I’m not left-handed but some of my favorite people are – shoutout to my mom! In fact, only 10-12% of the population are lefties. So they deserve some recognition, which happens every August 13th. This year (2022), will be the 30th year celebrating Left Hander’s Day! You can find out more on the Left Hander’s Day website.
Determined largely by genetics, handedness can be seen in the womb as early as the second trimester when babies show a preference for sucking their left thumb. Yet, it took until 2019 for scientists discovered DNA that might determine if you’re going to left or right handed.[1]
Who Has The Upper Hand
For years, left-handed people have been saying they’re smarter. It is true that three of the last six American presidents were left-handed (Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush), as are Bill Gates, Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey. Nevertheless, science has shown that handedness does not determine IQ (sorry Lefties)…right- and left-handed people test about the same.
However, the science does tell us that left handers do have some advantages because of the way their brain is wired. The left side of the brain controls the right side and vice versa. As a result, lefties use the right side their brain more than righties do, so both sides of their brain communicate better. Since the right side of the brain is more visual and creative, lefties tend to excel creatively in areas such as art, architecture and music.
Regardless of how you became left-handed or how smart and creative you may be, lefties still live in a right-handed world. As such, left-handed people have had to adjust and practically become ambidextrous in order to use everyday items, like scissors and can openers.
Luckily, there are now lots of things designed specifically for lefties. In fact, if you’ve got a left-handed kid, you can get them left-handed school supplies. Check out the Left-Handed Gear, below.
Left-Handed Gear
