“The findings are considered to support the view that greater engagement of right-hemispheric resources facilitates the performance of higher order functions that orchestrate cognition, such as mental flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory operations.” – Beratis, et. al (2013)
Ok, so roughly 10 p.c of our readership is ecstatic whereas 90 p.c aren’t. “That’s total B.S!” could also be your response – however wait, there’s extra!
A few issues to clear up beforehand:
(1) Research swings each methods on the lefty/righty debate.
(2) We are being as goal as attainable through the use of peer-reviewed knowledge.
Intelligence, smarts, no matter time period you could use to explain brainpower is, in itself, a highly-debated matter!
Some individuals name “B.S.” on I.Q exams – and there’s loads of good causes. For instance, do you know that most “intelligence” exams don’t measure artistic expertise? In different phrases, most IQ exams taken don’t take into consideration a vital element of summary considering. (Frankly, as somebody who makes their residing as a author, that is fairly insulting.)
But what does science say? We’re going to slim down the 1000’s of research which have “solved” the proper/left debate to only a few publications.
Anyways *puff*, onto the science!
Why Left-Handed People are the Smartest, According to Science
1. “Divergent Thinking”
Interestingly sufficient, considered one of the major benefits of being a lefty is divergent considering – aka, creativity and summary thought.
The majority of research reveal that lefties possess a extra developed proper hemisphere of the brain, which could have a larger diploma of affect on summary considering than the left hemisphere.
Another attention-grabbing and fairly believable speculation is that lefties, as a part of a minority group, develop a extra individualistic (much less group-oriented) mindset. An impartial state of mind and artistic giftedness typically lead lefties down the path of an artist.
2. Better, sooner hand-eye coordination
An attention-grabbing remark was made by some Australian researchers: 25 p.c of Major League Baseball (MLB) gamers are lefties – 2.5 instances the rate of the basic inhabitants. This quantity is what scientists name “statistically significant” (i.e. it’s value a rattling.)
A research printed in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills discovered “statistically significant differences in proportions of left-handed persons” who “(engaged) in “interactive sports.” What’s extra attention-grabbing is what they didn’t discover – a bonus in “non-interactive” sports activities. The distinction? Interactive sports activities: baseball, boxing, fencing, tennis. Non-interactive: bowling, diving, gymnastics.
In quick, lefties (theoretically) have higher and sooner hand-eye coordination.
They even have…
3. Faster response instances
Now this “lefties are more athletic” principle is making a bit extra sense. Better, faster hand-eye coordination and sooner response instances? That’s one thing you’d see scribbled down in some professional scout’s notepad.
In a research printed in the journal Neuropsychology, researchers found “a relationship (between) interhemispheric transfer time and hemispheric interaction in left-handed participants. (Results) demonstrate significant handedness effects, suggesting that left-handed individuals tend to have more hemispheric interactions.”
This scientific mumbo-jumbo boils right down to this: lefties, on common, have sooner left/proper brain connections than righties. (Couldn’t they’ve simply stated that?)
4. Better spatial potential
John’s Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth defines spatial potential as “the capability to understand and remember the spatial relations among objects … made up of numerous sub-skills, which are interrelated among each other and develop through your life.”
Spatial expertise are amongst the most “convenient” to have. For instance, somebody with this potential is usually wonderful with instructions. The skill set may additionally be profitable. That’s as a result of many lefties take pleasure in prominence in the fields of structure, engineering, arithmetic, and technology.
5. They’re emotionally clever
“For left-handed people, implicitly, they think good stuff is on the left, even though consciously, explicitly, everything in language and culture is telling them the exact opposite,” says Daniel Casasanto, psychologist and professor at Stanford University.
Dr. Casasanto makes an essential level. For years, and it continues right this moment (although to a lesser extent), left-handed individuals had been/are discriminated towards. Did you realise that, just by being born left-handed, many individuals assumed lefties had been “crippled, defective, clumsy, inept, doubtful, questionable, ill-omened, inauspicious and illegitimate”? We’re speaking lower than 100 years in the past.
Most of this revolting ignorance has (fortunately) passed by the wayside. Having one thing in frequent with 5 of the final seven presidents, 4 of 5 designers of the Mac computer (together with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak – and their competitor, Bill Gates), and probably the best thoughts in historical past – Albert Einstein – will rapidly render critics silent.
Plus, lefties have their very own day: International Lefthanders Day. Yep, fairly cool.
On August 13, be a pal (or simply look sensible) whereas providing a crisp high-five utilising your southpaw.
How do lefties adapt to a right-handed world?
Approximately 90% of the world inhabitants is right-handed. Individuals preferring the use of their left hand are in a minority with solely 10% of the world’s inhabitants. Being left-handed is unquestionably distinctive. But it additionally means studying how you can adapt to a right-handed world.
Left-handed individuals tie their sneakers in another way
If your mum or dad or instructor is right-handed, as a leftie, you most likely needed to train your self how you can tie your sneakers. Learning how you can maintain the shoestrings in a single hand whereas looping the different string round takes observe. Of course, many left-handed individuals adapt by studying to do duties like tieing their sneakers with their proper hand.
A left-handed particular person eats completely different
Although many left-handed individuals select to eat like a right-handed particular person, some lefties maintain their fork of their left hand with the fork tines dealing with down. They lower their meals, with their knife of their proper hand. Strangely sufficient, we historically known as this consuming “right-handed eating.”
To make it much more complicated, Europeans eat this manner–even righties.
They write uniquely
Lefties have gotten a nasty rap for sloppy handwriting, however that’s not all the time the case. Many lefties have stunning handwriting. It concerned holding a pen in another way, shifting the paper to a distinct angle than a right-handed author, and attempting to write down in a right-handed spiral pocket book, however lefties all face these challenges after they write.
They adapt how they use scissors
Right-handed people ought to attempt to use scissors of their left hand to expertise the problem lefties face. Fortunately, left-handed scissors exist–they’ve completely different grips and reversed blades so lefties can lower extra simply.
They want to maneuver their computer mouse another way
Computers all the time have the mouse on the proper facet. It appears easy sufficient to maneuver the nouse on the left facet, however it’s extra concerned than that. You want to enter your computer settings and alter the mouse button or it received’t work.
How they use zippers
Pants zippers present an on a regular basis problem to lefties. So a left-handed particular person wants to succeed in round in a clumsy position to zip up or down.
How they use cupholders
Indeed, righties don’t even want to consider most automotive cup holders are on the proper facet of the driver’s seat. This signifies that lefties have to adapt by setting their espresso in the cup holder with their proper hand or attain round with their left hand at a clumsy angle to place their espresso in the cupholder.
hey change up how they swipe their bank card
Most shops’ bank card machines require lefties to succeed in round and swipe on the proper facet of the machine. As with many different conditions, a left-handed particular person might adapt through the use of their proper hand to swipe their bank cards.
Giving a signature varies
If you signal your identify on a bank card machine, the pen is all the time on the proper. Lefties should adapt by reaching over the machines and signing their identify in at a clumsy angle.
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