Why some people are lefties
Left-handedness is much rarer than right-handedness.
The people who fall into the first category have dominant left hand and use it when executing tasks.
Scientists cannot find an exact reason why some individuals are left-handed, but it’s proved that genes play role in the left-handedness of only 25% of the people. According to a British study, the fetuses of stressed pregnant women would touch their faces with their left hands most of the time. Another Swedish research from 2008 supported this theory, reporting that women who were depressed or stressed during their pregnancies would probably have left-handed children.
Another interesting fact is that left-handed people are actually a very small part of the population, only about 10 %. However, they compensate for being a minority with outstanding right-handers in many ways.
Here, is a list of some facts showing how good lefties really are:
They are creative
Left-handed people tend to be more creative. They are capable of thinking out of the box more often and give unconventional solutions to different problems. It’s little surprise then, that they are better at arts and usually pursue creative careers.
Left-handers are good at sports
Lefties prove to be better at sports. One reason for this may be because they usually train against right-handed opponents while right-handers don’t have as many opportunities to practise against left-handed players.
Lefties fear easily
Left-handed people are more sensitive. They suffer from Posttraumatic stress disorder more often than the rest. The cause of this might be because they are more susceptible to fear and experience emotions related to it much more deeply.
They’re prone to mental illnesses
The same goes when talking about mental disorders. It turns out left-handed people are much more prone to them than the righties. A not small percentage of schizophrenics are lefties and the same is valid for people who suffer from mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions.
Lefties are better fighters
Left-handers tend to be better fighters, especially in hand-to-hand matches. They are physically stronger and might pull their opponent over more easily. Having a left-hook is an undeniable advantage in boxing, for example.
Having worse immunity is a myth
In the past scientists thought left-handers had weaker immunities. While, on the whole, this idea had been proven wrong lefties suffer from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which are related to stomach, more often than right-handed people.
Left-handedness is common in twin pairs
In a pair of twins, it’s more probable to have a right-handed and a left-handed child. While this is not valid for many other characteristics when talking about right and left-handedness, the possibility of twins being mirror-images is as twice as strong.
Lefties aren’t right-brained
Lefties like the major part of the right-handers are left-brained and also use this part to process language. Only because righties are left-brained doesn’t mean a lefty would necessarily use their other side of the brain. This is a legend about left-handed people that has already been demystified.
They’re introverts
A big part of the left-handed people have more or less introvert personality. They are relatively closed in themselves and can behave unconfidently in moments when they need to be social. They are more sensitive and are usually worried about not doing things as they should.
Lefties like drinking
The idea that left-handedness increase the chances of becoming an alcoholic was very popular until not long ago. This has been proven wrong but it’s true that lefties get drunk more easily than the right-handers.
Left-handedness might be a reason for success
Many celebrities are lefties as well, Paul McCartney, Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg, all are left handed. A lot of deceased stars we lefties too – Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, and Jimi Hendrix
Finally, we should remember that August 13 is proclaimed as International Left-Handers Day, by Lefthanders International. It was first celebrated on the 13th of August 1976. This is a day dedicated to honouring their way of life, it is supposed to spread awareness of the difficulties faced by left-handers in a right-handed world and celebrate their uniqueness.
