Information on Left Handed People

Around 10 percent of people are left handed.

Left-handed people comprise a small section of society, and have unique difficulties to overcome in their daily lives. While the cause of left-handedness is unknown, the population has been closely studied, and is much understood.

Features

Left-handed people have a tendency to use their left hand for more tasks than the right. The left hand is under greater control, so tasks such as writing and manipulating objects are easier and have higher quality results.

History

Today, left-handedness is far better understood. In the past, it was considered a problem. Faced with a right-handed society, many left-handed people were considered evil or wrong; many were punished and forced to use their right hands. This fear and misinformation has been slowly replaced with scientific understanding and increased awareness.

Considerations

With nearly 90 percent of people exhibiting right hand dominance, left-handed people often function in a world built for someone else. Common utensils and devices are engineered with right-handed individuals in mind. Using right-handed scissors or tools often poses a higher injury risk to left-handed people. Left-handed individuals are often forced to use their right hand or use tools backwards, which lends to inefficiency in daily tasks. In response to these problems, specialty tools have been made specifically for left-handed people.

References

• "Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"; Handedness; October 2009
• "Laterality"; Human handedness and scalp hair whorl direction: No evidence for a common cause; Perell et al; January 2009
• Gauche! Left-Handers in Society