The Latin word ‘sinistra” originally meant ‘left’ but also came to mean ‘evil’. The English word ‘sinister’ comes from the above Latin word. ‘Left’ is also derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘lyft’ meaning weak or broken. Left-handedness is considered something negative in many cultures. In ancient times and the Middle Ages, left-handed people were considered to be different and viewed with great suspicion.
Are left-handed
people any different the right-handed people? Lefties make up about 10 percent
of the population. Society seems to have forgotten about lefties. There are right-handed
gadgets, awkwardly designed desks, and cooking tools that fit comfortably in the
right hand. People who dominantly use their left hands do have more left-handed
family members. And researchers have found different brain wirings in righties
vs. lefties. Did you know the following about left-handed people (and children)?
·
They Earn Extra Attention From Teachers-Learning to write is tricky enough,
but for the ten percent of children who write left-handed, it can be even
harder—not the writing itself, but the fact that the lessons are usually done by
right-handed teachers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it means lefties
may get more one-on-one instruction.
·
They Exhibit More Self-Control- According
to the famous "marshmallow
test" — in
which children are given a marshmallow and then told they must wait to eat it —
there is perhaps no trait that better predicts future success than
self-control. Kids who can control their impulses and delay gratification do
better in school and in their future careers. Good news for lefties:
Left-handed people have better "inhibitory control," helping them do
just that.
·
They Get Lost Less- Spatial
skills are one of the most underrated superpowers — having a good awareness of
your surroundings and how you fit into them can help with everything from
remembering where you parked to reading a map. Left-handed people have better
spatial abilities than their right-handed counterparts.
·
They Have Less Risk of Some Diseases- Lefties seem to have some
protection against ulcers and arthritis, according to a surprising study published in the journal Laterality:
Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition. Why? It's likely nothing to do
with left-handedness itself but rather the underlying DNA — genes associated
with being a lefty may also mitigate risk for those diseases.
·
They Recover Faster From Some Injuries- Of course you hope that your child
never suffers a stroke or other event that causes brain damage, but if that
does happen over the course of their life, they may recover better if they're a
leftie. The cognitive functions of left-handed people appear to be
spread over more parts of the brain, making them less likely to be affected by
a stroke.
·
They Use a Bowling Ball Designed Just for Them-Bowling balls are designed to be
either right- or left- handed. While they all have the same three holes
drilled, the length of each hole varies depending on which finger is intended
to go into it. This means that, similar to a baseball glove and scissors, a
left-handed kid needs his or her very own ball.
·
They're Better Fighters- Left-handed people are better at
fighting — at least in primitive societies. French researchers found that in peaceful societies, just 3 percent of citizens were
left-handed, but that number rose to nearly 30 percent in the most war-like
societies. While you may not want your child to come out swinging, this
instinct can be channeled into more positive traits — like not being afraid to
stand up for themselves or their friends and family.
·
They're More Creative Thinkers- You may have heard that left-handed
people are more creative than right-handed ones, and there may be truth to the
old adage. Lefties have more "mental flexibility" than the rest of
the population. A leftie is more likely to think out-of-the-box and be creative
perhaps like fellow lefties Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, Jon Stewart, and Jerry
Seinfeld.
·
They're More Efficient at Multitasking- Another key finding was that lefties have a better working memory than righties. The
working memory is the part of your brain that juggles short-term and on-going
tasks, giving left-handed children an edge at school.
·
They're More Likely to Be a Genius Billionaire- Lefties can count Apple founder
Steve Jobs, Facebook whiz Mark Zuckerberg, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, former
richest man in the world Bill Gates, and actress-turned-humanitarian Angelina
Jolie among their ranks. What is one possible reason for the link between
lefties and huge wealth? A study published in the Journal of Experimental and Clinical
Neuropsychology (JECN) found that lefties possess key traits related
leadership — including working memory operations— which may make them better suited for
business.
·
They're More Likely to Be a Twin- If
you're a twin or a parent of a twin, you know that being a twin is awesome for
many reasons. You have built-in best friend and confidante. Twins are twice as
likely to be left-handed. It was previously thought that twins mirrored each
other, with one being a righty and the other a lefty, but this study disproved
the common myth and found 21 percent of all twins are left-handed.
·
They're More Likely to Be President -Six out of the last 12 U.S.
presidents have been left-handed. Only 1 out of 10 people in the general population share
that same trait. What is it that makes a leftie so presidential? No one is
quite sure of the exact reason, but one Stanford study found that those with a dominant
left hand are better at coming up with fresh ideas from existing information.
“If the left half of
the brain controls the right half of the body then only left handed people are
in the right mind.” (W.C. Fields)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“11 Little-Known Facts
about Left-Handers” By Katie Kens
·
“18 Reasons Why Being Left-Handed Will Give Your Kid
a Leg Up In Life” By Charlotte
Hilton Andersen
No comments:
Post a Comment