If you’re a fellow leftie (hi!), then you’ll know all too well the struggle of life with a dominant left hand. Ink up the side of your fingers, not being able to hold right-handed scissors the correct way (and never having left-handed ones in the classroom), trying to write in spiral notebooks and ring binder folders, and bumping elbows with a right-hander at the dinner table. It seems like being left handed is a curse, right? Well, there are some perks! Let’s have a look at some of the best things about left handedness.
Better sports players
Research has found that those who have a dominant left hand will generally perform better at one-on-one sports, such as tennis and baseball. Why? Well, right-handed players are at a disadvantage up against a lefthander – particularly if they’ve never trained or played with someone who has a dominant left hand before. A left handed player will be used to training up against a right hander, so will be a dab hand at dealing with asymmetry already. If you are left handed, consider taking up a one-on-one sport to take the upper hand (quite literally).
Money makers
The US National Bureau of Economic Research have statistics that show left-handed men with a college education earn 15% more than those who write with their right-hands! Unfortunately, the same stats don’t apply to left-handed women who earn on average 5% less than right-handed women. Boo! Nobody can explain why there are such significant differences all based upon the hand you write with.
Problem solvers
Mensa stats show that left handed people tend to be better problem solvers and more intelligent than their right-handed counterparts. One possible reason for this is that those who are left handed are presented with challenges right from the very beginning – such as how on earth you use the right-handed scissors and how not to smudge an entire page of written work at school. The next time someone berates you for being left-handed, just smile and nod. You’re probably more intelligent than that person anyway.
Better drivers
Turns out, if you’re a southpaw, then you’re far more likely to be a better driver. Result! Left-handed drivers are around 10% more likely to pass their driving test than right-handed drivers. This is more common in the UK, where the gear and clutch are on the left side of the driver, making it far more natural to utilize the precise motor skills on that side of their body.
We’re in good company
Turns out, some of the best people are lefties! A huge number of U.S. Presidents have been left-handed. Winston Churchill was a leftie, too! Henry Ford, Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Leonardo Da Vinci, Nikolas Tesla, Lewis Carroll, Kurt Cobain, David Bowie… The list goes on and on. It seems as though us lefties certainly go onto great things, so never be ashamed of your left handedness.
Whether you want to be a famous tennis player, a Mensa member, the perfect driver or the next U.S. President, if you’re left-handed you can (probably) take on the world. Probably.
