What’s right about left

Fascinating facts about left-handedness

by Aiya Rodjel / August 13, 2020

Happy International Left Handers Day! Yes, lefties have their own holiday (August 13), and while lefties comprise a small portion of the global population (about 9% of the world according to Psychology Today) there are many fascinating facts about left-handedness any lefitie should be proud of.

1. Need to make a work call, cook lunch, and water the plants…at the same time? That’s nothing a lefty can’t handle because left-handed people are great multitaskers. Lefties are good at juggling different things at the same time because they tend to look at a problem as a whole, and use pattern-matching to try and solve the bigger issue according to the Illinois Research Consortium. Not only that, using one’s left hand forces the brain to think and respond quickly.

2. Lefties are better video game players. Left-handers outperform their right-handed people in processing a large amount of information at a fast rate as per research from the Australia National University. That means lefties are pretty awesome at killing zombies, shooting enemies, and racing cars in a gaming console or computer.

3. Being left-handed makes better athletes. Southpaws have an advantage when it comes to sports with high pressure like table tennis, boxing and basketball as per German sports scientist Florian Loffing. This is because right-handed athletes usually train with like-handed opponents, and have difficulty anticipating lefties’ movements.

4. Lefties bounce back from injuries faster. Knock on wood, but if you’re a lefty, you tend to recover from brain-related injuries like stroke swiftly, according to research. Why? Multiple mental abilities like learning and thinking are spread out in the brains of lefties. In  theory, when you have a stroke (which is usually concentrated in a small area of the brain), less of your mental abilities will be affected, and you’ll be able to recover faster.

5. Lefties have a better sense of direction…literally. Left-handed people are better at spatial orientation a.k.a identifying directions according to research from the University of Connecticut Storrs. This means they have a knack for navigating maps, remembering parking spaces, and figuring out how to get from point A to point B better. So in case you get lost, let your lefty friend lead the way.

6. Lefties tend to have better self-control. Left handed people tend to not have problems passing up on sweets or sticking to a regular exercise routine, which can be really difficult. A study showed that lefties have better “inhibitory control,” which regulates the way they control themselves, than righties.

The left-handed club has a lot of famous members. From tech leaders Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to Hollywood heavyweights Oprah and Angelina Jolie, Filipino living legends Vilma Santos, Manny Pacquaio, and bowling champion Paeng Nepomuceno to KPOP sensations Rosé of BLACKPINK, TXT’s Taehyun, and Hwasa from MAMAMOO, there are many illustrious names that are also proud lefties.

While being left-handed presents a lot of challenges, such as finding a lefty-friendly school desk, getting ink or pencil charcoal on your writing hand, and ergonomic handle scissors, being left-handed has a lot of advantages. Plus, it’s a good conversation starter. As a fellow lefty, I can say that our differences make us unique. French writer Victor Hugo once said, “the left handed are precious; they take places which are inconvenient for the rest.”