15 Ways the Life of a Lefty is Different

Historically, lefties were considered social outcasts in many cultures around the world. Pegged as deviants, criminals, or untrustworthy, left-handed people have gotten a bad rap, and still do. Well into the 20th century, society considered left-dominant folks to be stubborn, clumsy, or unclean.

Western institutions and the medical community often encouraged parents to retrain their left-handed children to become right-handed. Being punished for being a lefty was not uncommon. In some cultures, it’s considered taboo to eat, give gifts, or shake hands with the left hand. If you’re left-handed, this can be hard to remember.

Be not discouraged though! Studies delving into the nature and origins of the left have come up with some interesting results. Their brains are just wired a bit differently, and people who are about that lefty life have a lot to say too. They vary from good to bad to ugly. Let’s take a look!

  1. You May Earn Less

    A study conducted by a Harvard professor looked at data from the U.K. and U.S. and found pay to be roughly 10 to 12 percent lower for lefties than it is for righties. In many cases it was learned that lefties had jobs performing manual labor. Why? See number 2.

  2. Cognition Could be Affected

    Though there is opposing information on this topic, the study above found left-handers more likely to have childhood learning challenges with reading, math or speech. A mix of educational and environmental influences that start early in life could affect skills in adulthood. Notably, babies born after complicated pregnancies in the U.S. were 50 percent more likely to be lefties.

  3. Genius Leanings

    Despite any cognitive issues that may exist early in life, many geniuses are of the left hand path. They include Steve Jobs, DaVinci, Einstein, and 20 percent of Mensa members.

  4. You Perceive and Hear Differently

    A Georgetown study concluded righties and lefties hear differently, with righties being more sensitive to sounds like consonants and lefties sensitive to slower changing sounds like syllables and tone. Experiments have shown that lefties prefer to choose objects on the left as opposed to the right, with the left sided things subconsciously perceived as positive. It’s the opposite for righties.

  5. Creatively Gifted

    Like the movie, being divergent is a real thing: psychologists have determined that a lefty can create multiple innovative ideas for problems. Lefties are also likely to pursue creative careers.

  6. It Could Run in the Family

    Though scientists are still researching whether specific genes influence handedness, they play a role about 25 percent of the time. Other influences include environment or random chance. So, two righties have a 1 in 10 chance of having a lefty kid; two lefties, a 1 in 4 chance, and for a lefty dad and righty mom, a 2 in 10 chance. Men are 2 to 3 times more likely to be lefties than women, and identical twins are typically one of each.

  7. Mental Health Challenges

    A team of researchers at Yale found that 11 percent of study participants diagnosed with conditions like bipolar disorder or depression were left-handed, and an astonishing 40 percent of schizophrenic patients were lefties.

  8. More Susceptible to Certain Illnesses

    Studies have linked left-handedness to increased risks for health problems such as multiple sclerosis, allergies, migraines, or autoimmune disorders.

  9. Excellent at Sports

    Baseball players give righties a run for their money as they’re very adept at pitching and hitting. Other sports southpaws are great at boxing, volleyball, swimming, and fencing. Why? Because righties are more used to going against righties.

  10. You Get Your Own Holiday

    Because lefties are a small bunch, making up only 10 to 12 percent of the world’s population, there’s a special celebration honoring them each year. August 13 is International Left-Handers Day!

  11. No Stranger to Being Tipsy

    Psychological research has found that lefties who do drink aren’t necessarily light drinkers, meaning you may fall in either the moderate or heavy drinking category. Compared to righties, left-handers drink more often.

  12. You’re Happier About Doing the Do

    A popular global survey sponsored by Lelo in 2014 indicated that 86 percent of lefties were happy in the bedroom while only 15 percent of righties were satisfied.

  13. Can Win Fights

    As with sports advantages, southpaws can get you with their left hook, or just plain kick your one-sided-favoring butt. Science backs up that the advantage lies in the element of surprise.

  14. Problems With Tech

    A computer’s mouse, your keyboard’s numeric keypad, credit card machines, video game controllers, and the oh-so-fun slot machines at the casino can all be the bane of a lefty’s existence.

  15. Live with Annoyances that Seem Minor to Others

    Zipping a coat, putting belts on, using tools, cutting with scissors, writing without inking up your hand, writing in binders or notebooks, right-handed school desks, can openers, subway turnstiles, accidentally elbowing who’s next to you. Shall we go on?

 

We see you lefties, and you are loved. It’s cool to be different, even if the world is made for righties. Are you or someone you know a lefty? What other things have you noticed about life as a southpaw? Share with us in the comments!

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