22 Interesting Facts About Left-Handed People That May Surprise You
Are you left-handed, or perhaps you know someone whose more dominant hand is the left one? An interesting fact about these people is that there were times when they were labeled as witches or evil. Even the very word ‘sinister’ comes from ‘left hand’ or ‘left.’
As you can see, they were not always well treated throughout history. But, Business Insider explains that a person’s preference for their right or left hand is probably determined before they are born.
The journal eLife published a study in 2017 which suggests the answer to this issue could lie in the spinal cord. Researchers discovered that left- or right-handedness is determined by the 15th week of the fetus growing in the womb.
However, it’s still not entirely known why some people are left-handed and others are right-handed.
It is believed that being left-handed can say a lot about one’s personality. So, here are several common beliefs about these people:
22 Facts About Left-Handed People
1. Left-handed people are said to hear speeches a bit differently from those who are using their right hand as their dominant one. Namely, lefties could more easily hear rapidly changing sounds than righties.
2. The Huffington Post writes about how left-handed people may have a slightly higher risk of schizophrenia, ADHD, dyslexia, and certain mood disorders than right-handed people.
3. Being a left-handed person means you are more likely to be innovative or artistic.
4. There is a phobia of left-handers or items placed on the left side called sinistrophobia.
5. The Telegraph reports that lefties have higher chances to be more affected by fear than righties.
6. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease published a study that says left-handed people are angrier than right-handed ones. Namely, these people are more prone to negative emotions and can have a difficult time processing their feelings.
7. Lefties tend to be shyer, more inhibited, and embarrassed than righties, reports BBC News.
8. There’s an international day for left-handed people – August 13!
9. Lefties have always been the minority, even during the period of Neanderthals.
10. Left-handers are more prone to migraines, allergies, and insomnia says the website Mirror.
11. Lefties have more chances to become alcoholics since their dominant side of the brain is the right one – the side of the brain which has a lower tolerance to alcohol.
12. Lefties tend to reach puberty 4-5 months later than righties.
13. Most U.S. leaders were left-handed people, including Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Obama, Harry Truman, and James Garfield.
14. The nails on the left hand grow faster in those who are left-handers.
15. These people are said to be better at multitasking.
16. More men are left-handers than women.
17. Four of the five original Macintosh computer designers were left-handers.
18. Mothers over 40 are more likely to have left-handed babies.
19. They have difficulty drawing a figure that’s facing to the left.
20. Left-handedness also exists in animals (left-pawedness)
21. It is said that these people process information more quickly than their counterparts’ right-handers. That’s why they may experience emotions in a slightly different way.
22. People whose dominant hand is the left one can see more clearly underwater than right-handers.
Do you know any other interesting facts about left-handed people you want to share with us? If yes, feel free to share it in the comments.
