[off-topic meanderings]
Dave (aka Santa ;-)) I'm not sure I agree - use it or lose it. Not permanently, anyway.
From what I understand, as children we have a vast number of synapses in the brain (1,000 trillion according to
wikipedia), some stronger than others, and these are either reinforced and strengthened through use, or break down through neglect, leaving us as adults with 10%, maybe less.
I am told that it is possible to create new synapses; however it takes a lot of effort. Consider, for instance, people who lose a limb and have to re-learn tasks with their less dominant one, or people who lose their hearing/sight - their other senses become more attuned. I understand
new synaptic pathways are created in the brain in these instances (called Synaptic Plasticity).
I found
this in Google's cache (couldn't download the original
PDF for some reason) which may shed some light, but I confess I haven't read it all (yet!). Seems to me, though, that we can learn things and develop new skills later in life.
[/off-topic]
So, what about the 'chestnut' about left-handed people's writing? I'm left-handed; I can write neatly if I need to (although VERY slowly) but most of my letters are printed, not joined. I learned using an ink-pen and went through reams of blotting paper to avoid smudging!
Tony
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Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)