the left one :lol:


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## firephoto (Sep 12, 2002)

I saw this awhile back, it keeps you from having to twist your wrist.
http://www.handshakemouse.com/
There's this one too.
http://www.quillmouse.com/
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1034216,00.asp (a review)

I use my left hand with the track-point on my laptop quite a bit because it's on my left side and it works ok, I have the logitech mx500 and have it at the keyboard level which is just above knee level when I'm sitting. It's not too uncomfortable and the ergo keyboard helps too.


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## RichW (Mar 29, 2002)

I used to be left-handed but I got shot in the left side and my left arm and hand are somewhat disabled. So I had to learn to become right-handed. This was in the late 60's (before mice). So now I use the right hand for mousing but every once in a while, my brain or whatever want me to use my left hand again.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

Right hand--especially at this time. The mouse I have both at work and at home is an optical mouse from Microsoft that also has button for going forward and back in browsing... very handy.


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## music_beans (Mar 21, 2003)

I am so right-handed.


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## UpOnTheMountain (Mar 24, 2002)

I've been using a mouse since the mid-eighties, and using a computer nearly every day since then (actually started using computers around 1980).
I have never actually considered switching to my left hand. I'm not sure if my system could handle the change  But it is interesting that you were able to make the change so easily.
Has it slowed you down very much?


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## Mike123abc (Jul 19, 2002)

I could probably do left handed without much problem. I am mostly right handed, but I do a lot with my left too. But, now I am addicted to the side buttons on the Microsoft mouse. By default they do forward and back when in Internet Explorer. So, my thumb is busy too when reading net sites like this one. I have not seen a left handed version of that mouse.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

UpOnTheMountain said:


> Has it slowed you down very much?


A little bit at first but it seems that once my brain realized it needed to make new neuralgic pathways, I'm pretty much as fast as my right hand now.


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

At my last church my secretary was still using an old xt clone when I got there. We finally got a donation of a computer built within the past (at that time) five years. Then came the hard part, getting her to use the new one. For the first time she had to use a mouse. She insisted on using her left hand. I suggested that the right hand might work better, and it did, but she would go right back to using the left hand, and it wasn't because it worked better. 

I use my right hand. Because of arthritis in my right forefinger due to a knife going through it some years ago I can't see using that finger to click.
(I of course meant my left forefinger.)


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## waydwolf (Feb 2, 2003)

Hmmm, let me see.

Right Hand: mouse, eating knives, firearms, sword, baseball bat, hand tools

Left Hand: forks, spoons, fighting knives, electronics remotes, pens and pencils

Both Hands: keyboards

Strangest thing is that I couldn't learn to keyboard by the touch method for anything and drove my HS typing teacher berzerk repeatedly. But now I do it without thinking about it and frequently while not even looking at the screen, like watching television and transcribing what is going on for friends.


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## W1CPO (Aug 17, 2002)

TopCat99 said:


> A bit off topic, but is anyone else like this: I'm perfectly coordinated/ambidextrous when it comes to typing, but I can't do really anything else (at least not well) with my left hand. You should see me try to dial a rotary phone with the left one :lol:


I use my right hand only. And I have the same problem as avove... well, I guess I can hold a golf club in left hand!


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## Rick_EE (Apr 5, 2002)

It depends on the web site that I am on.


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## rbonzer (May 13, 2002)

I use my right hand, but I write with my left. I find this to be quite effective, since I can write stuff down while I'm scrolling/clicking on things. I used to be more left-handed, but if you ever have to eat sitting in a booth with an opposite handed person (my brother), its pretty hard not to switch. I find that right handed people are usually pretty lame with their left. I always get a kick out of seeing right handed people eat steak. They hold their fork in their left hand, knife in their right to cut. Then they have to put their knife down, and transfer their fork back into their right to eat the piece. Ok, not everyone does that, but I've seen enough people who do.


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## RichW (Mar 29, 2002)

In Europe, most people, including right-handers eat with the fork always in their left hand. In some cosmopolitan places like NYC you will also see people eating this way. 

Now in my part of the country, many people eat with chopsticks while others simply eat with their fingers!


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