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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>Terri Hawkins</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 20:35
I am a 100% lefty!!! I do everything left handed!!!
<span>Carole Lee</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 20:25
I'm a lefty, but can do most things equally well with both hands. As a child, I was very fortunate to attend schools that did not force us "lefties" to use our right hand. Our teachers actually made sure that left handed students used the proper paper and hand orientation, so I've never had the problems I've observed with left handers writing backwards, or using that awkward hook. Although, over time I learned to adapt to whatever task before. In sports, I am balanced on both sides, and able to perform equally well whether using my right or left hand. This used to drive teachers and other students crazy, but I just thought of it as my own personal asset. Bottom line, most predominately left handers I know are not restricted to using one hand, which is hardly ever true of our right handed compadres.
<span>Ruth</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 20:07
I am a lefty. I also was a right handed dental hygienist for 22 years! Hey didn't have books for left handed hygienists and although I tried doing it left handed, all the angles and everything was written for right handed students. My classmates were struggling anyway and I thought, why not? I pretty much have equal strength in both hands. Bat lefty, open jars righty, write left, mouse right. I feel lucky I can use both hands as being a result of the right handed world I grew up in. Back then, left handed scissors sucked, so I learned to do it with my right hand. It's all good!
<span>Lizzard</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 20:01
Born leftie hold fork n knife left handed n do the silverware shuffle both fork n knife need to be in left hand so I'll hold my food with my fork in my right hand cut with the left switch the fork n knife to eat what I cut, at dinner always get a corner of a table only leftie in my family I play all sports right handed my dad being a righty couldn't figure out how to teach me left handed so baseball, bowling, shooting is all left but golf I can do both right n left. I can write with both hands n even my left foot. I can't walk up or down stairs starting with my right foot gotta be the left. Oh n shaving is left handed n a pain in the butt to shave my right side lol
<span>Robert Moher</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 19:29
I am a lefty, however, I golf right handed and am a switch hitter in baseball. The only problem I have ever had being a lefty is smudging the ink once in a while when writing.
<span>Nancy Horn</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 19:12
I am the only lefty born to my parents. I have a unique talent of being able to write upside down and backwards...with both hands. Freaks out doctors. LOVE it! I "learned" to print in a one-room school but would start in the bottom right hand corner and work my way to the left-hand top of the page. Everyone facing me could read it. Poor Mrs. Jenkins had quite a time getting me to print correctly. Years later, I discovered I could do it equally well with both hands at the same time...and love to show it off to anyone and everyone. After years of struggling with righty shears, I finally got a good pair of lefties a year ago...love them!
<span>Deltadale</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 19:11
I fish a great deal and I noticed that standard casting reels are called right handed where when attached to a rod, the rod is cast with the left hand and line reeled with the right hand. They do make left hand reels where the rod is cast with the right hand and reeled with the left hand. They call these left-hand reels. The odd thing is the right hand setup I use is considered a standard setup vs the left hand and I am left handed. All other sport related equipment are done with my dominate left hand which sometimes makes it difficult especially with firearms.
<span>Beverly</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 19:10
I am ambidextrous, but when I started school, I tried to write left handed. I'm one of those who got hit with a ruler!
<span>Julie</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 19:09
The term is back-handed compliment, not "left-handed compliment."
<span>Sam Hill</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 23:17
Either term is correct. They are both in the dictionary. Check it out at Dictionary [dot] com. ;-)