Was surprised I started mixing up left and right after I broke my right-hand wrist while biking.
Turns out I subconsciously associated “right” for the direction my stronger hand was on, and once my left hand started feeling like the more dominant one during recovery - my brain would automatically choose that “right” should be on my left-hand side instead, until I actively thought about which direction is which.
This gradually decreased out as my right hand recovered and got back to being the dominant one over the next few years, but was eye-opening what shortcuts my brain uses for such basic things.
Wait, are you saying you didn’t have to actively think about which is right or left before? I’ve always had to think about it, only for a second, but it’s definitely an active thought thing for me.
Yeah, definitely. I didn’t know people didn’t have to think about it for a second.
Remember how many days are in each month. I mean, I guess maybe I could if I tried harder, but I refuse.
EDIT: ok I’m seeing everyone’s tips here, and thank you, but I gotta say… None of these heuristics seem any amount easier to remember. 😭
Make both hands into a fist and hold them out in front of you so that the knuckles are visible. Now start on a pinky and count the knuckles and valleys between them. Knuckles are 31 days, valleys are 30 (and February). When you switch between hands it doesn’t count as a valley.
Left Pinky knucke: January, 31 days
Left Pinky/ring finger valley: February
Left Ring finger knuckle: march, 31
Left Ring/middle: April, 30
Left Middle: may, 31
Left Middle/index: June, 30
Left Index: July, 31
Right Index: August, 31
Right Index/middle: September, 30
Right middle: Oktober, 31
Right middle/ring: November, 30
Right ring finger knuckle: December, 31
Associates faces with names easily.
Like I’ll remember who you are, but I won’t remember your name. Got me into trouble a few times
Edit: also forgot, but this includes associating the names of places. Combined with the fact that I can’trememberr paths and situate places I see IRL on a map, I get lost often.
Remember people’s names or faces
That’s actually a cognitive disorder called Prosopagnosia.
And welcome to the club - I had a stroke and while luckily all major deficits returned to normal with timely treatment, I developed prosopagnosia.
It’s fairly freaky at times. While it’s not my main job anymore I still work as a paramedic occasionally - and when I get a massive trauma at three o’clock in the morning I can hand it over in the ED to the full resus team with every detail without looking into my notes once. But if they ask me for a name I need an ID card or my notes.
