A few days ago I was talking to my mother (a leftie) about how I have been having trouble teaching Mason (also a leftie) the correct way to hold his pencil. He has never been especially interested in coloring or writing, which might be because he hasn't quite mastered the fine motor skill of holding his pencil/crayon properly. His preschool teacher has assured me that this is not unusual for boys. On the other hand (haha), he is captivated by some of the "games" I have on my iPad that require him to trace letters and numbers using just the tip of his finger (my favorites are the Montessorium games in case you are interested).
Anyway, as I was talking to my mother about all of this, she shared with me some interesting tidbits about lefties, some of which left me baffled. I turned to the expert on all random facts: google. I came across a blog (who knows if this stuff is true, but it agrees with some of the things my mom told me). Pretty interesting!
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Some facts on left-handed people from the Burlington News blog:
People who are left-handed make up about 5-15% of the population.
The genes for left-handedness are so far elusive.
Lefties are relatively numerous among creative men.
Lefties are relatively numerous among children rated as having an IQ higher than 131.
Lefties are relatively numerous among individuals who are good at music and maths.
Most left-handers draw figures facing to the right.
There is a high tendency in twins for one to be left-handed.
Stuttering and dyslexia occur more often in left-handers (Brantley's note: Mason has been in speech therapy for the past 6 months for mild stuttering).
Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater.
Left-handers excel particularly in tennis, baseball, swimming and fencing.
Left-handers usually reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers.
4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh (Apple) computer were left-handed.
1 in 4 Apollo astronauts were left-handed – 250% more than the normal level.
Almost 40% of the top tennis pros are left-handed.
Left-handed people are three times more likely than right-handed people to become alcoholics (scientists speculate that it is because the right hemisphere of the brain has a lower tolerance for alcohol than the left side of the brain).
People who are left-handed use the right side of the brain most while right-handed people use the left side most.
In many cultures children who were left-handed were forced to use their right hands instead.
More men than women are lefties.
Left-handed stroke victims recover faster than right-handed stroke victims.
Left-handers more likely than right handers to be creative geniuses.
Left-handers were severely discriminated against during the 18th and 19th centuries and it was often “beaten out” of people.
In adulthood, left-handers were often shunned by society, resulting in fewer marrying and reproducing.
As discrimination was reduced in the 20th century, the number of natural left-handers who stayed left-handed increased.
The rising age of motherhood contributed to more lefties, as, statistically, older mothers are more likely to give birth to left-handed children.
Left-handers are also generally better at 3-dimensional perception and thinking.
Left-handers are also usually pretty good at most ball sports and things involving hand-to-eye co-ordination.
Left-handers’ brains are structured differently in a way that widens their range of abilities.
A study found that left-handed men are 15% richer than right-handed men for those who attended college, and 26% richer if they graduated.
Left-Hander’s Day is August 13th.
In 60s music, Jimi Hendrix played a right-handed Fender Stratocaster strung upside down to accommodate his left-handedness. Paul McCartney of The Beatles is left-handed; when he first played for John Lennon, he played Lennon’s right-handed guitar upside-down. Ringo Starr of the Beatles is also left-handed.
Left-handed persons are thought to process information using a “visual simultaneous” method in which several threads can be processed simultaneously.
Left-handed people have an excellent ability to multi-task.
The hypothesis that left-handed people are predisposed to visual-based thought has been validated by a variety of evidence.
Left-handed university students are more likely to major in visually-based subjects, as opposed to language-based subjects. Another sample of 103 art students found an astounding 47% were left- or mixed-handed.
In the Middle Ages, writing with your left hand was punishable by death.
Half of left-handed people use a computer mouse with their right hand.
If both parents are left-handed, 50% of their offspring will be left-handed. 2 Righties only have a 2% chance of having a leftie. (Graem & I are both righties).
There are twice as many left handed boys than girls.
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Clearly this list was compiled by someone that is left-handed!
