Ambidextrous

[A Partridge]

Is it possible to teach yourself to be ambidextrous? Is there anyone out there who's genuinely ambidextrous?

[Nellie2]

It is possible to train your self to be able to do things with your non-dominant hand but technically, this is not being ambidextrous. (This is because being ambidextrous means you show no preverence using either hand. That is, it is not "automatic" for you to use one hand rather than the other). When I broke my right wrist several years ago, I was placed in the position of having to learn to do things with my left hand and, by the end of the 8 weeks that my right arm was out of action, I was able to do many things with my left hand with reasonable proficiency (eg unlock doors, stir pots, open canned food, poor water, slice tomatos and write). I've found that this ability has not deteriated much with time and I can still do all these things, BUT I am still right hand dominant. I will only use my left hand if I consciously think about it before hand.