Left Handed Wiki
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Welcome to the Left Handed Wiki! This site is is about everything and everyone left-handed. It explores the subject of handedness, and what it means in the realms of writing, art, and society. Anyone and everyone is free to contribute -- just remember to add sources!

Overview[]

About 10-15% of the population is left-handed. Why is this so? Genetically, it's likely due to a gene called NRH ("non-right-handed") which has a 50% chance of making people left-handed[1] (and also has a 50% chance of making your hair spiral counterclockwise!)

There has been a lot of interesting research on handedness in the last decade.

Left-handers' brains are structured differently from right-handers' in ways that can allow them to process language, spatial relations and emotions in more diverse and potentially creative ways. Also, a slightly larger number of left-handers than right-handers are especially gifted in music and math[2]. It's believed that these abilities are due to increased communication between the brain hemispheres, and the ability to use both sides of the brain at once when processing stimlui.[3]

You may be surprised at how many famous people are left-handed!

Fun Facts![4][]

Left-handed-sloth

Left-handed sloth.

  • According to Scientific American, 15% of people are left handed. Males are twice as likely to be left-handed as females.
  • Left-handers are more likely to be geniuses - 20% of all MENSA members report being left-handed. ALL the subjects of Walter Isaacson's "Genius Biographies" are left-handed: Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Leonardo da Vinci.
  • A study found left-handed men are, on average, 15% richer than right-handed men for those who attended college, and 26% richer if they graduated.
  • Left-handed people are three times more likely than right-handed people to become alcoholics.
  • If both parents are left handed, 50% of their offspring will be left-handed. Two righties only have a 2% chance of having a lefty.
  • Psychologists from Queen's University Belfast found that female cats are more likely to be right-pawed, while male cats tend to be left-pawed.
  • Lefties are more likely than righties to really, really hate spiral notebooks.
  • Research conducted by Dr.Nick Cherbuin shows that lefties are better at handling large amounts of stimuli, making them naturally better at playing video games.
  • Statistically, the older a mother is, the more likely she is to give birth to left-handed children.
  • Left-handers are believed to reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers.
  • Living in a righty's world: only 50% of lefties report using a computer mouse with their left hands. Similarly, 68% use their right hand for scissors and 74% hold a dinner knife in their right hands.
  • Defying the odds: 4 of the 5 original designers of the Mac computer were left-handed. Of the last 5 presidents, 3 are left handed (Obama, Clinton, Bush Sr.).

Stigma[]

A lot of silly people throughout history have thought that left handedness was a demonic curse or learning disability that must be corrected or something.

What a bunch of silly-heads!

Handedness Score[]

Edinburgh University created a Laterality Index which measures the handedness of inventory subjects. (You can try the quiz yourself, if you like.)

It's based on a paper from 1971.

Collections[]

References[]

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