Contents
- 1. Left-handed people are not only “programmed” by genes.
- 2. Left-handers are not necessarily “right-brained” people
- 3. Left-handedness is not a sign of creative thinking and high intelligence
- 4. Lefties are probably more emotionally sensitive.
- 5. Lefties really see the world differently.
- 6. Left-handedness does not affect overall health
There are many myths around left-handedness. How true are they? Should we demand creativity from left-handers? Treat them more carefully and carefully? Research by psychologists and neuroscientists will help separate truth from fiction.
Only 10-15% of all people are left-handed. The status of a minority sets a certain framework for perception: those who are somehow different from the main mass are perceived by others as inferior or, on the contrary, gifted. Then speculations begin: left-handers either try to retrain with all their might, or they expect outstanding successes and brilliant solutions from them.
Meanwhile, today it is becoming more and more obvious that the connection between the brain and the dominant hand (leg, eye, ear) is not as straightforward as it seemed before. Research shows that many of our ideas about left-handers still need to be adjusted.
1. Left-handed people are not only “programmed” by genes.
There is no single answer to the question why some people become left-handed. It is known that genes are responsible for this feature in 25% of cases. Left-handedness is also inherited, but not as often as height or eye color. Even identical twins can sometimes have a different dominant hand.
The brain can make the choice in favor of left-handedness in the womb
For example, one theory links this developmental scenario to exposure to high doses of the male hormone testosterone. In addition, severe maternal stress during pregnancy can cause oxygen starvation (hypoxia), which leads to oppression of the more sensitive left hemisphere.
2. Left-handers are not necessarily “right-brained” people
The right and left hemispheres not only control “their” (opposite) side of the body, but also determine how we process information, solve problems, and respond to stimuli in different ways.
It used to be that most right-handed people use the left hemisphere of the brain for speech-related tasks, while left-handed people have their language center located in the right hemisphere. But further research did not reveal a clear trend: linguistic left hemisphere was observed in 88% of right-handers and 78% of left-handers. Pronounced right hemispheric language activity was only in 7% of left-handers.
“Most left-handed people use the same areas for language as right-handed people,” says Gina Grimshaw, a neuroscientist at the University of Wellington (New Zealand). – As for functions such as attention, emotions, perception, we do not have data to make generalizations. But left-handers definitely don’t have the “flipped” brain that some people think.”
3. Left-handedness is not a sign of creative thinking and high intelligence
You can often hear that left-handedness comes “complete” with outstanding abilities. But, according to Ronald Yeoh, professor of psychology at the University of Texas, there is no serious evidence for this. This rumor was born in 1995.
Then one study found that left-handed men find more diverse and unusual ways to solve problems.
“There is a reasonable grain in this idea, but still it cannot be said that discoveries and breakthroughs in science or art should certainly be expected from a left-hander,” says Ronald Yeoh. Neuroscientist Tatyana Akhutina agrees with him. “A neuropsychological study of gifted schoolchildren with high achievements in mathematics showed that among them there are both pronounced right-handers and left-handers and ambidexters.”
4. Lefties are probably more emotionally sensitive.
Psychologist Zhanna Lukyanchikova and her colleagues found that among gifted adolescents, left-handers and ambidexters (especially those with different preferences for the eye and ear) often have an increased level of anxiety, introversion, and asthenia, while right-handers more often showed strong-willed qualities and perseverance in solving problems.
In addition, in a study by psychologists at the University of Abertay (UK), left-handed people more often agreed with statements like “I often worry about my mistakes”, “I am very hurt by criticism”. At the same time, data obtained on a larger sample did not reveal significant differences in the temperament of right-handers and left-handers. Perhaps the anxiety of left-handers manifests itself precisely in stressful situations, when their abilities will be evaluated by others. One way or another, this question is not yet completely clear.
5. Lefties really see the world differently.
In many languages, “right” also means “true”, “fair”, “truthful”. Left-handers are characterized by the opposite attitude: what is on the left causes them more trust and sympathy.
“A person with a dominant left side of the body will intuitively prefer those objects and images that are on the left, even if they cannot justify this,” explains Ronald Yeoh.
This effect can be observed in various life situations when you need to make a choice.
For example, during voting in elections, when the names of candidates are placed on the left and right on the page, the left-hander is more likely to choose the left. If he, of course, is not familiar with them and their program.
6. Left-handedness does not affect overall health
There has long been concern that left-handedness has something to do with impaired immune function and that it could be a risk factor for autoimmune disorders.
Neurologist Norman Geschwind believed that exposure to testosterone in the womb delayed the process of neuronal localization. In his opinion, this delay not only causes left-handedness, but also slows down the development of the immune system.
Most of these suspicions were not confirmed, and Gershwind’s theory as a whole was refuted. However, some diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are indeed more common in left-handers than in right-handers.