To most of us, it is inconsequential and there’s even a day dedicated to it, but it was only this week that I realised how difficult life must be for the ‘left-hander.’
It’s a curious concept when the norm is the opposite, but it is thought that southpaws have more geniuses amongst their ranks than we traditional right-handers. Their numbers include Einstein, Darwin and Franklin.
Approximately 11% of the world’s population are incumbents, and it is still believed in certain quarters that the Devil was a leftie due to the Latin word ‘sinister’ meaning left.
Prince William, Obama and Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, McCartney, and the Bieber are also members of the club, which can be difficult to navigate, especially in education.
Scissors are well documented as being designed for right-handers, but gear sticks and can openers are also problematic, as is an increase in learning disorders and, bizarrely, breast cancer.
Zips on men’s trousers always have a flap over the left side, which doesn’t make gripping easy, and more money is spent on soap due to ink smudges on the side of the hand when writing in old-school ink.
Other issues cited are opening locks, putting belts and jackets on, hugging and receiving change, all of which we unconsciously do from the right.
A study of the foetuses of ‘stressed’ pregnant women showed that they were more likely to produce southpaws, which was backed up by a similar study in Sweden in 2008.
Twenty-one per cent of twins are lefties, and over 40% of schizophrenics write with their left hand, but they are deemed to be better at sport and art because they approach issues in both arenas from a distinct perspective, giving them uniqueness in comparison to others.
It never ceases to amaze how many studies have been undertaken and how many fail to answer the question ‘why?’
Male left-handers are more likely to be born in winter - it is thought this is because of hormone imbalance in the colder months, but again, the researchers take the cash and answer the ‘what’ but not the ‘why.’
I had an epiphany listening to the ex-uni student the other day and will now be more accommodating to lefties, although I am unsure how that will manifest.
You only spot them if you really look, even then, it is not obvious. Anyway, I believe an adult would feel patronised if I offered to use scissors for them or offer them a wet wipe to scrape away the ground in ink as they rub their paws over their written efforts and wonder just how much easier we righties have it.
- Brett Ellis is a teacher.
