Slide 1Hander
Overview
If you’re left-handed (or “sinistral”), you might wonder why the world is so oriented
towards being right-handed (or “dextral”). Partly it’s because of tradition and
superstition, but mostly its due 87%-90% of the world being right-handed.
Nevertheless, when you start trying to adjust to all of the phones, golf clubs, can
openers, stringed instruments, scissors, cooking utensils, and desks designed for
right-handed people, you might just go mad and start thinking you’re most forgotten
minority in the world.
The good news is that left-handed people have many advantages. Here are some
things that you may not have known about.
Daydream
believer
Lefties make up only about 10 percent of the population, but studies find that
individuals who are left-handed score higher when it comes to creativity,
imagination, daydreaming and intuition. They’re also better at rhythm and
visualization.
driving test
Did you know that left-handers have higher success rates on driving tests than
their right-handed brothers and sisters? Statistics show that 57% of left-handers pass
their driving test first time round, while the right-handers only come in at 47%!
Some of the best drivers in the world are left-handed such as Ayrton Senna and
Valentino Rossi. If someone ever comments on your driving, there’s no harm in
pointing this out!
money
Statistics from the US National Bureau of Economic Research show that left-handed
men with a college education earn 15% more money than their dextral colleagues.
This is a significant difference, but nobody can explain why. Sadly, the opposite is true
for women as left-handed females earn about 5% less than their right-handed
coworkers. Depending on your sex, keep these points in mind when you are asking
for your next pay raise.
They are
faster typists
Who says left-handers are slow typists? Most of us are one-finger typists because we have
never learned touch-typing. However, left-handed typists can type up to 3,400 words on the
standard QWERTY keyboard, which compares very poorly with 450 words for those using
only their right hand. Just remind your colleagues that your typing is probably better than
theirs because of this innate gift you possess.
They have
better problem-
solving skills
It must be a coincidence (or is it?) that the last five US Presidents (except George
W.Bush) have all been left-handed. From Nobel Prize winners to Mensa members,
lefties certainly dominate the world much more than their 10% share of the
population would suggest. Looking at Mensa stats, the figure of 20% of its members
being lefties certainly suggests that they are more intelligent.
They are
sports
Take tennis. If you are a leftie, you can gain an advantage by using the leftie serve,
which will create problems for right-handed players. There are similar advantages in
boxing. Boxers are not used to dealing with opponents who lead from the left. Left-
handed cricket batsmen also seem to do better. Leftie swimmers such as Mark Spitz
were said to have a distinct advantage in that they were more easily able to adjust to
underwater vision. If you play these sports, no harm in highlighting these advantages.
They have
handwriting in
their non-
dominant hand
In a very small Australian study, lefties could write more legibly with their non-
dominant hands than righties could. After ten days straight of training themselves to
switch hands, though, the right-handed participants improved their handwriting
more.
president
OK, so this is correlation not causation, but lefties can join hands with the nation’s top
leaders. Herbert Hoover, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack
Obama were left-handed, and Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan were ambidextrous
(though likely lefties who’d been forced to write with their right hand in childhood),
meaning seven of the past 15 presidents have been non-righties. There’s no evidence
explaining why so many leaders are lefties, but it does qualify for bragging rights.
Health perks
Left-handed stroke victims reportedly recover faster. While the reason is unclear,
some believe it’s due to left-handed people having to strengthen both sides of the
brain to succeed in a right-handed world. Because many lefties are better at using
their non-dominant hand, it’s less difficult for them to recover from a stroke that
damages one part of their brain.
Think it over
Left-handed people are said to be good at complex reasoning, resulting in a high
number of lefty Noble Prize winners, writers, artists, musicians, architects and
mathematicians. According to research published in the American Journal of
Psychology, lefties appear to be better at divergent thinking.
Join the club
For a quarter-century, the official left-handers club has hosted events dedicated to
left-handed people across the globe. Activities include left vs.right sports matches,
a left-handed tea party and pubs that use only left-handed corkscrews.
Shop ’til you
drop
There are stores devoted to selling practical and novelty items to lefties. Online
shops offer everything from left-handed mugs and kitchen sets to school and office
supplies, clothing and “backwards” watches and clocks.
Very
superstitious
According to myth, giving a toast with your left hand is the same as placing a curse
on the person you’re saluting. When Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, depictions
showed her as being left-handed, in order to appear more evil. Left-handers were
also harshly discriminated against during the 18th and 19th centuries, and it was
often “beaten out” of them.
They are more
likely to excel
in creative and
visual arts
Sinistrals are more likely to be successful than the dextrals in music, architecture,
and art. They have some pretty solid proof, too: Picasso, Leonardo daVinci, and
Micehlangelo were all lefties. Add in Albert Einstein and Beethoven, and you have a
great pedigree. Make sure your friends know this when you have your next burst
of creativity.
at math
When more than 2,300 Italian kids between six and 17 took math tests, left-handed
students did the best on complex problems, though they didn’t have any advantage in
simple arithmetic. Meanwhile, extreme righties (who reported they always prefer
their right hand, as opposed to using their left hand for certain tasks) did worse on
average no matter what type of problem they were solving.
They’re better
at reacting to
a hand switch
In a University of Aberdeen study, participants reached toward two targets with both
hands, then immediately reached toward a new target with the hand closest to it.
One hand vibrated to clue them into which hand would need to reach next, but
sometimes the pulses tricked the volunteers, and the target would show up by the
opposite hand. In those instances, lefties were better at reacting to
miscommunication and using the correct hand.
Boxing
Research published recently concluded that left-handed people were
overrepresented in a database of 10,000 boxers and martial arts fighters and had a
higher win percentage. This confirms the “fighter hypothesis”: that despite the costs
of being left-handed the trait has survived because of a competitive advantage in
combat.
Remembering
Left-handed people may also be better at remembering events, according to
research from the University of Toledo, Ohio. The explanation is that the two brain
hemispheres of left-handers are more strongly connected. This result also applied to
people with left-handed relatives.
Games
Quick reflexes, dexterity and fine motor skills together contribute to their skill in
killing zombies, playing virtual tennis or fighting off the monsters in the video
games.
During recent years, left-handedness has been recognized as a unique trait. Left-
handers are not forced to use their right hands. Their creativity, uniqueness and
their ability to do things in their own way have been recognized. But Most of the
tools, procedures and almost all the vehicles are designed to be used by the right-
handed persons. Apart from facing this inconvenience, left-handers often face unfair
discrimination and have been considered unlucky or malicious for their unusual
laterality. Many of them were forced to use the right hand for purposes such as
eating and writing.
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