Incredible facts
Being left-handed is extremely inconvenient (and even, at times, dangerous) for health and life.
It's cool to be left-handed, as it offers a lot of benefits.
To be or not to be is not a question whether you were already born left-handed. But is this good or bad from a scientific point of view?
Here are 10 reasons why being left-handed is bad, and then 10 reasons why being left-handed is cool.
10 reasons why being left-handed is bad
1. Left-handed people are more likely to get sick
Robert Kneschke
Being left-handed means being exposed to a whole bunch of pretty serious health problems, from mental and mental disorders to breast cancer. But what are the reasons for such a harsh verdict for left-handed people? Why do they have a higher risk of illness than right-handed people?
The most interesting thing is that there was no direct causal relationship between these phenomena. For example, as a result of research by specialists from the Center for Applied Kinesiology, New York, USA, who study the physiology of movements, it has not been proven that natural left-handedness is the cause of serious health problems.
Read also: The left hand will help control emotions
Despite this, the harsh statistics are adamant, providing data confirmed by numerous other studies: left-handed people are really at greater risk than right-handed people, associated not only with the development of certain chronic pathological conditions, but also with early death (which, in fact, we will discuss later).
2. Left-handed people are more likely to die prematurely
The results of various studies, which are primarily based on statistics, show that the average left-handed person does not live as long as the average left-handed person right-handed. You can talk for a long time about the reasons for such a strange pattern, which, by the way, is what many experts are doing, while unsuccessfully trying to get to the bottom of the problem.
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As an explanation for the premature death, it is even suggested that this is due to the fact that left-handed people experience lifelong stress trying to adapt to this world, “sharpened” for right-handed people. At first glance, this assumption seems far-fetched.
But think about it: everything from the design of some desks designed for right-handed people to the design of cars that are easy to drive by right-handed people creates inconveniences for left-handed people throughout their lives.
And here's another reinforced concrete fact:
according to the results of a study (the link to the study is provided at the end of the article) published back in 1991 in The New England Journal of Medicine), a left-handed person is five times more likely to die in a car accident than a right-handed person in a car accident.
3. Left-handed people are more likely to suffer from mental disorders
It is not surprising that after reading the previous two paragraphs, some left-handed person will really feel that he is starting to have mental problems! However, the fact remains that left-handed people are at greater risk of developing quite serious mental illnesses during their lifetime than right-handed people.
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The results indicate the relationship between the dominance of the right or left hand in humans and the frequency of hospitalization with various diagnoses related to mental health disorders research conducted in 2013 by specialists from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (link to the study is at the end of the article).
Researchers have found that approximately 40 percent of patients with schizophrenia are better at using their left hand (writing, eating, etc.). And this is despite the fact that the number of left-handed people in our society does not exceed 15 percent. It also turned out that left-handedness has a clear relationship with dyslexia (inability to read) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
4. Left-handed people have a higher risk of developing breast cancer
We are used to the fact that breast cancer, also called breast cancer, is a purely female disease. This is mostly true, although males also suffer from it. Doctors recommend that you regularly (about once a month)
independently examine your breasts in order to identify any pathologies that indicate the possible development of this terrible diseases.
However, left-handed people should carry out this test even more often and more thoroughly than right-handed people. The reason lies in the results of a study published in the British Journal of Cancer on the prevention and treatment of cancer (link to the study presented at the end of the article).
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According to the results presented, left-handed people have a higher risk of developing breast cancer (especially left-handed women after menopause) (although slightly — 1.8 to 3 percent, depending on age) than among those born right-handed.
5. Left-handed children are more difficult to adapt to school
The period of adaptation to school is generally a difficult period in the life of any child. However, even here, left-handed children have a harder time than their right-handed classmates. According to the results of a study (the link to the study is given at the end of the article) by American scientists published in the official journal of the American Demographic Association (Demography), the indicators the academic performance of left-handed children is lower than that of right-handed children.
Left-handed children showed more modest results in subjects such as reading and writing; they found it more difficult to expand their vocabulary and adapt to the school's social environment. Tellingly, the results were the same regardless of the parents' socio-economic situation, and in what a favorable environment the child developed at home.
6. Left-handed people have more restless sleep
To verify this, it is enough to pay attention to your life partner, if he is left-handed. Or rather, pay attention to exactly how he sleeps. Researchers say that left-handed people's sleep is usually very restless, which causes their partners to either lack sleep or sleep separately.
Jacob Lund
Of course, exceptions are possible, however, according to the results of a study (linked at the end of the article) conducted by specialists from the American College of Nursing Physicians (link to it at the end of the article) College of Chest Physicians), left-handed people are at higher risk of developing periodic limb movements during sleep (the so-called restless legs syndrome).
For reference
Restless legs syndrome manifests itself in involuntary twitching of the lower extremities during sleep. It is noteworthy that this phenomenon most often affects the legs, although the upper limbs often twitch. The causes are discomfort in the limbs that are at rest.
7. Left-handed people are more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
There is an opinion that left-handed people are less likely to watch certain horror films that openly discuss topics and passions related to mockery of the human body. There are a lot of such films: for example, Saw, Cube, and so on. Allegedly, it is more difficult for left-handed people to force themselves to see such indigence.
While you are trying to figure out whether this is true or not, we will cite the results of studies (link at the end of the article) published in an online medical publication dedicated to the study of biopsychosocial aspects of increased injuries and stress.
According to these results, left-handed people are more likely than right-handed people to develop PTSD after watching certain frightening passages from various horror movies. And in principle, watching such films causes them extreme rejection.
8. Left-handed people make less money
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To the piggy bank (sorry for the tautology), another one is added to all of the above problems of left-handed people, which consists in the financial insolvency of left-handed people. Or, if not so categorical, their inability for the most part to make as much money (or as easily) as right-handed people do.
At least, this conclusion suggests itself from the results of studies (link – at the end of the article) by Harvard University specialists published in the Journal of Economic Prospects (link – at the end of the article) of Economic Perspectives). Scientists have found that left-handed people's wages are about 9 to 19 percent less than what their right-handed colleagues earn.
Of course, as with any rule, this has its exceptions (Bill Gates or Henry Ford, for example, who are certainly not beggars). However, in general, left-handed people earn less. By the way, among left-handed students, the percentage of those who, for various reasons, drop out of secondary or higher educational institutions is higher.
9. Left-handed people have a harder time dealing with negative emotions
A question for left-handed people: did you notice that it is quite difficult for you to avoid an argument, avoid a difficult conversation, and avoid the need to interact with unpleasant people? Scientists say that this behavior is quite typical for left-handed people. Allegedly, this is due to the fact that left-handed people have the appropriate connections in the brain in this way.
Lifestock
Whether this is the case for you personally or not is up to you to judge. However, this is the conclusion that can be reached if we analyze the results of studies (link is provided at the end of the article) published in the Journal of Mental and Mental Illness (link is provided at the end of the article) Nervous and Mental Disease) back in April 2002.
Experts say that people who were born left-handed are more likely than right-handed people to become discouraged and show negative emotions in principle (in the form of a reaction to stress or negativity). Also, such people need more time to “digest” a negative situation and “move away” from their feelings.
10. Left-handed people are more likely to abuse alcohol
And finally, the last short point on our list of things that can make the average left-handed person very upset about a villain fate: scientists believe that left-handed people are prone to alcohol abuse to a greater extent than their right-handed comrades.
It is clear that it is not possible to conduct a large-scale study of this issue (for objective reasons). However, according to the results of a study by British scientists (yes, those very British scientists!) , left-handed people really drink more and more often right-handed people, and they supposedly suffer the consequences of drunkenness more severely.
This claim could be disputed, but the relevant data were presented in The British Journal of Health Psychology. The results of this interesting study can be found by following the link at the end of the article.
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Perhaps you, being left-handed, are a little depressed after reading the material above. It's not worth it. In fact, as the wise saying says, forewarned is forearmed. And if at least one of the above points is directly relevant to you, it makes sense to make some adjustments to your life (to spite right-handed people!). And to boost your spirits, learn about the benefits of being born left-handed.
10 reasons why being left-handed is good
1. Left-handed people are more creative than right-handed people
Creativity implies the presence of certain creative abilities due to the special organization of brain connections that are conducive to making non-stereotypical decisions. In situations where standard and predictable solutions don't work, it makes sense to find a left-handed person in your team and then delegate the appropriate authority to him.
And these are not empty words — this thesis is supported by various studies based on statistical data. One such study, published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, suggests that the most creative actors, artists and people in other creative professions are more likely to be left-handed (the link to the study is provided at the end of the article).
2. Left-handed people have the skills to adapt quickly
Imagine having to adapt all your life to something because you were born left-handed: to a right-handed keyboard, to driving, to using tools , to weapons, to many other inventions and solutions that have been “sharpened” by right-handed. Living in such conditions is a real challenge.
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But the situation in which nature itself has put left-handed people is hardening. Left-handed people get used to it, reacting faster than right-handed people to certain challenges that require quick adaptation. For example, if a new crane with unusual controls appears in the construction team (the levers are differently located, the buttons are placed in the wrong place), there is no doubt that a left-handed crane will master it faster specialist.
3. A left-handed person is more likely to become a successful athlete
An interesting fact is that there were (and still are!) among the truly great athletes indecently lots of left-handed people. This may discourage right-handed people, but people born left-handed people are actually more likely than right-handed people to achieve significant success in certain sports (although this does not apply to this. all types of sports activities).
Left-handed people can achieve the greatest success in sports such as football, fencing, boxing, tennis, ping pong, and so on. Take football, for example. The names of only a few famous left-handed football players are known even to people who are very far from football. In the list you can find such names as Messi, Cruyff, Maradona, Pele. And this is not the whole list!
Sanders, Klitschko, Ibragimov, Chabaev and many other left-handed athletes are famous among left-handed boxers in the ring. And who doesn't know tennis stars like Navratilova or Sharapova? What are you saying? Does Sharapova play right? This is true. However, she was born left-handed! Moreover, in her interviews, she repeatedly expressed regret that she was retrained as a child as a right-handed child.
4. Left-handed people are successful politicians
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The number of right-handed politicians on our planet, of course, prevails over the number of left-handed politicians. However, if we take into account the fact that there are almost seven times fewer left-handed people in the world, the number of left-handed people who have shown remarkable leadership qualities and have become successful and famous politicians, is as indecently large as the number of left-handed athletes.
Tellingly, until a certain period, not so many left-handed politicians were known. They may have simply been retrained, but history is silent about this. In recent decades, there have been five left-handed American presidents alone — Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, and Obama. By the way, in earlier years, only two US presidents are known for certain who wielded their left hand better than their right hand — Garfield and Truman.
5. There are many left-handed geniuses
The special organization of brain connections between left-handed people is the reason that geniuses are often born among left-handed people. We will not mention brilliant politicians or athletes, as this was already mentioned above. However, there were brilliant left-handed people in other areas, and not only creative ones.
There is such a thing as an implicit left-handed person. I mean people who were once retrained to “be like everyone else”, that is, forced to use mostly their right hand. There is information that such geniuses as Dmitry Mendeleev, Charles Darwin, Tsiolkovsky were implicit left-handed (although this information is inaccurate). Isaac Newton, Mikhail Lomonosov and other world-famous personalities were left-handed.
Yaroslav Shuraev/The Yaroslav Shuraev Collection
Interesting information
Among simply gifted people who have achieved recognition for their talent with considerable diligence, there are not so many left-handed people — about 8 percent. But among geniuses, the number of left-handed people exceeds 20 percent. This suggests that a genius left-handed person is twice as likely to be born as a genius right-handed person.
Among the most famous brilliant creative personalities, it is impossible not to mention Leonardo da Vinci, Leo Tolstoy, Hans Christian Andersen, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and Herbert of Wales. Such famous and undoubtedly brilliant actors as Viktor Sukhorukov, Charlie Chaplin, Nicole Kidman, Bruce Willis and many others were also born left-handed.
6. There are many left-handed people among very rich people
Do not look for contradictions in this paragraph with what we said above (they say that left-handed people have a harder time getting their piece of bread in this life, or that left-handed people are more difficult to adapt to school conditions, demonstrating a lower level of academic knowledge). Perhaps, for the most part, this is true, as long as this thesis is supported by relevant studies.
However, the exceptions that have lived and are still living among our contemporaries only confirm the fact that left-handed people, being forced to learn to adapt quickly to the realities around them, can achieve unprecedented success in some areas of activity.
Kaspars Grinvalds
We've already mentioned Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and industrialist Henry Ford, who need no introduction. It is also difficult to call the above actors and athletes poor people, although they are certainly far from billionaires. Especially before the likes of John Rockefeller and Mark Zuckerberg, who were also born left-handed.
7. Left-handed people are protected by law
The law is the same for everyone — this is a fact. However, there are no legislative initiatives that are aimed at protecting the rights of right-handed people in the world. But many countries pay very close attention to protecting the rights of left-handed people. For example, back in 1991, the United States of America drew attention to the fact that left-handed people are more likely to suffer (and even more often die) in case of serious accidents at various industries.
The UK has also become seriously concerned about the rights of left-handed people, creating the so-called British Left-Handers Club (that is, the Left-Handers Club). There are also relevant organizations, clubs and movements that protect the rights of left-handed people in many other European countries. A well-known international organization such as UNESCO also draws attention to the problem of left-handed people.
The former Soviet Union did not stand aside either, in which, on the initiative of two Ministries (the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education), a program for the protection of left-handed people was developed children, allowing such children to develop without retraining “to the right”. This happened back in 1985. It is noteworthy that many provisions of this program are still being observed in countries that were once part of the USSR.
8. The intimate life of left-handed people is better than that of right-handed people
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We really hope that your sex life is all right (regardless of whether you are left-handed or right-handed). And yet, according to experts who have devoted a lot of time to studying this issue, left-handed people are not only happy with their intimate life, but are very happy (at least 86 of them were percent of left-handed people out of the total number surveyed).
The results of a similar survey conducted among right-handed people were much more modest! It is reported that only 15 percent of right-handed respondents are “very satisfied” with their intimate life. Thus, left-handed people are almost six times happier in intimate relationships with the opposite sex than right-handed people. What is the reason for this remains a mystery.
Can we trust this information? This is a fairly large-scale survey, in which 10,000 people took part. The survey itself was conducted by a Swedish sex company, and the results were published in TIME, a reputable weekly publication (link is attached at the end of the article). And if you want to check it out, you'd better ask your left-handed friends about it yourself!
9. Left-handed people are a unique natural phenomenon
Of course, we can argue with this argument, given the fact that about a seventh of the world's population is left-handed (which is, for a second, one billion people). Nevertheless, the probability of finding a left-handed person among your friends is not so great (especially considering the fact that until recently they were “forged” on right-handed people almost on an industrial scale).
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However, a left-handed person, once in a new company, usually always attracts attention. Most likely, left-handed people get used to the duty question of others during their lives — “Wow, are you left-handed?” Many people just get tired of it. However, there are some left-handed people who are flattered by such attention. It is even rumored that women are more interested in left-handed men (by the way, there are more of them than left-handed women) than in right-handed people precisely because of their relative uniqueness firstly.
Interesting information
According to various media sources, the number of left-handed people born in recent years is about twice as many left-handed people who were born two decades ago or even earlier. This may be partly due to the fact that left-handed people used to be retrained to be right-handed, but even this argument does not explain this changing pattern.
10. Left-handed people have their own holiday
Why not consider this fact in favor of left-handed people? Here you are, right-handed. Do you have your own party? We are not talking, for example, about Defender of the Fatherland Day or International Women's Day — everyone celebrates these holidays, regardless of whether you are left-handed or right-handed. And left-handed people have their well-deserved and unique International Left-Handed Day, a holiday celebrated in the summer, on August 13.
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This is an unofficial holiday, but the scale of the celebration is quite serious — after all, there are much more left-handed people in the world than, say, medical workers. International Left-Handers Day has been celebrated since 1992, although the initiative to make August 13 the day of left-handed people dates back to 1976. It came from an international organization that once drew attention to the problems of left-handed people — Lefthanders International.
Also read: 20 interesting facts about left-handed people
Whether or not to be left-handed is a completely rhetorical question, as we are unable to influence the dominant hand we are born with. However, it is certainly necessary to believe that even with the large number of inconveniences left-handed people face in this life, you can always find no fewer advantages and arguments in the benefits of being left-handed.