“God made everyone right-handed; the truly gifted overcome it” – Anonymous.

Life as a left-hander is not for sissies; writing leads to an ungraceful scribble, there is never a pair of lefty scissors conveniently lying around, and tin openers frankly mock you! Lefties make up 10% of the population, but they would be forgiven for thinking that the world was designed by a slightly different race.

For years, left-handedness was seen as an affliction to be cured. Even the word “left” derives from the Anglo-Saxon word “lyft”, meaning “weak”. However, being left-handed isn’t all bad news and there are definite advantages to having a lefty as a team member at work.

Skills lefties bring to the workplace

    • Daydream believer. Studies find that left-handed individuals score higher when it comes to creativity, imagination, daydreaming and intuition. They’re also better at rhythm and visualisation.
    • Think it over. Left-handed people are said to be good at complex reasoning, resulting in a high number of lefty Noble Prize winners, writers, artists, musicians, architects and mathematicians. According to research, lefties appear to be better at divergent thinking.
    • Sporting agility. Left-handers may have the edge in manual activities where team members face each other. This may be due to the fact that left-handed persons have more opportunity to practise against right-handed ones. Where an activity involves left turns, the movement will come naturally to a left-handed person.
    • Pass the driving test. Left-handed drivers are 10% more likely to pass their driving test, according to the AA Driving School. A significant reason for this could be the use of the gear and clutch, positioned to the left of the driver. These precise motor skills area highly valued in some workplaces.

Other interesting facts that may contribute to productivity and success in the workplace are:

    • Health perks. Left-handed stroke victims reportedly recover faster. While the reason is unclear, some believe it’s due to left-handed people having to strengthen both sides of the brain to succeed in a right-handed world.
    • Success stories. Left-handed college graduates go on to become 26% richer than right-handed students. In addition, four of the five original designers of the Macintosh (Apple) computer are listed as lefties.
    • In good company. Many famous people are listed as being left-handed, namely, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Renoir, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Prince William and at least eight previous US presidents to name a few. Famous stars and singers made the list as well. Perhaps being left-handed is the secret to success!

Shop ’til you drop

There are stores devoted to selling practical and novelty items to lefties. Online shops offer everything from left-handed mugs and kitchen sets to office supplies, clothing, and “backwards” watches and clocks.

Of all the interesting facts about handedness, probably the most important one is that it does not matter much at all.

 

Sources

http://www.brainjet.com/
http://www.educationandcareernews.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/