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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>Sam Sallee</span> Sun, 08/16/2015 - 19:06
Both parents right handed, 2 kids left handed. When I was learning to print and write the teachers would take them out of my left hand, turn my paper to the "correct" position then leave. I turned them back to my way. My Dad even went to a teacher meeting and accused her of being a communist for trying to change me....... I loved him for that! I can pick up a glass and drink using right hand, but I am a lefty all the way.
<span>Bettyann Buchanan</span> Sun, 08/16/2015 - 15:02
I'd like to refer myself as ambidextrous as I am a lefty but can use my right hand for many things such as throwing a ball with my right hand, bat right handed but catch with my left, hold my fork in my left hand, can use either hand to cut food with..but only my right hand with scissors. I think my hands are confused..lol When it came to binders in school I would always have to take loose leaf out to write on the paper so my hand wouldn't be touching the binder rings as I wrote with my left hand but often practiced writing with my right hand as well. I've never been to a left handers store but I do think that would be interesting. :)
<span>Bud Linggi</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 22:37
As a grammar school child of the forties, I too went through the trial of being encouraged to write, right-handed. Unlike a Canadian friend that wound up in a school for retarded children when her left hand was strapped to her desk, I had no problems from the temporary trial. Perhaps because of real ink pens, I learned to write with my wrist unbent. High School drafting class lettering exercises were a problem...I had to reverse the arrows when doing certain letters. One of the biggest trials came in my military service. As most lefties learn that most tools are built for right-handers, so were the personal weapons of war. More than once I had a super hot shell eject from my M-1 and land down the front of field jacket. In later years, taking serious tests that required speed for employment, I learned that tests were designed for right-handers. The questions were on the left side of the page and the answer boxes were on the right. Your wrist covered up the next question while you were marking the multiple question box. However, I think all of us lefties agree, that considering the disabilities of folks that we have known, being left-handed in a right-handed world is a minor hinderance. Hah! Unless you are seated, for dinner, at the right end of the table... Bud
<span>Glenn Sermos</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 17:10
I'm so left handed I can't do anything with my right hand. Can't brush mt teeth, comb my hair. I even have a hard time petting my cat. lol
<span>Rebecca Elisa Watson</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 16:27
I was originally left handed when I was in the first grade (age 7). At that time, I attended a catholic school and at that time my teacher (a nun) used to take a ruler and swat my hand when I tried to write with my left hand; that happened every day during that school year. I was forced to learn to write with my right hand. I'm now 55 years old and I'm now both left as well as right handed. I have a now 25 year-old son who is left handed as was his dad.
<span>Jerry Reed</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 15:53
I AM LEFT HANDED,BUT USE MY RIGHT HAND ALSO. When I was little, I would use my left hand. So in the house my Mom would switch the spoon, and pencil to my right hand. Now I write with my right hand and eat with my right hand, use scissors with my right hand. Anyway most of the activities in the house are righted. Out side i mostly use my left hand. I guess you could say I am a left/right hander. I don't feel that all this has affected my life.
<span>Debra Boekel</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 14:02
I'm left-handed, butt teachers tried to make me switch. Thankfully my dad didn't allow it. So to this day I am still a lefty and proud of it even with all the jokes I have to put up with.
<span>Jenni M</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 13:24
I'm a righty but I'm goofy footed. I'm goofy in general when it comes to handedness as I'm all over the place sometimes. I do some things with my left hand such as opening jars. I write and do most other things with my right. I found my left arm is stronger than my right which is why I open jars better with my left. I strictly eat with my left while cutting with a knife. It's a lot of trouble to shift the utensils. But when no knife is involved I go righty. In grade school I used to bat switch for fun. Didn't know it was special or unusual. Although I prefer to bat right. But I can't throw well with my left. I've done some tests that determine I'm both brained. Makes sense considering I'm well rounded with learning subjects and I'm quite artistic and creative. In Jr. Highly I started writing in math class with my left for fun and found I picked it up quite quickly. Easier with number than letters though. I have three boys and two are left handed. My righty is goofy footed like me. My dad was a lefty and so are many others on my dads side. I encourage all my boys to try learn some things both ways to be more flexible. But I don't push it too much. My house is 2/5th lefty, 2/5th goofy and my husband is a pure righty. It's not difficult for me to teach lefty stuff to my lefty boys but can be daunting for my husband sometimes. So I feel we are pretty well rounded in my home and no one gets 'left' behind.
<span>Joey Wolf</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 11:24
I am right handed, but can use my left in many situations;at work I could: run an air gun and trim plastic crisper pans with a pocket knife left handed, or right. I can eat with either hand, this developed because I had 9 brothers and sisters, 5 were left handed. Have you ever been stuck between a left and right hand sibling at the supper table.....it's a bruising good time. One brother could write with either hand, Ma said it was because he was lazy, he wrote with the hand that was closest to the pen....too lazy to switch hands. Of the nieces and nephews, 4 are lefties and 3 are righties.
<span>Mary Thibault</span> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 10:20
I am left handed and do everything with my left hand except iron... that I do right handed...any particular reason for this?