Left-handed people, who account for roughly 10 percent of the world’s population, experience distinct challenges, benefits, and quirks of daily life that most right-handed people usually never even consider. Over the years, there have been plenty of myths and theories — both good and bad — about what it’s like to be a lefty in a right-handed world. Did you know that lefties typically have better hearing than righties? Or that presidents are more likely to be left-handed? Both true. But chances are you’re more familiar with the less exciting side effects of being a lefty. In the healthcare industry we come across the occasional left handed physician. If you think being a lefty is inconvenient for you, imagine a doctor performing surgery with equipment designed for right handed people. I am told that it is all but a nightmare for dental specialists to work lefty since they need to actually sit on the opposite side and that messes up the assistant and everything including buying technologies designed for lefties which of course means selling a practice is harder since only a lefty can buy it etc…

The science behind why people are left-handed isn’t in agreement just yet. There have been a number of worthy studies and hypotheses put forth that deal with genetic differences and brain structure, and new research has begun to expand on those genetic and brain factors.
While scientists cannot yet confirm the definite point of handedness, they do know that children of left-handed parents are more likely to inherit this trait.

Neuroscientists know that the reversal control in brain hemispheres tends to make left-handed people more “right-brained” (so to speak) and use this hemisphere of their cerebrum more than right-handed people and vice versa.
A right-brain dominant person does have some advantages in a few areas, but scientists have shown that having an equal symmetry and balance between all four brain hemispheres is of the most benefit. It’s thought that lefties have an overall greater brain symmetry, but the onset of left- handedness might start elsewhere and be actually due to asymmetry in a different part of the body. Although there is actually a lot of positives about being left handed, here are five things that only fellow “southpaws” will understand…

1. The struggle that is a pair of scissors. You need to cut something, so you grab a pretty standard, ubiquitous office supply. Simple, right? Wrong.

2. The former struggle that was a spiral notebook. As if high school wasn’t enough of a drag, you had to deal with parallel dents running down the side of your hand.

3. Remember that time you went a whole day writing and never had an ink stain on your pinky and/or entire hand? Of course you don’t: It’s impossible.

4. Measuring cups. (Hope you prefer the metric system.)

5. Tethered pens at the bank