Right-handed people make up roughly 90 percent of the population, so it's understandable
that lefties might feel left out.
Being a lefty comes with its fair share of everyday challenges and benefits.
Here's the truth about being left-handed.
For years, scientists believed that genetic differences between the left and right sides
of the brain determined which was a person's dominant hand.
However, a study centered at Germany's Ruhr-University Bochum in 2017 demonstrated that the gene
responsible for making people right-handed or left-handed is most likely located in the
spinal cord.
So, what led to this foundational shift in thinking?
The research found that even at the fetal stage, there were what researchers described
as, quote, "considerable asymmetries in arm movements before the motor cortex is functionally
linked to the spinal cord."
This connection between the spinal cord and brain usually happens around 15 weeks gestation,
while ultrasound technology has proven that some fetuses may show a preference for using
one arm over the other at just eight weeks, well before the brain is connected.
It turns out that there is more to being a twin than having a built-in right-hand man
with whom you can share your childhood.
According to Psychology Today, several studies have indicated that around 15 percent of identical
twins were left-handed, and around 12 percent of non-identical twins were.
To put that in perspective, it's estimated that about 10 percent of the overall population
is a leftie.
Interestingly enough, while left-handedness has been proven to be more common among twins
than non-twins, not all sibling pairs will have the same dominant hand.
However, it is true that identical twins may be more likely than fraternal twins to be
same-side dominant.
In an incredibly dark myth about lefties, it was an old bit of folklore that suggested
all left-handed people were once twins, but their sibling didn't survive.
We suppose not all left-handed fun facts are equal levels of, um, fun.
"Left-handed people are, like, naturally evil, that's what they say, isn't it?
It's a well-known fact."
There are anatomical differences in the brains of righties versus lefties.
According to Psychology Today,
"The area of the motor cortex that controls the hand is bigger on the left side in right-handers,
but bigger on the right side in left-handers."
But could these brain differences enable lefties to perform better in certain areas and worse
in others?
Brain lateralisation is the concept of each brain hemisphere being responsible for certain
unique abilities and talents.
A predominant theory from the 1960s was Roger W. Sperry's belief that the right side of
the brain is linked to imagination and creativity, while the left is linked to facts and sequencing.
Child education psychologist and professor Charlotte Reznick told Fast Company:
"When we're left-handed, our right brains are usually dominant, and that's where creativity
and intuition are centered...And our brains more easily use both sides of the brain at
once, so we have the advantage of also being more flexible in our thinking."
Lefties may be more at risk for developing a mental disorder in life.
Research published in the Sage Open Journal in 2013 looked at the correlation between
right- or left-handed dominance and clients in an outpatient psychiatric clinic who had
been diagnosed with a psychotic or mood disorder.
On par with the general population, just 11 percent of those with mood disorders were
left-handed.
However, left-handedness was found to be a staggering 40% in those patients diagnosed
with psychotic disorders.
A 2009 Kevin Denny study suggested that those who are left-handed are, quote, "about 5 percent
more likely to have reported having ever experienced symptoms of depression."
Unfortunately, additional Royal Society Publishing research performed by Geoffrey Brookshire
and Daniel Casasanto in 2018 indicated that some standard therapies might be ineffective
for left-handed people.
That's because of the connection between hand dominance and the different hemispheres of
the brain.
But they're not alone, as Casasanto went on to say that typical treatments might not work
for anyone who doesn't have a strong, dominant hand of either kind.
Students who are lefties might find themselves with bigger problems than hard-to-use scissors
and uncomfortably curved desks.
A 2008 study at the University of Bristol found that left-handed children weren't quite
as proficient in school as right-handed students.
Researchers looked at IQ exams from 10,000 children over the course of a few years.
They cross-analyzed the results as the kids grew older, and found that left-handed students
scored around a percent lower than their right-handed peers.
A simple explanation could be that schools are created to serve right-handed students.
An incompatible desk might actually be more than a minor inconvenience, after all.
London school administrator Stephanie Kerstein told The Guardian that her own sloppy penmanship
had teachers convinced she was dim as a child decades prior.
She noted:
"In fact it was because I was left-handed.
Everything in school and in the workplace is set up for right-handed people, the computer
mouse, the ruler, everything."
Research shows that your dominant hand affects more than just movement, it might even influence
your thought process and decision making.
Researcher Daniel Casasanto found that right-handed individuals tend to favor objects positioned
on their right side, while left-handed people generally gravitate to items positioned on
their left side.
Casasanto believes that this could have day-to-day implications on one's decision making.
As noted by Stanford News,
"That association could apply in situations ranging from whether we choose one brand of
cereal over another simply because of its spot on a grocery store shelf to whom we might
identify as a criminal suspect because of their position in a police lineup."
Casasanto and his team also observed the tendencies of presidential candidates from 2004 to 2008,
saying,
"Righties are more likely compared to lefties to gesture with their right hand when they're
talking about good stuff.
And lefties to gesture with their left hand when they're talking about good stuff."
Having a hard time getting sufficient shut-eye every night?
Well, if you are a lefty, it turns out that your dominant side could be a part of the
issue at hand.
A study in 2011, cited by Live Science, indicated that left-handed people have a greater chance
of suffering from bilateral limb movements caused by Periodic Limb Movement Disorder,
which is a sleep disorder that causes cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.
Researcher Dawn Alita R. Hernandez and her team studied 100 patients with PLMD.
In order to mimic the percentage of the general population, 84 were right-handed and 16 were
left-handed They found that 69 percent of right-handed volunteers had movements on both
sides, while an overwhelming 94 percent of the left-handed volunteers had these involuntary-slumber
movements on both sides of their bodies.
According to the study, this statistical gap could be a result of lefties having a different
dominant brain hemisphere than their right-handed counterparts.
Don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom if you're a lefty.
In a world made for righties, it turns out that being left-handed could give you a competitive
edge in sports.
Yes, being a southpaw might just make you a better athlete.
One reason, according to the American Association for Advancement of Science, is that most players
are not as accustomed to how left-handed athletes perform common movements, like pitching or
punching.
There is an element of surprise, and other players may not know how to interact with
or react to lefties' movements.
Another study in Biology Letters looks at statistics for the top 100 players across
multiple sports, and found that left-handed players have a particular advantage in sports
like baseball, where there's an element of time constraint.
The American Association for Advancement of Science also had something to say about that
finding, and noted that when opponents have less time to compensate, they have a much
harder time overcoming left-handed opponents.
"There's something I ought to tell you."
"Tell me."
"I'm not left-handed either."
Unfortunately, there are other considerable health issues that left-handed people need
to be aware of.
Research published in the British Journal of Cancer showed that there might be a direct
correlation between one's left-handedness and an increased risk of getting breast cancer.
The 2007 study concluded that not only is there a link between the two, but that this
already elevated risk is further heightened for left-handed women post-menopause.
According to the study,
"Left-handedness may be an indicator of intrauterine exposure to oestrogens, which might increase
the risk of breast cancer."
Still, while this is certainly worthy of concern, researchers have noted that the study looked
at a limited pool of women and that there were other conditions and variables that could
have led to potentially skewed results; thus, further research is necessary.
Nevertheless, this serves as another reminder to learn breast cancer symptoms to watch out
for, and both lefties and righties should be proactive about early detection.
Left-handed people have a greater chance of suffering from post traumatic stress disorder,
according to a study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress in 2007.
Earlier research had shown a connection between left-handedness and PTSD in both children
and in male combat veterans, but the 2007 study analyzed this link among the greater
public.
Researchers screened 596 individuals for symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, and determined
that 51 of them could potentially be diagnosed with the condition.
What was really interesting, but perhaps not surprising, was the disproportionate number
of left-handed people found in that subgroup.
Additionally, lefties generally scored higher in the symptoms of PTSD, according to the
study's findings.
In another study, reported by The Telegraph in 2011, psychologists showed a clip of Silence
of the Lambs to a group of people and found that the left-handed people showed more symptoms
of PTSD than the right-handed ones.
Why?
Researchers suspect it might be due to the left-handed connection with the right brain
and, in turn, the right brain's connection with our fear response.
A Harvard University study determined that lefties earn 10 to 12 percent less in annual
salaries than their right-handed contemporaries.
According to lead researcher Joshua Goodman, this pay disparity could be the result of,
quote, "observed differences in cognitive skills and emotional behavioral problems."
"The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care."
Furthermore, the research showed that right- and left-handed people often have very different
vocational choices and career paths, with left-handed individuals taking on more manual
labor, and right-handed people going into more professional fields.
This, according to Goodman, could, once again, point to a difference in learning potential.
But don't worry, being a lefty doesn't relegate you to a life of poorly paying gigs and lowly
positions.
You could become president of the United States.
Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan are among the multiple lefties
who have held office as Commander in Chief.
A decades-old study by psychologist Paul Bakan questioned a connection between left-handedness
and alcoholism.
While the researcher himself indicated that the results were far from conclusive, many
other scientists throughout the years have tried to make this same connection.
For some reason, his rudimentary research planted a seed, and, according to the British
Psychological Society, researcher Kevin Denny said that many scientists have suggested the
inference that, quote, "the stress of being left-handed in a right-handed world is to
blame."
The British Psychological Society also notes that, while many studies have sought to prove
a relationship between left-handedness and alcohol dependence, none have been entirely
successful.
In an analysis involving 25,000 people from around the world, Denny did discover that,
while lefties aren't necessarily more likely to drink in excess, they did seem to drink
more often.
Bottom line?
More research is needed before anyone draws any conclusions.
It turns out that left-handed people might recover from strokes faster than their right-handed
counterparts, according to research.
That's thought to be because it's the left side of the brain that controls speech, and
because left-handed people aren't as dependent on that side of the brain as right-handed
people, they might recover more quickly.
Lefties' language and speech dominance may be more evenly distributed between both sides
of their brains, enabling them to gain it back more readily after a brain injury.
A study published in Scientific Reports in 2015 also suggested that left-handed individuals
may be less likely to suffer from spatial neglect, a post-stroke affliction that causes
the inability to see one half of something in front of you.
Lead researcher Corinne Bareham explained the advantages left-handed people experience
in this way:
"It's exciting to suggest that perhaps being left-handed might protect you from certain
effects of stroke because you have a more bilateral distribution for certain functions
in the brain."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.