I was thinking today about the time, long ago, when I had a horseback-riding teacher and she told me that, since I was left-handed, I primarily used the right side of my brain. The right side is associated with imagination and creativity. As the great Albert Einstein once said: "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." So, because of this, are left-handers smarter in that specific way?
A study conducted by the Left Handers Club (yes, it really does exist. I just became a member) noted that left-handers were more likely to choose a career involving art, music, and sports. Another interesting fact is that a surprising amount of US presidents, including our current, President Obama, Bill Clinton, and Harry Truman. Generally, gestures made with the right hand are perceived as good, and left bad. According to one Dutch study, this has a big advantage to lefties in presidential debates, because a TV displays a mirror image.
A study executed by the British Psychology Society suggests that left-handers are more easily frightened then their right-handed counterparts. Participants viewed an eight-minute clip of Silence of the Lambs, and afterwards, showed symptoms of PTSD, such as fragmented accounts and more errors.
Mensa reported that 20% of their members were left-handed. And as 10% of the general population is left-handed, that's a pretty significant statistic. Also, Dr. Oz stated that he believed left-handers to be smarter because they could process more unorganized material.
There are countless legends involving devilish acts and left-handers.
Additionally, left-handers are better at sports that involve two competitors facing each other because they get more practice on right-handed individuals.
One myth that a lot of people like to hoard over me is that, since I'm a cursed leftie, I'm going to die sooner. True? Not necessarily. Southpaws are more likely to die because many, many products are designed with the majority in mind. In the US, for instance, we drive on the right side of the road, and make right-handed turns-which is perfectly natural for 90% of the population. A study in California showed that left-handers were six times more likely to land in a fatal collision than right-handed drivers.
Awesome, right?
Are you ambidextrous or left-handed? If so, comment below!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/left-handed-facts-lefties_n_2005864.html, Katie Kens, October 29, 2012. September 2, 2013.
http://www.cracked.com/article_19808_5-reasons-being-left-handed-screws-you-life_p2.html, T.Z. Keiser, May 13, 2012. September 2, 2013.
http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Oz-Answers-Burning-Medical-Questions/15, Oprah Winfrey Show, Ask Dr. Oz III, January 1, 2006.
http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/lh-info/myths.html#sthash.RwWhfdJw.dpbs
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