Chapter 59: The Reason for Not Distinguishing Left from Right
If you take yourself as the center, there are three axes in space. The first is up and down, the second is front and back, and the third is left and right. You don't need to learn the first two, but "left and right" is a relative concept. The two sides of the body are just symmetrical, and there is no reference point for comparison. This has caused some people in life to be confused about the concept of left and right...
This is discussed in a popular science article called The Wonder of Life, which not only analyzes the establishment of the concept of left and right, but also includes some popular science survey results, roughly recording the proportion of people of different ages who cannot distinguish between left and right, and discusses the reasons for this… Although it did not clearly point out in the end what caused the inability to distinguish between left and right, it gave Xu Yan a lot of inspiration.
“So that’s how it is!”
Xu Yan's eyes flickered and he murmured to himself.
This paper gave him great inspiration and opened a new door for him.
He knew before that Jiang Danian was not truly confused about left and right, but it just took him some time to react. At that time, he couldn't understand the reason, but now after reading this paper, he suddenly understood.
The concept of left and right is different from that of up and down, front and back. A reference point needs to be determined first in order to distinguish them. The concept of left and right is usually established at the age of five or six. At this time, teachers will teach children to write with their right hands. It is also at this time that they have the concept of left and right in their minds and a reference object. By comparing with the reference object, they can distinguish between left and right.
First, we can distinguish between left and right. Then, as we grow older, after countless times of distinguishing, it becomes a reflex and we no longer need to think consciously. Only then can we truly distinguish between left and right.
Of course, not everyone can develop this instinct and reflex. Most people can develop this reflex as they grow up, but there are also a small number of people who, even when they are adults, still cannot distinguish between left and right.
Of course, this inability to distinguish left from right is different from the inability of children to distinguish left from right. Children really cannot distinguish left from right, while adults cannot distinguish left from right at the first time, and need time to think and react. Jiang Danian is one of these people.
The paper also included several reports, one of which was a survey of 2,000 people in 1996. It found that around 14.6% of young people aged 17 to 29 could not tell the difference between left and right, but after the age of 60, only 3.2% could not tell the difference between left and right. The same phenomenon also existed among women.
The fact that people cannot distinguish between left and right accounts for such a high proportion was beyond Xu Yan's expectation. He originally thought that people who cannot distinguish between left and right were as rare as giant pandas. However, after reading this report, he realized that he had taken it for granted. The proportion of people who cannot distinguish between left and right is not only not low, but on the contrary is quite high. It's just that most people don't care about it. Many people don't even know that they cannot distinguish between left and right, because it doesn't have a big impact on their lives. When they need to distinguish between left and right, they just need to think about it silently for a few seconds, unless they are a specific group of people, soldiers forming queues are one of them.
Jiang Danian could not distinguish between left and right and belonged to a specific group of people, so he was unfortunately made a typical example and became the laughing stock of the new recruit company.
After digesting the information in his mind, Xu Yan couldn't help but frown. Although the left-right ratio would decrease sharply with age, it was of no use because he simply didn't have time to wait until Jiang Danian was sixty years old, so he had to think of other ways.
With his eyes flickering, Xu Yan couldn't help but look towards Jiang Danian's bed, but he was surprised to find that he was not on the bed. He raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise: "Where is Danian? Why hasn't he come back yet?"
Hearing Xu Yan's question, Yuan Guoqing looked at him in surprise, and seeing that he was not pretending, he said, "He was stimulated by your words and is now practicing turning left and right on the playground!" As he said this, he sighed softly and said regretfully, "Alas, Da Nian is the most hardworking person I have ever seen. It's a pity that his talent is really too low, and he is born with a lack of brains..."
Xu Yan slapped his head and remembered what happened before. Without even saying hello, he hurried out of the dormitory and quickly came to the playground. However The light shone on his slightly chubby face, showing his boundless loneliness and gloom.
Xu Yan's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but feel extremely regretful. Although Jiang Danian couldn't tell left from right, he was very hardworking and had never been lazy. This proved that he also wanted to make progress and he also longed to stay in the recruit company. It must have been very hurtful to him to scold him like that.
With this thought in mind, Xu Yan strode over and said, "What effect can one person have if he practices alone? Why don't I help you shout slogans!"
Hearing Xu Yan's voice, Jiang Danian looked up suddenly. Seeing that it was really him, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Xu Yan, you... why are you here?"
"I'm sorry about what happened just now. I shouldn't have scolded you like that." Xu Yan said apologetically.
Jiang Danian shook his head and said self-deprecatingly: "No, I am stupid to begin with."
Jiang Danian's expression made Xu Yan feel even more guilty. He said loudly, "On the contrary, you are not stupid at all. On the contrary, you are very smart."
"Don't comfort me. I know my own business." Jiang Danian glanced at Xu Yan gratefully, thinking that he was comforting him.
"I'm not comforting you. I'm telling you the truth." Xu Yan said loudly, facing Jiang Danian's puzzled gaze, "Yes, you can't tell left from right, but this only shows that your sense of direction is a little poor, it doesn't mean that you are stupid."
"Isn't it stupid not to know left from right?"
"Of course, I just did some research and found that the proportion of people who can't tell the left from the right is not low. Among young people between the ages of 17 and 29, 14.6% can't tell the left from the right." Xu Yan paused and continued, "It's incredible, isn't it? What's even more incredible is that these people in the survey are either doctors, professors, or college students. They have high IQs and education levels, but it is precisely these people who find it even more difficult to distinguish left from right at the first sight."
"This doesn't prove that I'm smart." Jiang Danian said unconfidently, with a serious lack of self-confidence.
"Of course this is not enough to prove it, but didn't you solve the question I asked Luo Yifei before? The knowledge covered in this question is so broad that it is far beyond the level of ordinary high school students. You were able to solve it. Aren't you smart?"
"This can't help me distinguish left from right!" Jiang Danian said in a low voice. This is what he cares about most.
This sentence stumped Xu Yan. Even though he was eloquent, facing Jiang Danian's question, he couldn't help but be at a loss for words, and said sullenly, "No!"
"That's still stupid!" Jiang Danian's face became even darker.
"That's not true. Not being able to tell left from right only means that your sense of direction is a little poor, and it doesn't represent other aspects of you." Xu Yan advised dryly. Seeing that Jiang Danian was a little absent-minded, he added: "In fact, not being able to tell left from right is not fixed. Studies have found that with age, the proportion of people who can't tell left from right will be greatly reduced. The proportion of people aged 17 to 29 who can't tell left from right is 14.6%, and after the age of 60, this proportion has dropped to 3.2%."
Jiang Danian moved his mouth. Instead of being encouraged, he became more depressed: "By the time I'm 60, I won't know whether I can tell the difference between left and right. Even if I can tell the difference between left and right by then, the recruits in the recruit company will have been replaced by dozens of batches."
