Left-Handers Think Faster...Maybe

New research shows that left-handers might respond faster to stimuli, use their whole brains for language and other stuff. Maybe Lefties aren't so gauche after all.

I am left-eye dominant which means I should be using my left hand, but was socialized right-handed. (No one forced me, I just watched everyone use their right hand.) My brother is ambi-dextrous like me as are other family members. So I dribbled left-handed, shot lay-ups left-handed (and right-handed). I played tennis left-handed first, then right-handed. Basically, it was weird. According to this quiz, I'm 70-30 Left-side dominant. Interesting. I was tested once, and was told I should be Left-handed and that those who should be, but write with their right hands tend to have a lot of internal frustration because of the extra neurological step it takes. That's as good an explanation as any.

Left handers are interesting folks. They tend to have more bowel problems:

However, a new study, conducted in the United Kingdom, suggests that left-handers may be a tiny bit more vulnerable than righties to certain diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colitis, ulcerative colitis and Crone’s disease. Nothing in the study indicates why this may be true. It’s not likely something we need to worry about.

This is certainly true in the Lefty side of the family.

And then there is this fact: Lefties are parts of more violent societies. That violence extends to sports, too as a greater percentage of the professional athlete population is Left-handed than everyone else. I did notice an advantage playing basketball, because defenders tend to want to turn you to the side they are comfortable with and with the majority of people being strong right-handers, defenses are set up for that--if unconsciously.

Lefties are more likely to be twins and have twins. And that is true in my case, too.

Left-handed people are more likely to be homosexual. They are more likely to be autistic (my son) and more likely to have echolalia (which my son also had).

More research here.