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August 13 is International Left-handed People's Day. On this day, left-handers draw attention to their needs and everyday problems.
dpa/Christian Charisius
People who write with their left hand are seen as artistically gifted and not as cool analysts. In elementary school, left-handers are often considered clumsy. What is the truth of these prejudices?
Even as an embryo in the mother's womb, some left-handers suck their left thumb. By the age of three, it is usually clear which hand a toddler uses to grasp, throw a ball or draw. According to a 2020 study, around 10.6 percent of people are left-handed, including slightly more men than women.
There are numerous myths about lefties. Some consider them to be more creative or even more intelligent, others mock their clumsiness. There is even a persistent misconception that left-handers have a shorter life expectancy. What is the truth of these stereotypes? An overview:
In left-handers, the right hemisphere of the brain is active during motor activities, whereas in right-handers the left hemisphere is active. Otherwise, there is hardly any difference between left- and right-handed people. "Perhaps the biggest misconception is to assume that differences in handedness must have any consequences at all," says psychologist Ulrich Tran, who researches this topic at the University of Vienna. Biopsychologist Sebastian Ocklenburg from MSH Medical School Hamburg is co-author of the study published in 2020. "Whether someone becomes left-handed is 25 percent determined by genetic factors," he says. Environmental factors also play a role, such as birth weight or whether you were breastfed.
The two halves of the brain are specialized in different tasks and processes. In left-handers, the right hemisphere, where artistic skills are located, is active in motor activities. In right-handers, the left hemisphere, where analytical thinking is located. "Because of this fact, there is an assumption that left- and right-handed people differ in their creativity," says Tran. "However, this doesn't really seem to be the case."
Nevertheless, left-handers are particularly common in creative and artistic professions. This is due to the fact that many people think that left-handers are more creative, explains Ocklenburg. This widespread assumption therefore makes left-handers more likely to take up a creative profession.
Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are said to have been left-handed. Many US presidents, including Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, also write with their left hand. Are left-handers particularly clever and therefore destined for greatness? Not at all. A study from 2015 came to the conclusion that left-handers are no more intelligent than right-handers.
Until the 1990s, many left-handers were retrained and were only allowed to write with their right hand at school. "Retrained left-handers often develop concentration problems or even psychological problems because the retraining represents a major intervention in their brain," says psychotherapist Barbara Sattler. In 1985, she worked on a research project which, according to Sattler, led to the establishment of the first German counseling center for left-handers and retrained left-handers.
She criticizes the fact that too little attention is paid to the topic in some daycare centres. Children sometimes take their cue from their playmates and retrain themselves in the process. The expert estimates that the proportion of left-handers is actually 20 to 25 percent.
If children change hands frequently after the age of four, parents should seek advice from their pediatrician and possibly have their handedness tested. It is important that the writing hand is determined before the child starts school. Tips for parents can be found on the Kindergesundheit-Info.de portal from the Federal Ministry of Health.
"Left-handers are not clumsier, but their environment is more geared towards right-handers," says Ocklenburg. For this reason, left-handers are slightly more likely to be involved in accidents. "Another disadvantage is that it is more difficult to learn motor activities from right-handed people," says the biopsychologist. This is why left-handed children sometimes have difficulties learning to tie a bow, for example. Many also find it difficult to knit and crochet. Parents should always get left-handed scissors for handicrafts.
That depends on where they come from. According to Sattler, the left hand is still considered unclean or even the devil in some regions of the world. There are reports of children having their left hand tied behind their back so that it is no longer used.
According to psychologist Tran, social stigmas have developed over the course of history. They have caused a lot of suffering among those affected. Sattler criticizes that left-handers are still a long way from equal opportunities with right-handers. Apparatus, machines and tools are designed for right-handers. Alarm buttons in industry are often placed on the right.
According to Sattler, this is a misconception. The background to this could be an old study that has long since been refuted. "There are still so many questionable theories being put forward about left-handers," criticizes the psychotherapist.
Left-handers have great advantages, especially in martial arts or interactive sports. However, they are not better tennis players, emphasizes Ocklenburg. However, they benefit from training predominantly with right-handers, while right-handers rarely meet left-handers. Left-handers can therefore take advantage of the surprise effect.
People who can do everything equally well with both hands are extremely rare - only 0.1 to 1 percent of the population. In addition to the 10 percent left-handers, there are also around 9 percent people with ambidexterity, as Sattler calls it. These people would, for example, write with their left hand but perform less demanding tasks with their right.
