You will be very surprised to know that there are only 10% of the population is left handed. So we should not forget about this fact that we are living in a right-handed world. The handedness can be determined at the initial stage of development. As per the report of Journal Neuropathy in 2015, that fetuses can show the hand preferences in a womb.
However, many people think that left people are not easy in this world. In the past, the left-handed people were labeled as evil.. The lives of left handed people are more difficult as the computer mouse, cars, spiral-bound notebooks, and school desks are designed for the right-handed majority. While they are no longer considering sinister, wrong or weak.
We are going to describe some myths of left handed people.
1. Lefties Die Sooner
2. Left handed people’s Brainwork differently
3. Left handed Children Don’t Perform Well in School
4. Left handed people have low mental health.
5. Lefties Are More Creative, Intelligent, And Introverted
6. Left Handed People are Good Players
7. Left Handed People are the best Fighter
8. Left Handed People have a higher risk of Breast Cancer
9. Left Handed People have Sleeping Problems
10. Left Handed Person has Low Risk of Arthritis and Ulcer
11. Left-handed People Earn Less Money
12. Left-Handed People More Drinker
13. More Risk of PTSD
1. Lefties Die Sooner
It is a myth that left-handed people die sooner as compared to right-handed people. This myth was originated in 1988 as psychologists claimed in a paper, that left-handed baseball players died younger. However, the occurrence of left-handed people was increasing throughout the 20th century.
So, It was once thought that they were doomed to die earlier than their normal. The study of the University of British Columbia showed that car accidents were often to blame, so left-handed people also took on the reputation for being bad drivers.
Halpern and Corean took the list of died person and they interviewed their families. They have seen the 2000 cases and as per their research, the average age of death of the left-handed person is 9 years younger than a right-handed person.
But different studies have debunked these claims, and scientists now generally accept that being a leftie or rightie has zero effect on lifespan.
2. Left-handed people’s Brainwork Differently
It is a common observation about left-handed people that they use the left hemisphere of brains to process the language. It does not mean that left-handed people use the right hemisphere. It is just a common myth introduced by Gina Grimshaw. As per her study, 98 % of right-handers process their language with the left hemisphere and 70 % left-handed people do so. Further, many left-handed have similar language processes to right-handed people
If we see the brain functions like attention, emotion, music, face perception are also been performed differently by left-handed people.
3. Left-handed Children Don’t Perform Well in School
This is just a myth that left-handed children do not perform well. Australian researchers found in a study of children 11 and younger that left-handed children performed worse than the right-handed. According to their observation, left-handed children have a poor vocabulary, reading, writing skills. Left-handed children use the two halves of their brains in different unusual ways. Yeo, the Australian researcher, says that mixed handed children have an unrelated learning disability that is making them struggle to decide which hand to write. Most children catch up with their class-fellows as they get older. So, according to Yeo, it is not an accurate predictor of classroom performance as it is just a myth.
(4) Left-handed people have low mental health.
In 2013, according to the Yale study, left-handed people have more risk of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. Actually, they have polled at the mental health clinic in 2013. They found most of the patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective were left-handed persons. The studies also found some links between non-right-handed people and dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mood disorder. This is also just a common myth as science is unable to prove it.
(5) Lefties Are More Creative, Intelligent, And Introverted
Left-handed people are more creative, intelligent and introverted. This is a common myth. Science has not proved it as it is still a myth. It has been observed that many artists are left-handed like Paul McCartney and Leonard da Vinci. They were famous artists. The left-handed people are famous for the hemisphere of creativity as their brain works with the right hemisphere. But research showed that left-handed and right-handed people do not differ in personalities based on their handedness. The same argument was published in 2012. The researchers in New Zealand noted that mix-handed people are more introverted.
(6) Left Handed People are Good Players :
It is another myth hat left people are good players. This advantage is strong in tennis and baseball, according to Penn State, but can be seen in boxing, golf, and cricket. Rod Laver, Martina Navratilova, Rafael Nadal are left-handed famous players as they were good at tennis. Further, You can see in some best players in the world who are left-handed like Saeed Anwar, Brain Lara, Wasim Akram, and Adam Gilchrist. All these are the best players in cricket. They are left-handed players. Further, You can also see other players in other games also.
(7) Left Handed People are the best Fighter
There is another common myth that a left-handed person is the best fighter. According to French Study, the researchers have found that southpaws made up about 3 % of the population in the peaceful primitive societies and 27% are in warlike. The left-handed people have some physical advantages over the righties as they can show an unexpected left hook. They are more powerful in this style. The other person cannot expect such a powerful style in the left hand.
(8) Left Handed People have a higher risk of Breast Cancer
Left-handed people can suffer from Breast Cancer as it is a common myth. According to a study in the British Journal of Cancer in 2007, the researchers found that left-handed person has a higher risk of breast cancer. Further, It is clear from Yeo Study that left-handed person can have some health issues like low baby birth weight and cancer. However, science has not proved it scientifically as it is still a common myth.
(9) Left Handed People have Sleeping Problems
Southpaws can be prone to periodic limb movement disorder. It can cause the patients to kick involuntarily and jerk their arms and legs during the sleep. In 2011, University of Toledo Survey of hundred patients, the researchers have found that 69 % of right-handed people experienced limb movements on both sides during sleeping. If we see in left-handed patients, only 94 % have these types of movements. Their findings can indicate that left-handed people have more chances of bilateral limb movements showing the potential For PLMD.
(10) Left Handed Person has Low Risk of Arthritis and Ulcer
Being left-handed is not bad for all as per a study published in journals found that left-handed people have low rates of arthritis and ulcer issues. These diseases may cause interactions of genes. Research also indicates that both types of genes are available in a left-handed person. So we can say being left-handed is not always bad. This common myth is in favor of left-handed people.
(11) Left-handed People Earn Less Money
As per the research of Joshua Goodman, the salaries of left-handed people were 9% to 19% lower than right-handed people. They have major gaps in their salaries as men have $ 2,500 and women have $ 3,400. He further found that left-handed people work in less demanding jobs. However, it is also a common myth.
(12) Left-Handed People More Drinker
Small studies suggested that left-handed people can drink more than right-handed people. The scientist is surprised at this myth as they are unable to know the reasons. They guessed that the lefty used two-sided of the brain unusually. It made them more prone to alcoholism. The study of the British Journal of Psychological Health also shows that left-handed people drink more.
(13) More Risk of PTSD
As per the Scottish study in 2007, the left-handed people were more likely to display more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after watching a movie. Some other studies also reveal that left-handers experience negative emotions. Both of these studies are based on the fact that left-handed people have unusual brain lateralization. It affects the way their brains process fear and anger.
Conclusions
It is a curious twist of human nature that most of the people prefer using their right hand, while a minority of them, around 10 percent, prefer using their left. It is a ratio that has remained relatively stable throughout human history. Experts remain unsure of how handedness can emerge in a child, So there are some cultural myths about left and right-handers. You can see above all the different myths about Left-handed people. These are some common myths and there is no scientific proof for any myth.