We Few, We Proud, We Lefties
By: Dawn Bevier
Tags: Psychology, Left Handers, Identity, Self-awareness, Self

We Few, We Proud, We Lefties

Being “specially handed” not only makes us unique, it makes us extraordinary

Image by Mircea Iancu on Pixabay

We’re a special tribe, we lefties. You can always tell us by the special ink smudge we have on our little finger from writing into the page. Or the spiral tattoos on our hand from using a wire-bound notebook. You can also spot us at the dinner table because we sit a bit farther away from our guests so our elbows won’t bump our neighbor as we eat.

But each of our unique struggles comes with a special set of superpowers.

Here is just a sampling of the many things that might make you proud to be “differently handed.”

Our brains are good communicators

Studies have found that the left and right sides of the brain, each known for performing certain functions, work better together in left-handers. The New Yorker’s article “Sinister Minds: Are Left-Handed People Smarter” cites studies done by neurology experts Naomi Drisen and Naftali Raz. These experts found that the corpus callosum, fibers that connect the brain’s hemispheres, were larger in lefties. This synergy between different brain hemispheres particularly strengthens information processing and language skills, which could mean we southpaws may have greater verbal skills than our right-handed friends.

Image by Gerd Altmann on Pixabay

Our brains and our struggles may make us more creative

There’s no disputing that some of the most amazing artists, musicians, and “creatives” are lefties, namely greats such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Pablo Picasso.

So is there a real connection between left-handedness and creativity?

Scientists argue strongly for and against this hypothesis.

For example, some studies point to the fact that left-handers may be better at what is called divergent thinking. Romper’s article “Are Left-Handed People Smarter? Lefties Have Many Bragging Rights” quotes professor of psychology Dr. Alan Searleman who states “Left-handers have a higher ‘fluid’ intelligence and better vocabulary than the majority of the population. This is perhaps why there are more of them in creative professions, such as art, music, and writing.”

Naysayers of the theory that lefties are more creative point to countless scientific studies that have negated this culturally popular belief. In a Psychology Today article entitled “Three Myths and Three Facts About Left-Handers,” the publication uses the words of psychologist Chris McManus, author of Right Hand Left Hand, to echo this viewpoint. McManus states, “Although there are recurrent claims of increased creativity in left-handers, there is very little to support the idea in the scientific literature.”

Regardless of whether lefties are genetically more creative, many lefties since birth have had to find ways to accommodate for their differences in the real-world. This skill of adapting to a world made for right-handers may still make them more flexible and creative in their thinking than others.

For example, an article by Huffpost also speculates that growing up left-handed and the feelings of alienation that may have ensued spur lefties towards a more individualistic mindset. They state that “such a mindset can predispose a person to qualities like independence and non-conformity,” qualities that undoubtedly act as the impetus for unique thought and action.

Our brains make us able to multi-task more easily

This previously mentioned synergy between brain hemispheres also allows lefties to more easily handle several activities at once. The Ladders article “5 fascinating findings to help you manage lefties” cites research that found “lefties are better able to dabble in several tasks at one time, without losing their grip on deadlines compared to their right-handed counterparts.”

They speculate that this ability may be due to the lefties' constant habits of having to adapt to a right-handed world, which may make them more able to process several pieces of information at once.

The bottom line:

We lefties have been seen for centuries in a negative light. In the Global Journal of Archaeology and Anthropology, for instance, it states that in medieval times left-handedness was believed to be a possible marker of witchcraft and evil and even cites that in some cultures today, such as Africa, “giving, receiving, eating, and drinking with the left hand [is] considered rude by virtually all members [of the society].”

However, we “southpaws” have always known the truth — genius lies in the most unexpected of places (or hands). And now science is proving that we too have special gifts. So revel in your differences. That brain of ours is extra special and may have helped us become the articulate, artistic, productive person that we are today.

I’m left-handed and that means I’m extra special. And so too are you, my left-handed friends.