Alex Carson
Being Different
Any kid is who different than their friends is often singled out, and bullied. Even if it is something that they cannot change, like the hand that they write with. Anyone who is left-handed knows the struggles that they were forced to deal with as children. During art, two racks of scissors are brought out. The regular scissors for the right-handed kids and the scissors with the green handles for the left-handed kids. Since most people are right-handed, the left-handed kids were singled out. This is just one of the many issues that lefties go through.
Looking Down On Left-Handedness
Looking down on left-handedness is not a new trend. It can be traced back through history. In Nepal, India, and the Middle East, the left hand was used for personal hygiene, which meant that it was dirty. This meant that you had to eat with your right hand, even if you were left-handed. Catholicism makes several references to the right-left split. Jesus sits to the right of God, and his left hand is used for passing judgment. During the 16th and 17th centuries, many women who were accused of witchcraft were left-handed because using that hand was a sign of working with the devil. Even in more recent days, people saw being left-handed as being wrong, so left-handed students were forced to learn to use their right hand.
More Leftie Problems
Left-handed people tend to struggle in school. It is suspected that the two sides of the brain work together in a way that a right-handed person’s does. It is also believed that left-handed people have a higher rate of mental illness such as mood disorders, schizophrenia, and dyslexia. This is also connected to brain lateralization.
Emotions and Vices
Left-handed people tend to get angry or embarrassed easier than righties. This is because the right side of the brain is home to your emotional control. They are also susceptible to other vices. Left-handed people tend to drink more than right-handed people. Maybe this is due to the bullying that they went through for being left-handed as children. It could also have something to do with lateral use of the brain.
Babies
Babies born left hand dominant are much more prone to one strange condition. It is believed that there is a connection between low birth weight and left-handedness. Babies who are born to older mothers have a better chance of using the opposite hand, but that isn’t related to pregnancy. Mothers who had stressful pregnancies are also more likely to give birth to a left-handed baby. Some ultrasounds can determine that a baby’s hand preference because it is the hand that waves or the thumb that the baby sucks on the womb.
Fear and PTSD
Left-handed people are more likely to be affected by long-term fear and PTSD. Scientists believe that this is due to the fact that the right side of the brain handled the storage and formation of new memories. It is also thought that left-handed people have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, but there is no scientific proof of this.
Athletic Benefits
With all of these horrible issues related to being left-handed, it is nice to know that there are some benefits. In sports, from baseball to boxing, lefties have an advantage. Most athletes are right-handed, so it is harder to face an opponent who is left-handed.
Creative Benefits
Because the right side of the brain controls artistic impulses and creativity, left-handed people are often more interested in the arts, and they are better at it. Since Vincent Van Gogh and Peter Paul Rubens are lefties, you can be sure that this is true.
Presidents
If you want to be the President of the United States one day, history shows that you have a better chance if you are left-handed. Several recent US Presidents were lefties, including Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton.
More Fun Facts
If you are left-handed, the nails on your left hand will grow faster because you use it more. Also, lefties have been shown to hit puberty a few months later than righties because their brain functions differently. Also, in same-sex couples, one tends to be left-handed. When you were a child, being left-handed may have made you feel different. As an adult, it should make you feel special. Left-handed people’s brains function differently than right-handed people. While there are a few downsides to being left-handed, the benefits outweigh them. If you are a leftie, sing it loud and proud. Lefties even have a whole day decided to them. August 13th every year is International Left-Handed Day. You should feel special since righties don’t have a day named for them.
