Right-handers make up ninety percent of the population. That fact alone sounds like it makes them better because there are so many of them. But that might not be true. There may be fewer lefties, but we are a proud bunch. As left-handers, we have a lot of obstacles to overcome. So that might make lefties better. Today, we’ll look at some facts to see which handedness is better, if either.
Differences Between Left-handers and Right-handers
Let’s take a look at the differences between lefties and righties. This information may help determine which handedness is better.
Left-handed people:
Lefties use their left hand for most of their daily tasks. Many cultures regard left-handed people as clumsy. Moreover, the word left has a negative meaning in many languages. In some religions, the devil was considered left-handed and equated with evil, so left-handed people were also considered evil.
Lefties make good sports players, artists, and even US presidents. They get a special day on August 13th in honor of being left-handed. One in ten people is left-handed. That is ten percent of Earth’s population. There are more left-handed men than women.
Scientists say that since our brain’s hemispheres control opposite sides of the body, lefties have most characteristics dominated by the right side of the brain. What does this mean? Lefties should be more creative, intuitive, better able to express their feelings, and better at visualization and 3D perception. This right-side dominance and a prevalence of emotional intellect may make lefties feel a broader range of emotions than righties, meaning they live more intensely. Studies of the dominant right brain and these characteristics of left-handed people are not yet conclusive.
Right-handed people:
Righties make up 90% of the entire human population, making the world we live in right-hand dominant. The dominant left-brain controls righties, meaning they have higher abilities in mathematics, logical thinking, organizing, memorizing, computing and technical information processing, discovering patterns, and applying them.
The expression of being someone’s right hand is thought of as a position of respect. Christianity is biased in this respect and says people should only make the cross’s sign with the right hand. Also, the right hand alone can be placed on the Bible when being sworn in.
So what is the difference between lefties and righties?
Well, aside from the fact that they each use a different dominant hand, we can conclude that their differences result from corresponding brain hemispheres.
It appears that left-handed people are more creative, emotional, and better at sports than right-handed people.
Left-handed people struggle through life in a world designed for ninety percent of right-handed people. Therefore, most products are created for right-handed users. However, there are industries that take notice of their left-handed customers and make unique items for them, such as guitars and watches.
Teachers once considered left-handedness a handicap and tried to correct it. Doctors once thought that making a lefty switch to right-handed would keep them from having the mental problems they were prone to. However, many years passed, and they’ve learned that forcing left-handed children to use their right hand has traumatic long-term effects. This change can lead to poor concentration, impaired memory, physical tiredness, and lousy handwriting, among other problems. The coercion this required did not consider the cross-wiring of the brain and the way a lefty thinks. Hand dominance is hardwired in the brain. To change the hand is to change the way the brain works and take away the natural way a child uses his dominant hand.
Are Right-handers Better?
We’ve learned that right-handers are dominant worldwide, with ninety percent of the population having a dominant right hand. This number gives them an advantage in how things work in the world. Most products are made for the right-handed person. Since this is the case, they don’t have to struggle in life as a lefty does. They are better at more technical areas of life. Thus, they appear to have an advantage in technical, mathematical, computing jobs. But does this make them better than their left-handed counterparts? I don’t think so.
Are Left-handers Better?
Despite left-handers having many struggles living in a dominant right-hand world, they are resilient and always figure out a way to use items made for the right-handers of the world. Left-handers are said to be more creative than right-handers. They appear to have a more comprehensive emotional range than right-handers and thus live more intensely than right-handers. Left-handers adapt to their world and make things work to their advantage. It makes them people who can adapt and overcome their struggles. They may see solutions to problems right-handers might not see. Does this make them better than right-handers? Not really.
Conclusion
In this article, we can see the differences between left-handers and right-handers, but is there anything that makes one hand preference better than the other? The answer is no. The biggest issue in being left-handed is the struggle of making our way through a world dominated by right-handers and the products made for them. I’m sure some could come up with reasons why either hand preference is better, but the facts don’t point to a better preference. So, what do you think? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.