Embracing Uniqueness: Benefits of Being Left-Handed People

About 10 percent of the world’s population is believed to be left-handed, as compared to right handers. Despite being in the minority, they have made the right strides in different fields such as art, music, politics, and science.

Interesting nicknames have been garnered for left-handed people, from the standard left-handers or lefties to slang such as southpaw, derived from baseball and refers to a left-handed batter or pitcher.

Being a lefty means smudging your paper with ink when writing, using scissors and kitchen tools made for right-handed people or righties, and making a few adjustments when playing musical instruments, among many other struggles. It might feel like you are not built for this world, almost as if you are an oddity among right-handed peers.

Worry not— there are fantastic benefits that come with being left-handed!

Linked to verbal skills

A recent study published in the journal Brain correlated genetic influence to human handedness and brain development and organization. They used thousands of brain scans and sequenced genomes to look for associations between genes, brains, and handedness. According to the findings, the left and right hemispheres had stronger links in the regions associated with language in the left-handers, which could correlate with more extraordinary language ability.

Some studies also show that left-handed children who score higher on verbal reasoning are more likely to be in gifted programs.

Lower risks of Parkinson’s disease

Apart from having remarkable linguistic prowess, left-handedness is also associated with lower risks of Parkinson’s disease. The same study identified a common genetic influence on handedness and Parkinson’s disease and showed that lefties have a lesser chance of getting the debilitating sickness at a later age.

More creative with visual arts

According to Dr. Gina Grimshaw, Director of the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Wellington in New Zealand, most right handers use the left hemisphere of their brains to process language but it is common myth to think that left handed people are right brained.

Also, within the general population, right handed parents does not automatically mean producing right handers.

However, left-handed people are said to be more creative with visual arts as they have better divergent thinking. Research shows that left-handed people are more likely to have a more developed right hemisphere of the brain. This helps them to create innovative ideas and solutions and think outside of the box.

Notable historical figures such as Aristotle, Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Marie Curie, and Beethoven were all lefties. This may seem like a coincidence for some, but for others, this is evidence.

Extremely adaptable

Unfortunately, most instruments, tools, and machines were made for right-handed people. This means left-handers have had to adapt to circumstances that are not ideal for them. In a way, this even makes left-handed people more resilient.

Increased dexterity

As mentioned, left-handed people have to walk, live, and navigate the dominantly right-handed world. This makes it natural for them to do different tasks the “right-handed” way, such as using scissors or a standard car designed for use by people with right-hand dominance. You can find a high proportion of left-handed people in trades and professions that require a greater degree of manual dexterity, such as musicians, athletes, and keyboard operators.

Pass driving tests more easily

According to statistics in the United Kingdom, 57 percent of lefties pass their driver’s test on the first attempt, in comparison to their counterparts who are 10 percent less likely to pass on their first try. Ayrton Senna and Valentino Rossi, two of the best drivers in the world, are also both left-handed.

Better athletes

It’s also said that left handedness give them an advantage in some sports. For example, left handed athletes in boxing, boxers are not usually used to facing opponents who throw their attacks from the left giving them the upper hand against their right handed opponents. The Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao himself is left-handed and has mastered a southpaw stance, which is used by boxers who favor their left side. Likewise former American professional boxer Oscar dela Joya who has nicknamed “The Golden Boy of Boxing.” Paeng Nepomuceno, a Filipino superstar bowler, coach, and six-time World bowling champion, is also left-handed.

In tennis, you can also get an advantage by serving with your left hand like the all-famous John McEnroe, which will cause difficulty for right-handed players. Left-handed swimmers, such as Mark Spitz, were also considered to have an edge in that they could acclimatize to underwater vision more quickly. A left handed pitcher is said to possess fine motor skills.

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Famous Left Handed People

Left handed men who are world leaders and royalty include former U.S. presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Prince Charles, Prince William.

Actors who are famous lefties include Angelina Jolie, Ben Stiller, Bruce Willis, Diane Keaton, Emma Thompson, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Julia Roberts, Julianne Moore, Kate Hudson, Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Scarlett Johanssen, Seth Rogen, and Whoopi Goldberg. You can see in archives like Getty images how these actors sign autographs using their left hand.

A vast majority of famous musicians also use left as their dominant hand. Adam Levine, Annie Lennox, Bob Geldof, Cardi B, David Bowie, Eminem, Jimmy Hendrix, Justin Bieber, Kurt Cobain, Lady Gaga, Noel Gallagher, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Ringo Starr, and Seal, to mention a few.

In the world of business, next on the list of lefties who’s worth mentioning are Nikola Tesla and Bill Gates. Tesla is a Serbian-American inventor, engineer, and futurist who owns about 300 patents around the world for his numerous inventions.

Faster recovery from injuries and ailments

Scientific studies suggest that left-handed people recover faster from injuries due to having more cognitive functions scattered out, meaning when they have a stroke, less of their cognitive functioning gets impaired. These studies also show that left-handed people recover faster from strokes and other brain ailments.

There are a lot of daily tasks and duties that lefties have grown to adapt to, while right-handed people do not even have to think about them. It is easy for the righties to take this for granted, but it doesn’t take away the fact that left-handed people are brilliant, in ways that transcend the right-handed world.

If you ever have a hard time again in the future while trying to use that non-ergonomic scissor, remember that your differences do not have to stop you from living your life to the fullest.

The conclusion? That being left-handed is so unique and special. Dare to be different and be proud of the way you are!