Left Handers are the Only One's in Their Right Minds

Left-handed people live in a right-hander’s world. From writing with a pen only to have the ink smear, to perhaps awkwardly using a manual can opener or a computer mouse, or those scissors we had to use in elementary school, us lefties are reminded daily that the world is more suitable for right-handed people. Throughout years’ past, lefties have even been treated as outcasts to society or even perhaps evil and a sign you could be a witch (don’t let anyone find out that you are a lefty if you lived during the Middle Ages)! Students in schools at one point even had to write with their right hand, as writing with the left was just wrong.

While left-handed people have their limitations and frustrations, being left-handed is really something to celebrate! Only 10% -12% of the world population classify as left-handed. That means you had a significantly higher chance of being right-handed, but no! You defied the odds and were left-handed instead! Gender wise, it is also more common for males to be left-handed compared to females.

What makes a person left-handed or right-handed is rather intriguing. Being left or right-handed is determined before one is even born. Genetics, one’s environment and just random chance are all significant factors that determine whether someone is left-handed.

As one who is a left-handed female, I feel incredibly unique! I am the only one in my family that is left-handed unless I branch out and count my extended family. I have a seven-year-old cousin that is also left-handed. The weird thing I noticed is that quite a few of my fellow co-workers are also left-handed. I work at a bookstore, by the way. Maybe there is some kind of connection between love of books and reading and being left-handed.

Left and right-handed people use the opposite side of their brain. For instance, right-handed people use the left hemisphere of their brain, while left-handed people use the right hemisphere. Ha! Looks like us lefties are the only ones that are in our right minds!

So what does that mean for lefties? Well, the right hemisphere of the brain controls a person’s left side of their body, while the left hemisphere controls the right. Even more interesting, the left hemisphere controls functions such as logic, quantitative data (numbers), science and math, language, and reasoning, while the right hemisphere controls functions such as music, art, imagination, and creativity! They say that left-handed people are more creative. I’m really not too sure about that, but I still find this very insightful as a lefty as I do love using my imagination with writing and even drawing sometimes!

Personally, as a lefty living in a right-handers world, I feel that I have adapted to a certain degree. I still face many frustrations that some other lefties might face. I’ve smeared ink countless times when writing or drawing (they actually make pens for left-handed people, by the way). I’ve tried to use scissors more suitable for right-handed people, frustrated that I just couldn’t get them to work. I actually got a pair of left-handed scissors for Christmas when I was a kid! Though, I can use a manual can opener and a computer mouse with my right hand with no problem. I think this is because I learned to use these objects with my right hand first off, or maybe its adaption most likely.

To close off, here are some left-handed people that you might have heard of:

Neil Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, Morgan Freeman. Leonardo da Vinci and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Being left-handed really is something to celebrate!