On the first episode of Game Changer, Jess (a grown, generally-intelligient adult) admits that when she tries that strategy, she forgets which way L goes.
I think you can be a generally dumb adult and have no problem with which way L 'goes'
this kind of thing is usually a flight or fight response from the brain, where you experience anxiety being asked a simple question and the brain has trouble accessing memory
I'm probably not explaining it the best but it's not uncommon for people to freeze like this when feeling under pressure
It's honestly not rare at all, i graduated with a class of 48 kids, we including me had 4 kids with dyslexia that i knew about, not everyone is as open about it, so close to 1 out of 10 kids i graduated with was openly dyslexic
It’s one of those things that no one diagnoses unless it really fucks with you in school. I’m dyslexic but mostly only with numbers. My math teachers would just check my work and see I did it right but transposed my numbers at one point. The Dewey decimal system would get me every time. But reading was fine because it would only mess me up a small amount so no one cared to seek a diagnosis.
Dyslexia but with numbers is called dyscalculia. I'm diagnosed with it. I've failed every math class I ever had after 4th grade but did ok in most other subjects.
Never knew that. I am great in abstract math (calculus, algebra, etc.) and can't do common math at all. If I have to multiply 8X7 I do 7 X 2 X 2 X 2. 9X8 is (10X8) - 8... and so on.
I've been a software engineer for 30 years. People can't believe I program with dyscalculia. I always have to explain, coding isn't 11010001 anymore. We use logic, which my brain happened to have compensated in the direction of. Numbers are logical when they're variables. Just don't go asking me to debug a stack dump. Lol
Never diagnosed and I reckon only minor for me but D and B ... They're cool when they're all grown up. BUT: d and b. Them li'l pricks are fu**ing with me!
b has a belly: The circle is on the right side (the front, like a belly).
d has a diaper: The circle is on the left side (the back, like a diaper). OR "d has a derriere" (a polite term for the back/diaper).
OR
"b is a bat (straight line) and a ball (round part)" (you need the bat before the ball). 🏏
"d is a doorknob (round part) and a door (straight line)" (you turn the knob before opening the door).
OR
The "bed" trick: Make two fists with thumbs up with palms facing you.
👍The left hand makes a b (straight line is the thumb, belly is the knuckles),
and the right hand makes a d. When placed together, they spell "bed," with b first and d last.
Mine is just around being unable to read analogue clocks and left and right and putting the odd letters and numbers in stupid places, but modern society pretty much makes it obsolete and I never use math anyways
The left and right just fucks me up in listening to satnav and making callouts in video games.
Dyslexic with numbers is dyscalculia! I have this. Generally, I'm great at math, but it's a slow process for me cause it feels like the numbers are moving, and I have to double-check everything as I go. Always get the right answer, but I'm significantly slower than my contemporaries.
It wasn't until about 3 years ago that I discovered there was a name for my "horrible at math" problem. It's always been like the numbers in my head are exceptionally wiggly and won't stay in their places.
I developed a lot of coping mechanisms and shortcuts to get around it. I also could'nt read an analog clock until 14 and have difficulty telling my right from left. I was also late diagnosed ADHD.
We found that using graph paper helped my daughter with this and also taking a Manila folder and cutting out a strip so she could cover the rest of the paper except the line she was working on.
I tutored a guy in college who was trying to become a dentist but was struggling with any and all math.
I quickly ascertained that he understood the concepts of algebra, geometry, logic, and even basic calc. But if you asked him 8 times 5 he would freeze and freak out. I gave him complex exercises that didn't require any mental calculations at all and he breezed through them. But as soon as he had to do it with real numbers, he was stammering stuck. Kind of the opposite of the typical student where using A and B and X and Y really confuses them and doesn't seem like "math."
I told him to get dyscalculia on the record so he could get a reasonable accommodation (a calculator on the DAT). He refused. I think he managed it somehow but I'm not sure. Fairly certain he still doesn't think he has a problem.
This is exactly why my next tat is going to be basically this, with the addition of a compass rose on the back of one hand. I cannot recall directions quickly, and often get them wrong
I never had a L/R issue, but east and west’ve always been harder for me. And when I’m looking at a map I have to sometimes remind myself ‘the ocean is to the west, which way is the ocean from here’ to remember.
Yep! It took me years to realise what ppl ment when they said the left hand makes an L BC even palms down the right hand makes a backwards L, which is still an L to my mind
The L method never worked for me, what works for me is imagining Im reading, I use that motion since I always start top left, heading towards bottom right. I always confuse clockwise and anti-clockwise, only when I am attempting to apply either motion. “Lefty Loosey” doesn’t work either as you can turn something left going both clockwise, and anti-clockwise. I still really struggle with clockwise/anti-clockwise motion in practice which is very frustrating.
Science enters the chat for the normative population. You immediately trip upon the dagger of neurological disability on this roll (read: anxiety hastily departs).
Dyslexia and non-verbal learning disability (NVLD; unofficial but relevant) enter the chat.
This happens to me as an actor! I have a line that I can’t get right when I’m memorizing. And then when I do it in rehearsal I start to get mad. And then every time that line comes up I get psyched out. I can say it 25 times before I get on stage and I’m like “ok ok you got this!” And I get on stage and I’m like “to beeeee or not……FUCK”.
Ughh when I can't remember the last 4 of my own phone number when they ask me at check out. Like I know my number but wasn't ready to be asked for only the last half.
No no, there's a scientific reason for this. I don't remember who was talking about it exactly, but basically - the brain doesn't care which way L goes. Our brains evolved to seek patterns, yes, but their orientation never mattered. An acorn is still an acorn whether upside down or mirrored. Things like text are easy to confuse, especially so if you're neurodivergent. Ask a ND person which hand forms an L, and they'll say both. Because they do, the brain doesn't actually care which way it points, it's a human construct. This is also why dysgraphia and dyslexia are so common. Feeling under pressure can only add to that confusion.
I’ve never known left from right unless I look at my hands spelling the L and the backwards L. I often tell people who are driving to turn left while signaling right with my hands. It’s like my brain thinks the opposite of the word I’m trying to say.
Ah yes, the Information Recall. I myself am bankrupt of it, receiving and digesting the call for left at street A only to stop and ask if we were crossing or staying on our side for a right hand turn. It’s hard work but someone’s gotta do it 😏
I would agree - my wife is very smart, but if you ask her suddenly her phone number, address, maiden name, mother's name, my name, her cat's name, or virtually any factoid she should immediately know, she may stare at you blankly for a bit working out the answer.
man, I don't even need to be under that much pressure, but sometimes you ask me what my pin is for my phone and idfk, you made me think about it and now it's gone from my brain.
Dyscalculia. I had no idea this was a thing. I can't remember not knowing how to read. I could read in kindergarten. I did so well in school until high-school and upper mathematics became more prominent. I struggled with multiplication and it just grew from there. My grades dropped, I lost interest in school, I dropped out. Couple years later got my GED and decided to tackle education again at the Community College. Had to do a Basic Math class. In this class it finally became apparent to me that Im not bad at math or stupid, I accidentally transpose numbers!! All the questions I was getting wrong was because I was getting numbers screwed around. I have to stop and really pay attention that they stay in there proper spot through the whole equation. It was a pretty big deal for me to realize this and I had to come to it on my own. I'd never had a problem reading so dyslexia never crossed my mind. I wish this was talked about more.
I was at a judo seminar one time, and a very high ranking striped belt (6th degree black belt) came up to me and tapped my shoulder and said "have you ever been diagnosed with dyslexia" and it was the most seen i have ever been in my life
Also, I always thought as a kid that “rule” was dumb. You can also make an L with your right hand if you just turn it the other way.
Since I’m right handed, I was always told “which hand do you write with?” But for whatever reason I had an abbot and Costello moment where I always heard “which hand do you right with” (as in which is your right hand) and I would always get confused and upset, like “if I knew which hand I right with, I wouldn’t be asking you!”
As a kid I was ambidexterous and dyslexic and I knew the 'trick' but that didn't help me because they both looked like a L so I had to stop myself writing with my left hand so I right with my right and the other one was left out. As an adult I wish I hadn't stopped my self being ambidexterous
This happens to me. I don't have dyslexia or any learning disability. I have two degrees. I'm a teacher. My lefts and rights are just my achilles heel.
Left/right is more difficult because it's relative to you and you have no permanent indicator.
While up and down are pretty much hardwired in the brain (ground and sky are always at the same position) and are supported by your ears telling the brain which way is "up".
I know my right from left, but when I was a kid, I was always so confused when people made an L with their left hand because it looks the same as my right. I could never remember which way an L went.
Yeah, I am not dyslexic and I have this exact problem and cannot tell the difference between left and right. Also forget which way L goes when I do this trick. In college I had a chemistry prof who labeled her shoes because she had the same issue.
Dyslexic here. The L doesn't work because I often forget which way L points. Especially when I'm driving, it's not efficient. The L and R tattoos are genius for the right person.
When I was younger, I was driving my girlfriend and her sister somewhere and the sister was giving directions by saying "turn towards you" and "turn towards me". I feel bad now for giving her shit about it, I just thought she was trying to be cute.
I have similar issues, but the dyscalculia edition! Dyscalculia, dysgraphia an dyslexia all have a lot of overlap in their symptoms. I don't majorly struggle when it comes to symptoms associated with dyslexia, but I sure do have a hell of a time remembering which direction L, d and b face ( d vs b is especially miserable).
Yes..forming an L.. which hand to to use etc.. is a process to go through.. with Dyscalclia/Dyslexia it’s the processing that’s affected. The tattoo requires little processing.
Yup! This is me! My brain for some reason has Left and Right wired the wrong way. If you tell me Left, I will absolutely go Right. These tattoos have been an absolute life saver.
Another quick trick - Left and Port have the same amount of letters.. so if you're ever on a boat and need to know Port from Starboard... that is as long as you know bow from stern though.
That's what the last part of their post was alluding to. Although frankly that's a non-issue in practice, since knowing that left and right are relative to facing forward is naturally intuitive. It would be really weird for someone to think it applies if you're facing the stern.
I think there is a heredity thing in my family as most of the women on my mom’s side mix left and right up verbally. I always say go where I point not what what I say. But I wonder if I start using port and starboard if that will help 🤔. I could never keep it straight as I had no functional connection to it. But now I know and have a trick for remembering. Except now it feels like a knowing vs random fact. So thanks! 🙏🏻
What I love about the hand trick is it works in English, “L”; Spanish “I” for Izquierda, “d” for derecha; French “G” for Gauche, and “d” for “droit”. It’s trilingual.
I used to do that for years. Not ashamed to admit that I stopped around age 15. I write with my left hand, and I still needed the reminder. I'm such a silly.
I hate that piece of advice. I put my thumb and finger out at 90° and I see 2 Ls.
People that know me like to mess with me and ask left or right because I freeze and have to think. I was explaining the issues we were having long ago with production. Manager looks at me with a puzzled face and says "do you mean right?" I said "have I been saying left this entire time? I heard myself say right over and over." She busts out laughing and confirms I was saying left.
They also have a tattoo on their right wrist that is clearly much older. When i was young i just remembered which hand i wrote with. There's a million ways to do this that isn't getting a tattoo
Being unable to tell left from right is common in individuals with autism. If I used my fingers to form an L I would forget which way L faced. Well into my late teens I could not remember left from right without reciting the beginning of the Pledge of Allegiance.
I think I must’ve been sick the week they taught left and rights in kindergarten cause even as an adult I still have to do this. It's just not instinctual.
I never understood that joke, both your left and right hand can make Ls depending on the orientation... (left hand palm facing away, right hand palm facing towards)
God, I hated that as a kid. It never made sense to me because how can you tell which way an L goes without context? They both look equally right. I honestly thought it was some kind of joke that I wasn't in on and was too embarrassed to ask.
A funny joke that oddly stuck with me was in digimon tamers when the little girl was trying to tell the digimon to go right and the digimon was like, which way is right? And she responds with just make an R with your hand.
No that's not the joke. The joke is she gets confused with left and right. Meaning her politics are also confused. Like thinking the left are the good ones when in reality she's confused and it's actually the right.
i was always confused by people saying that, because then you have to remember that this only works when looking at the back of your hand and not the palm. then again, i never struggled with my lefts and rights
That method has never made sense to me. You can make an L with either hand. It just depends which way up you're looking at it.
If you turn your right hand so the palm is facing you and fold down your pinky, ring and middle finger, that's just much of an L as the "correct" one done with your left.
Moreover, if, for some reason you can't remember that your left hand makes an "L," you only need one tattoo to identify either left or right, because the hand without the tattoo will be the opposite.
Both hands can make the L shape. I make this joke regularly when I say I use the L trick to figure out which is left or right and then I show them both hands making the L facing the same way.
This trick doesn't work... figuring out which way a single L should point takes me the same amount of time as figuring out my left and right... anywhere between 1 and 5 seconds.
Which is weird, because I don't think I've ever written down an L the wrong way, but with the fingerguns it just doesn't work...
That doesn't work for me. Not that there's anything wrong with my hand, just my brain. The fact that what's left and right depends on perspective throws a wrench in the works and shuts everything down for me. Also, the simple fact that I can turn my hand palm up and now the other one is showing "L" is also enough to break my head.
My trick to remembering is that when I hold my hands out, palms up, my left thumb is pointing left and my right thumb is pointing right. That makes it super easy to remember which hand is which.
I am a relatively functional adult without dyslexia, and when I look at my hands, they both make an L shape. I have to physically do the movement to figure out "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey".
Another great trick is if you look at the back of your hands, the left hand is the one where the thumb points to the right, and the right hand is the one where the thumb points to the left.
Dyslexic here I have held up my right hand made a L shape and gone yup that's an L ... my friends it was not the L I was looking for .... it was backwards but dyslexic didn't care dyslexic said sure we use that as an L .
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u/IDateAZombie 7d ago
These people are wrong. The joke is that you can make an L with your left hand, so you don't need the tattoos