Lefties Are a Special Breed – Dave’s Diary

I have read the statistics.  Left-handed people allegedly live seven years less than us righties.  I tease my lovely left-handed wife about this from time to time.  Between 10 percent and 12 percent of the world population is left-handed, and scientists have no idea why! It could be genetic. And while there are no obvious differences between those who are right-handed and those who are left-handed, we do know that lefties tend to excel at visual and spatial tasks and seem to be overrepresented among geniuses. She reminds me of that from time to time!  So what makes southpaws special?  Here are a half dozen facts from LiveScience.com.1. Studies have found that southpaws have higher rates of dyslexia, schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases, such as allergies and lupus.

2. Many geniuses and leaders are lefties. Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin were all southpaws, as well as eight U.S. presidents: James A. Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry S Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Fully 25 percent of the Apollo astronauts were left-handed.

3. Lefties tend to excel in fields that require excellent visual-spatial abilities, including architecture and graphic design, but are underrepresented in math and science.

4. Lefties may have a more balanced view of their bodies. Right-handed people are more sensitive to their right side; for example, their right arm is typically stronger and larger. Left-handed people don't have a similar bias; for example, their arms are equally strong.

5. Mothers who are over 40 at the time of a child's birth are 128 percent more likely to have a left-handed baby than a woman in her 20s.

6. August 13 is Left-Hander'

s Day, which celebrates left-handedness and raises awareness of the difficulties and frustrations lefties endure in a right-handed world