Does it matter which ear / eye you use?

#1 by **666** » Feb 20, 2012 1:04 pm

I was wondering if there have been any studies on this subject. I've noticed I much prefer talking on the phone when using my left ear. If I use my right, something doesn't quite feel right, and my ability to communicate seems somewhat diminished.

Also if there is something in this, would it also apply to the eyes?

My reasoning behind this is that the right eye (I'm assuming) is wired with completely different neurons in the brain versus the left, and the same for your ears. Surely this has some kind of effect?

AlohaChris · #2 by **AlohaChris** » Feb 20, 2012 1:11 pm

Yes.

It's like the laterality of right or left handedness, but the dominant eye and the dominant hand do not always match. It's because both hemispheres of the brain control both eyes, but each one takes charge of a different half of the field of vision, and therefore a different half of both retinas. There is no direct connection between "handedness" and "eyedness", you could be right handed and left eye dominant or vice versa.

In shooting, knowing your eye dominance is important. One eye will be the dominant one which will focus on the front sight fastest & best, or be most comfortable looking through a scope. Here's how you can determine eye dominance:

If you are cross-dominant (right handed and left eye dominant or vice versa) then you must use certain techniques to operate a firearm & shoot accurately. One trick is to use your dominant hand to shoot while canting the pistol over about 15 degrees so that your dominant eye can align the sights:

ED209 · #3 by **ED209** » Feb 20, 2012 1:14 pm

Why is it that earphones need to go in specific ears, with different signals to each (i.e. why does a stereo recording have a left and right channel, instead of two interchangeable ones) - aren't some people wired the other way round?

mattwilson · #4 by **mattwilson** » Feb 20, 2012 1:19 pm

Prospero wrote:I was wondering if there have been any studies on this subject. I've noticed I much prefer talking on the phone when using my left ear. If I use my right, something doesn't quite feel right, and my ability to communicate seems somewhat diminished.

By any chance are you left handed, or have you spent a large amount of time in tasks which require the use of your right hand when on the phone? (Take that as you will, working as tech support or being sex telephone line frequenter)

Weaver · #5 by **Weaver** » Feb 20, 2012 2:07 pm

ED209 wrote:Why is it that earphones need to go in specific ears, with different signals to each (i.e. why does a stereo recording have a left and right channel, instead of two interchangeable ones) - aren't some people wired the other way round?

Stereo channels have left and right sides because two mikes are used to record the sound. The headphones on a stereo system are keyed to L and R to accurately reproduce the sound.

You can feel free to flip them around, but you'll hear the sounds "backwards" - perhaps not very important to listening to music (though it could be, if you are listening to orchestral compositions and prefer to hear your strings on the left as usual) - but more important for things like integrated sound and video. Having the car drive from L to R across the screen while the sound goes the other way is silly.

Also silly is the technique for canting a pistol to the left to enable "easier" use of a Left-dominant eye - much preferred is to simply shift the whole gun laterally a couple inches, while maintaining proper vertical orientation. That 15 degree cant is much more about a stronger muscular-skeleto alignment for one-hand shooting than about eye dominance.

ED209 · #6 by **ED209** » Feb 20, 2012 3:11 pm

Pfft, simply shifting the gun to the left is hardly gangsta though :snooty:

Interesting about left/right channels, I always thought the left channel was bassier and the right tinnier (tweetier?), and if I swap earphones around they sound very different and wrong, I can't pick out little details in the music any more. I've probably just got one or both duff ears though.

AlohaChris · #7 by **AlohaChris** » Feb 20, 2012 4:30 pm

Weaver wrote:Also silly is the technique for canting a pistol to the left to enable "easier" use of a Left-dominant eye...

10,000 boyz in da hood can't be wrong.

ED209 wrote:Pfft, simply shifting the gun to the left is hardly gangsta though

Tru dat!

johnbrandt · #8 by **johnbrandt** » Feb 21, 2012 4:41 am

AlohaChris wrote:
Weaver wrote:Also silly is the technique for canting a pistol to the left to enable "easier" use of a Left-dominant eye...

10,000 boyz in da hood can't be wrong.

ED209 wrote:Pfft, simply shifting the gun to the left is hardly gangsta though

Tru dat!

I've heard police hope that the gang member shooting at them believes that holding a gun sideways makes him tougher...it throws the aim off completely and makes a jam far more likely.

"Eye dominance" is indeed a big thing in shooting, especially with scoped target rifles...every little bit helps when you're aiming at a tiny circle on a piece of paper 500 or 1000 meters away and a trophy is on the cards...

Alan B · #9 by **Alan B** » Feb 22, 2012 9:11 pm

I'm right-handed and left eye dominant. It's a bugger using a standard bolt-action rifle - I had to learn to shoot left-handed. Same with shotguns or else pay up for a gun with a corrected stock alowing me to shoot right-handed with a left-dominant eye. Ugly.

Stagman · **#10** by **Stagman** » Feb 22, 2012 10:30 pm

Depending on what you shoot, you could opt for something like this:

AlohaChris · **#11** by **AlohaChris** » Feb 22, 2012 10:55 pm

Looks like a complex left-eye dominant sight arrangement for a right handed biathlon shooter. ?

Weaver · **#12** by **Weaver** » Feb 22, 2012 11:05 pm

I don't think I'd want to try that with anything more than the recoil of about at .260Rem or so ... and maybe not even that.

CdesignProponentsist · **#13** by **CdesignProponentsist** » Feb 22, 2012 11:21 pm

Due to some health issues and severe myopia, I have a slight drift of my right eye when looking to the right and my vision is a bit better in my left. So I've developed a strong dominance in my left eye. When forced to look hard to the left or when I'm dead tired, I'll completely shut out my right eye and let it do what it wants.

Stagman · **#14** by **Stagman** » Feb 22, 2012 11:41 pm

AlohaChris wrote:Looks like a complex left-eye dominant sight arrangement for a right handed biathlon shooter. ?

That example is mounted on a Walther LG300 Alutech target air rifle, but is not solely for that use. It could be used for any diopter sight system such as those used in ISSF competitions as well as biathlon. I've never seen one use personally.

Being right handed and right eye dominant I have no trouble in this area but I do use a piece of card shoved under a headband or cap to block my left eye to enable a better sight view while keeping both eyes open. Would something like that be of use for those who have opposite eye domination?

Fallible · **#15** by **Fallible** » Feb 22, 2012 11:43 pm

I always wondered about the ear thing. I always hold the phone to my left ear - it doesn't feel right holding it to the other one, and I can't hear as well...or maybe I don't hold the phone to my right ear because I don't hear as well... :think:

Stagman · **#16** by **Stagman** » Feb 23, 2012 12:02 am

You right handed? I am and hold the phone to the left ear. Always done it that way and feel strange doing otherwise.
Helps when needing to take notes.

Fallible · **#17** by **Fallible** » Feb 23, 2012 12:23 am

Yep, right handed, in that I write with my right hand. I do quite a few other things with my left, such as open jars, packets etc., hold cups, eat (sanwiches and crisps and stuff) and so on. But yeah, right handed I think.

AlohaChris · **#18** by **AlohaChris** » Feb 23, 2012 2:56 am

I'm a south paw, goofy foot, left eye dominant, and left ear preferer(?). At least I'm consistent. :thumbup:

AlohaChris · **#19** by **AlohaChris** » Feb 23, 2012 2:58 am

Stagman wrote:Would something like that be of use for those who have opposite eye domination?

I think so. It's really hard to shoot iron sights on a rifle if you're cross-dominant and insist on using your dominant hand to operate the gun.