Left-Handedness and Brain Function

Left-Handedness and the Brain

• Left-handed individuals, like Einstein, da Vinci, Caesar, and Napoleon, were historically feared and punished for their handedness. This stemmed from the belief that left-handedness was associated with evil.
• Left-handed children were often forced to use their right hand, which caused significant problems in school. This led to negative stereotypes.
• Researchers have found that certain aspects of brain function differ between the left and right sides of the brain.
• People who use language and problem-solving skills more from the brain's left side are frequently seen as more intelligent; they also tend to resolve problems more quickly. However, these same left-brained people sometimes display weaker memory skills.
• Lefties tend to use both hemispheres equally. This is connected to the brain's structural difference, where the connection between the two halves of the brain is typically larger in lefties than in righties.
• The left hemisphere controls critical functions like speech, language, writing, logic, mathematics, and science.
• The right hemisphere is responsible for music, art, creativity, perception, and emotion.
• Roughly 10% of the world's population is left-handed, with males being twice as likely to be left-handed.
• Present-day parents and teachers no longer see left-handedness as a problem that needs fixing but rather a trait which may potentially lead to great achievements.