Is It Possible to Develop Ambidexterity Later in Life? The Answer Varies

Key Insights

Right-handed individuals dominate, right? Indeed, approximately 90 percent of the global population is right-handed, leaving lefties to account for the remaining 10 percent. Those who are genuinely ambidextrous — capable of using both hands with equal skill — represent a tiny fraction. But is ambidexterity something you’re born with, or can it be acquired later in life?

"It’s a mix of both," explains Dr. Sebastian Ocklenburg via email. Ocklenburg, a psychology professor at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, and author of The Asymmetric Brain, a blog dedicated to handedness, states, "Handedness is influenced by about 25 percent genetics and 75 percent environmental factors. It tends to run in families, suggesting some hereditary influence, but learning also plays a role. While achieving ambidexterity for specific tasks, like playing tennis, is possible, full ambidexterity across all activities is unlikely."

Handedness and Genetics

Handedness, which refers to a person’s preference and proficiency in using one hand over the other, is regarded as a complex genetic trait. Since genetics play a role, hand preference begins to develop even before birth. However, like other complex traits, handedness (including ambidexterity) doesn’t follow a straightforward inheritance pattern.

While children of left-handed parents are more likely to be left-handed compared to those of right-handed parents, the overall probability of being left-handed is only 10 percent, meaning most offspring of lefties are still right-handed. Additionally, identical twins are more likely to share the same handedness compared to non-identical twins, yet many twins exhibit opposite hand preferences. This is further complicated by whether a child’s handedness is allowed to develop naturally or is influenced by parental guidance.

Hand dominance usually becomes evident around age 3 and is fully established by ages 4 to 5. This means that if someone is genuinely ambidextrous, their parents will likely notice by the time they start school.

At the age of 4, former Major League Baseball pitcher Billy Wagner fractured his right elbow and spent the summer in a cast. In his memoir, "A Way Out: Faith, Hope and Love of the Game," Wagner recounts being a natural right-hander with a passion for baseball. However, during the six weeks his arm was immobilized, he threw exclusively with his left hand. When the cast was removed, he discovered that his right arm had lost both strength and coordination for baseball, while his left arm had gained it.

"I was naturally right-handed then, and still am," Wagner wrote. "I do everything right-handed — eating, using tools, writing, starting the lawn mower — except for pitching."

Although Wagner wouldn’t be classified as ambidextrous, he achieved remarkable success using his non-dominant hand. Baseball features many players who switch hit, meaning they can bat effectively from both the left and right sides, allowing them to adapt to pitchers of either handedness. Legends like Eddie Murray, Mickey Mantle, and Chipper Jones excelled at this. However, like Wagner, they weren’t truly ambidextrous, a rare and challenging skill to master. Why is that?

Can You Become Ambidextrous?

"Handedness originates in the brain, not the hands," explains Ocklenburg. "The hemisphere opposite the dominant hand is more adept at controlling fine motor skills (e.g., the left hemisphere in right-handed individuals). The intensity of this preference varies among people. Some have a strong preference for one hand, making it harder to use the other for specific tasks. Essentially, the brain creates this limitation."

If the brain establishes this barrier, it can also dismantle it. Consider the story of Billy McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, an award-winning guitarist, is renowned for his distinctive playing style — using both hands on the fretboard, despite being primarily right-handed. However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, despite having a top 10 Billboard record, he faced control issues. He missed notes during performances and suffered from muscle spasms and contractions, eventually rendering him unable to play. In 2001, McLaughlin was diagnosed with focal dystonia, a movement disorder causing involuntary muscle contractions. Despite being advised to quit, he taught himself to play left-handed — and succeeded.

This raises the question: Can adults learn to become ambidextrous? A 2007 study revealed that as we grow older, we naturally become more ambidextrous, partly because our dominant hand loses its superiority. The study, involving 60 strongly right-handed participants according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI), had them complete computerized dexterity tests, including line tracing, aiming, and tapping tasks.

The youngest group (average age 25) excelled in all tasks using their right hand. Middle-aged participants (average age 50) performed equally well with either hand on the aiming task, while the oldest groups (average ages 70 and 80) showed similar proficiency with both hands across all tasks except one.

However, overall performance declined with age, particularly for the right hand, leading researchers to conclude, "We become more ambidextrous as we age because our dominant hand loses its dexterity and becomes more like our non-dominant hand."

Some have speculated whether training to become ambidextrous could enhance brain function and potentially combat aging or dementia. "That’s a myth," Ocklenburg states. "While brain training is beneficial as we age, research shows that only the trained areas improve. For example, training to write with the non-dominant hand affects motor areas in the opposite brain hemisphere but doesn’t impact memory. Therefore, specific memory training would be more effective for aging or dementia."