Left-handedness

Are you a left-hander?

A left handed person is also known as a ‘southpaw’, ‘lefty’, ‘cack-handed person’ or ‘cacky-handed person’, ‘mollydooker’, and many others, and terms used for either ‘left handedness’, or the word ‘left’ in most languages around the world, have a negative connotation associated with them.
One tenth of the world’s population is left-handed, and you are more likely to be left-handed if you are a male than if you are a female, or if other family members are left-handed.
The concept of left-handedness has been studied for over 150 years, yet the cause of left-handedness it still unknown and there is still little conclusive data about it, even though a number of theories exist.
Many left-handed people were or are forced to use their right hand mainly for writing purposes at school, and this practice should be discouraged, as it can cause confusion in the brain and have other negative effects, like learning disorders.
It is believed that left-handed people find it easier to multitask and remember events better than facts.

Left-handers have significant advantages in many sports, including have an element of surprise as many players expect or are used to a right-handed opponent.
It has been discovered that left-handed people are more likely to suck their left thumb whilst still in the womb and right handed people, their right thumb.
Mechanical and electrical tools can be more dangerous if used by left-handers, as they are often made by right-hand inventors, and are not designed with left handedness in mind, although there are a growing list of products designed specifically for left-handed people, which includes scissors, can openers and vegetable peelers.
There are a number of beliefs about left-handers, including that they have a shorter life span; have a higher chance of getting an autoimmune disease; that on average they have a higher IQ; and are more likely to be creative, though in most cases there has not been enough thorough research to prove these beliefs are facts.
Left-Handers’ Day is an international event held annually on the 13th August, and promotes the advantages and disadvantages of left-handedness, and raises the awareness of the awkwardness of left-handers living in a right-handed world.