Left handedness
The Life of a Lefty
Lefty Facts
Pros
Cons
Lefty Facts
10-20% of the population is left-handed
Men are more likely to be lefties than women
No one gene determines handedness. As with most complex behaviors it cannot be explained by one thing, whether environmental or genetic.
Lefty Facts
History of prejudice
"Correcting" left handed students continued to be mainstream through the 60s and 70s.
"Sinister" is the Latin word for "on the left side," but evolved to mean "unlucky" or "evil"
The Old English word for left is "lyft", which means "weak" or "foolish"
Valerie Facts
~10% of population left handed
Men are far more likely to be lefties than women.
Both of my parents are right handed.
Cons of Being a Lefty
THE WORLD IS DESIGNED FOR RIGHT HANDED PEOPLE!
Don't believe me? I brought proof.
Adapt or Die
Everyday items designed with right handed people in mind
Standard doors
Knives
Yes. The crab is left-clawed.
Adapt or Die
Everyday items designed with right handed people in mind
Pens
Can openers
Adapt or Die
and much more....
- shirt pockets
- playing cards
- cameras
- ticket turn-styles
- ATMs
- zipper flaps
- boomerangs
- coffee mugs with designs
- potato peelers
- manual vehicles
- pocket knives
- credit card machines
- hand shakes
- power tools
- scissors
- measuring cups
- most college desks
- notebooks
- computer mice
- keyboard ten-key
- rulers
- guitars
- golf clubs
Cons of Being a Lefty
It is still considered offensive to use your left hand to eat or touch others in India, Morocco, and much of Africa and the Middle East
Dinner Considerations
I don't even want to talk about sitting in a booth.
Cons of Being a Lefty
Lefties tend to die earlier than their right handed counterparts.
....wasn't joking about the adapt or die thing.
Also lefties as a group tend more often to be alcoholics and suffer injuries from work accidents (particularly labor jobs)
Probably from the stress of constant adaptation.
Pros of Being a Lefty
Cognitive Benefits
95% of right handed brains assign certain tasks to each hemisphere.
80% of left handed brains have a more symmetrical balance of brain function. This results in information being passed back and forth between hemispheres, which can lead to new (sometimes outlandish) ideas.
Pros of Being a Lefty
Southpaws are considered unique since we make up a small portion of the community
Pros of Being a Lefty
bitchin' accessories
Pros of Being a Lefty
Excellent company
Leonardo da Vinci
Barack Obama
J-Law
Dave Barry
Kurt Cobain
Judy Garland
Lady Gaga
Albert Einstein
Mark Zuckerberg
Jimi Hendrix
Phil Collins
Bruce Willis
Oprah
Larry Bird
David Bowie
Tina Fey
Marilyn Monroe
Bill Gates
4 of the 5 designers of the original Mac computer were lefties
Conclusions
There are some benefits to being a lefty, including developing adaptability skills from a young age.