Left Handers

No-one has come up with a definitive reason for WHY some people are left-handed, but about 13% of the population around the world are, and it is thought to be genetic - it definitely runs in families. Researchers have recently located a gene they believe "makes it possible to have a left-handed child " so if you have that gene, one or more of your children may be left-handed, whereas without it, you will only have right-handers - sorry! The good news is, that if you are left-handed yourself, you have that gene and will pass it on through the generations!

The way the brain works is incredibly complex, but this simplified explanation will give you some understanding of where our left-hand dominance comes from. The brain is "cross-wired" so that the left hemisphere controls the right handed side of the body and vice-versa and hand dominance is connected with brain dominance on the opposite side - which is why we say that only left-handers are in their right minds!


Left-handedness and intelligence

Left-handers' brains are structured differently in a way that widens their range of abilities, and the genes that determine left-handedness also govern development of the language centers of the brain, left-handed could produce a corresponding intellectual advance and a leap in the number of mathematical, sporting, or artistic geniuses.

In 2006, researchers at Lafayette College and Johns Hopkins University in a study found that left-handed men are 15 percent richer than right-handed men for those who attended college, and 26 percent richer if they graduated. The wage difference is still unexplainable and does not appear to apply to women.

Left-handedness in sports and games

In soccer, left-handed players are often more skilled at playing with the left foot (though being left-handed does not necessarily result in being left-footed), which makes them valuable as they can play better on the left side of the field than right-handed players. A famous example of a left-handed football player, who also plays with his left foot is the Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi. Interestingly, in the sport of ice hockey, there are many more left-handed shooters. When shooting, the player's weaker hand is in the middle of the stick, and the dominant hand is at the top of the stick. When skating fast, or stretching to reach a far away puck, a player will often use only the top hand on the stick. The majority of right-dominant players shoot left-handed, and likewise, the majority of left-dominant players shoot right, allowing them to use their dominant hand when wielding the stick one-handed. The majority of goaltenders also catch with their left hand.

Facts of Left-Handers
- Most left-handers draw figures facing to the right
-There is a high tendency in twins for one to be left-handed
-4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed
-1 in 4 Apollo astronauts were left-handed - 250% more than the normal level.
-Left-handers are generally more intelligent, better looking, imaginative and multi-talented than right handers

Left Hander Test

We all, of course, know in which hand we hold a pen, but how far does this bias extend throughout your body? Are you left-eared? Left eyed? Here is a simple test you can apply to yourself.

1. Imagine the centre of your back is itching. Which hand do you scratch it with?

2. Interlock your fingers. Which thumb is uppermost?

3.Imagine you are applauding. Start clapping your hands. Which hand is uppermost?

4.Wink at an imaginary friend straight in front of you. Which eye does the winking?

5.Put your hands behind your back, one holding the other. Which hand is doing the holding?

6.Someone in front of you is shouting but you cannot hear the words. Cup your ear to hear better. Which ear do you cup?

7.Count to three on your fingers, using the forefinger of the other hand. Which forefinger do you use?

8.Tilt your head over on to one shoulder. Which shoulder does it touch?

9.Fixate a small distant object with your eyes and point directly at it with your forefinger. Now close one eye. Now change eyes. Which eye was open when the fingertip remained in line with the small object? (When the other eye, the non-dominant one, is open and the dominant eye is closed, the finger will appear to move to one side of the object.)

10. Fold your arms. Which forearm is uppermost?
If you have always considered yourself to be right or left-handed you will probably now have discovered that your body is less than total in its devotion to its favoured side. If you are right-handed the chances are that you were not able to be 'right' 10 times