Today is International Lefthander’s Day!(There is even a website for it HERE) Let’s go over some myths and truths about the south paws you may know or be.

• Only 10% of the population is left-handed.
• Left-handedness is about twice as common in twins as the general population.
• Lefties have the upper hand when it comes to one-on-one sports like tennis, boxing, and pitching a baseball.
• Left-handed people are often credited with being more creative than righties, but that’s been found to be hard to measure. That rumor may come from a 1995 study that found left-handed men tended to engage in more “divergent thinking” than right-handed men — meaning they explore more options to solve a problem than the ones readily available.
• It was once thought that left-handed people were doomed to die earlier than their “normal” peers, thanks to a 1991 study from the University of British Columbia. But several studies since have debunked those claims, and scientists now generally accept that being a rightie or a leftie has zero effect on lifespan.
• A behavioral test conducted in Scotland showed a correlation between left-handedness and embarrassment. Those who had a dominant left hand answered that they worried more often about making mistakes and were more sensitive to criticism. Overall, the study suggested that left-handed people are generally more hesitant.

Top 10 Lefties

According to Time Magazine:

Barack Obama.
Bill Gates
Oprah Winfrey
Babe Ruth
Napoleon Bonaparte
Leonardo da Vinci.
Marie Curie
Aristotle
Ned Flanders
Jimi Hendrix

Now before you decide whether being a LEFTY is a blessing or a curse, first check out Daniel M. Abrams investigation of why some people are left-handed. He explains how the uneven ratio of lefties and righties gives insight into a balance between competitive and cooperative pressures on human evolution. It was a great Ted-Ed talk, that can you can fully link to HERE