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Left-Handers Day: Surprising Facts About Being Left-Handed

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

International Left-Handers Day is August 13, a day celebrating the 10 to 12 percent of people worldwide who favor their left hand. Discover surprising left-handed facts, history, and folklore—from old superstitions to the science behind handedness.

Years ago, some teachers insisted that all students, including left-handers, learn to write with their right hand. Teachers thought that students would have an easier time if they were not “different” from right-handed writers. Some thought that using the left hand was just a bad habit. Some even slapped or punished left-handed kids who had trouble!

left-hander facts

Now we know that everyone should use whichever hand is most comfortable. Today, 10 to 12 percent of the world’s population is left-handed. It’s not surprising that lefties sometimes feel “left out.” Plenty of superstitions and odd terms regarding left-handedness exist.

Left-Hander Superstitions and Terms

  • Sinistrophobia is the fear of left-handedness or things on the left side.
  • Many people believe that the devil is left-handed.
  • The Latin word for left, sinister, also means unlucky, evil, and suspicious.
  • The French word for left, gauche, also means clumsy.
  • A left-handed compliment is an insult.
  • It is believed that all polar bears are left-handed.
  • A left-handed baseball pitcher is called a southpaw. (And no, there’s no such thing as a northpaw!)

Why Are Some People Left-handed and Others Right-handed?

Scientists aren’t sure what causes left-handedness. Genetics plays a role, but it’s not the whole story. For example, identical twins have the same DNA, but it is common for one twin to be right-handed and the other to be left-handed.

Many left-handers have a symmetrical brain, meaning that the left and right portions of their brain are shaped alike. Right-handers often have an asymmetrical brain: The left cerebral hemisphere is often larger than the right cerebral hemisphere.

pinky promise left hand facts

No matter the shape of your brain or the hand you favor, here’s what we have—um—left:

Left-handed Facts and Trivia

The Left Test

There’s no sure way to measure “handedness.” One of the most widely used tests is called the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (developed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 1970s). This test asks participants which hand they most often use for a series of activities, including writing, eating, drawing, throwing, cutting with scissors, brushing teeth, and unscrewing a lid.

Left-handed Burgers? Baloney!

A full-page ad in USA Today in 1998 claimed that Burger King had developed the “left-handed Whopper.” The burger had the same fixings, but they were turned 180 degrees so that they wouldn’t drip out on left-handed customers. It was a joke! The ad ran on April 1 (April Fools’ Day).

Lefties Day

August 13 is International Left-Handers Day! The tradition was started by the Left-Handers Club, a group in the United Kingdom. Club members around the world give interviews and play left-handed games.

left handed facts folklore

Left-hander Heaven?

Lefties might want to travel to Left Hand, West Virginia, where there is a church, a school, and a post office. The village was so named because it sits on the left-hand fork of the Big Sandy River, not because of the way its citizens write.

Left-handed Reward

A few left-handers attending Juniata College in Pennsylvania have benefited from a scholarship just for left-handers established in 1979 by Mary and Frederick Beckley, two left-handers who met when they attended tennis class together in 1919.

If you’re right-handed, try writing with your left. If you’re left-handed, try brushing your teeth with your right. You’re likely to find these activities surprisingly difficult.

So, tell us below if you are a lefty or righty and what you’ve observed about this phenomenon called handedness!

Amusements

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the digital home of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She leads digital editorial strategy and publishing across a wide range of Almanac sub...

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Jodi Edwards</span> Sun, 02/18/2018 - 17:00
I am right handed, and do many things left, such as play guitar, shoot pool, shoot a gun. My daughter is right handed, as she can do a lot left handed as well, hit a ball both ways, shoot pool, play guitar, etc.. several more things. I never made her write right handed, I let her do what felt right. We just say we are ambidextrous. Now, my granddaughter was left handed/or is/ she used to write left handed, but since she started school in August she started writing right handed. (she wrote left handed in pre school last year) I'm pretty sure the teacher wasn't informed so now she's writing right handed. Also last summer she played tee ball and her dad bought her a right handed glove and taught her to bat right handed, but she tries to hold her bat and stand left handed, which i threw a fit about. The kid eats left handed, plays on the computer with the mouse left handed. She pretty much does everything left handed except write. I am pretty sure I will have my daughter teaching her how to bat left handed and buy her a lefty glove this coming year. What would you do??? I feel like people have pushed her to be right handed. BTW, she is also a red head, true ginger with blue eyes, freckles, etc.. and true gingers, statistically are left handed.
<span>Jeffrey Caliendo</span> Fri, 10/20/2017 - 22:45
I use my left hand for most actions except; scissors (they're designed for righties), throwing (balls, bowling) But, I've learned to use a computer mouse and keyboard as a rightie.
<span>Debra</span> Wed, 10/18/2017 - 07:29
Yes I am!!
<span>Tiffany Bowie-Elmer</span> Wed, 10/18/2017 - 02:08
Proud lefty here, but as we all assume genetics may play a role, accordingly to a new study published in February 2017, handedness is determined in the spinal cord before the completion of spinal/brain communication. They also hypothesize that maternal enzymes in utero may also play a key part in handedness. So, Mom may be in play as to which hand you will dominate with, but not in the linear way we've assumed. (Article published by eLife Sciences)
<span>Sharon Linville</span> Tue, 08/13/2019 - 19:43
Hypothetically speaking other than me the only relative I have is my fathers brother. So much for maternal enzymes. When my mother realized I was left handed she made sure the teachers did not try to change me. She always believed that my uncle (who was forced to change) had terrible writing and contributed to his somewhat mental instability.
<span>Jan</span> Tue, 10/17/2017 - 21:59
I am left-handed! My mother was ambidextrous. My sisters and father were right handed. I think being left-handed is special!!
<span>Madelyn</span> Tue, 10/17/2017 - 19:52
I am left handed but, although I write left, I cut with scissors right handed. Also I shoot pool left and shoot a rifle lefthanded. I bat a ball righthanded, and throw a ball righthanded. I iron clothes righthanded, crochet lefthanded. In Catholic school, the wonderful nuns, who I truly loved, tried to change me to righthanded, but they never got it done.
<span>Curtis</span> Tue, 10/17/2017 - 18:58
I'm lefty and did you know that pens and pencils are designed for right handed? Hold the pen in your left and the lettering is backwards and upside down
<span>Karen</span> Tue, 10/17/2017 - 18:45
I have noticed that most lefties are more ambidextrous. We have to be. We live in a right hander's world. It is more difficult, and often more expensive, to buy left handed scissors, baseball mitts, etc. Most tools that are specific for either left or right handers are hard for us lefties to find, and if we have to use a right handed tool we have to be more careful. There was a study done 25 or more years ago that found that lefties live an average of 9 years shorter than righties, mainly because factories, where many are employed, are built for right handers. So many of the early deaths were work related. I have noticed that there seems to be more left handers shopping in fabric stores, art supply stores, crafting stores (I used to work at a fabric store - probably 20% of the clientele was left handed - back when everyone wrote checks).
<span>Frankie</span> Tue, 10/17/2017 - 18:33
I am a 9 year parochial school left handed survivor. Nuns tried everything to make me "switch" hands, up to and including corporal punishment. But I survived. I eat, write, brush my teeth left handed. I can use left handed equipment, scissors and the like, but find that being left handed is only a plus to my creative mind. In "our right mind"?? could be...I like the idea that people think that we are....lol...