2021-August-13

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When Being Left Never Felt So Right

BY HELEN GALL

You might be left-handed — but the odds are you aren’t.

To see what it’s like, pick up a pencil and write your name with your left hand.

For 90 percent of us, it’s not so easy and probably not legible.

The other 10 percent didn’t even have to think about it because they are in the left-handed club.

Lefties are often faced with the daily challenge of having to use devices and everyday items that were made for righties. Some of these things include scissors, can openers, knives, credit card swipers, zippers, and computer mouses, just to name a few.

Yes, you can get left-handed versions of some of these things, but finding them can be a challenge. And of course there’s the issue that most people write left to right on a piece of paper — the ink from a ballpoint pen can wreak havoc for a lefty, leaving a smeared mess on the page.

Over the years, there have been plenty of myths and theories — good and bad — about what it's like to be a lefty in a right-handed world. Scientists believe that left-handed people tend to be more independent to adapt to a world primarily designed for right-handed individuals.

Here are 10 fun facts that you might not know about being left-handed — even if you were born a southpaw yourself like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Leonardo da Vinci, Aristotle, Albert Einstein, and many other celebrated lefties.

• In lefties, the right side of the brain is dominant.
• They make especially good baseball players, tennis players, swimmers, and boxers. Almost 40 percent of the top tennis players are lefties.
• Of the 26 most recent U.S. presidents, eight have been left-handed, including Herbert Hoover, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong are “portsiders” too.
• The word left in English comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lyft,” which means weak or broken.
• Studies suggest that left-handers are more talented in spatial awareness, math, and architecture. Right-handers tend to be more talented verbally.
• 20 percent of high IQ Mensa members are left-handed (double the worldwide average).
• One in four Apollo astronauts were left-handed.
• While those on the right might apply logical solutions to an issue, lefties have the innate ability to come up with several options, as opposed to just one black-and-white route.
• Left-handedness runs in families. Lefties in the British Royal Family include the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William.
• Left-handers are more likely to suffer from insomnia.

You can see why being a lefty is pretty special. And now you have some fun facts to share with your left-handed friends at dinner — a perfect follow-up after you ask them to switch seats. Colliding elbows is no fun for anyone, right?

Related Links

• Left Handers Day

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