Nearly one in ten people are left-handed. There have been many studies on the differences between right and left-handed people, usually to do with memory, thought process and social issues. New research is being carried out all the time.
One distinctive feature of left-handed people is that they are often considered cleverer. They are also more able to understand geometric and spatial subjects and to visualise things with their imagination. Negative behaviour and emotions are also more obvious in left-handed people. They are better at some sports, such as tennis and wrestling and left-handed players are more skillful. Left-handed people are more inventive and quicker to suggest multiple solutions to a problem, which they are then able to solve. They are better in the creative and artistic fields, such as music. Many well-known figures ranging from politics to the arts are left-handed: Barack Obama, Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Bill Gates, Leonardo da Vinci, Angelina Jolie. Right-handed people solve problems in the following way: first they focus on one issue and solve that, and then they move onto the next one. In contrast, left-handed people can deal successfully with several issues at the same time.
Left-handed people are not more able than right-handers, but this might be because of certain problems they face. Some studies have shown that left-handed people are more susceptible to psychological problems and they have to cope with various difficulties. In olden times, especially in very traditional families, it was considered bad, almost shameful, to have a left handed child. As soon as the family became aware of the child’s “problem”, it would oblige the child to write and only use its right hand and avoid using the left. In many societies all appliances and attachments are made for right-handed people, while very little attention has been paid to the needs of those who are left-handed. Some difficulties faced by left-handed people are: scissors, window handles and doorknobs, keyboards, computer mice and school desks. Another problem is that left-handed people cut the other way round. A very small percentage of people can use both hands equally. The human brain is made up of two sides, each one with its own characteristics. The right side controls curiosity, creativity, imagination and discipline, while the left controls logic, language, focus and attention to detail. In left-handed people, the right side of the brain is more dominant, and vice-versa.
Left-handers have their own designated international day, August 13th.
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