Left-handedness is a rare trait among humans.

About 7-10 % of the population is left-handed, and with that comes some unique qualities to left-handed people.

Being left-handed can have a slight impact on a person’s life. While babies do not have a noticeable hand preference, toddlers do begin to develop one at around 18 months.

For parents realizing that their child might be left-handed, this could be a source of concern.

Some people consider left-handedness to be a setback.

In a world that is predominately right-handed, it makes sense that some things are not made with left-handed people in mind.

From smudging the page when you write on paper, to difficulty cutting with scissors, many things just seem to be harder for lefties, and they often require specialized products.

But, what you might not realize is that there are quite a few advantages to being a lefty.

Being left-handed can alter how you use your brain.

According to the Illinois Research Consortium, lefties use their right side of their brain more.

This results in them being more likely to remember more events, synthesize information and multitask better.

In contrast, right-handed people tend to use a more analytical thinking style and think in terms of breaking down the whole into smaller, separate parts.

Right-handed people are also better able at remembering facts, rather than episodes and events.

Sometimes, lefties also show an increased capability for divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is the ability to come up with creative problem-solving solutions. It often relates to using imagination and coming up with multiple solutions to a problem. And according to a study done by The American Journal of Psychology, left-handed people scored higher in divergent thinking tests. This is a huge advantage for lefties and benefits them in many creative fields.

In fact, there are a lot of famous left-handed people!

Leonardo da Vinci, Jimi Hendrix, and Angelina Jolie are all left-handed celebrities.

Other influential people who are lefties include Winston Churchill, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates. One particular career that left-handed people excel in is sports.

Many of the world’s top sports stars are left-handed, which might be surprising to you.

According to Left Handers Day, “Their right-brain dominance gives lefties better spatial awareness, and reversed body dominance makes them harder to play against. A left-hander’s ability to surprise and catch a right-handed competitor off guard in sport and battle gives then a valuable competitive edge. Left-handers excel particularly in tennis, baseball, swimming and fencing.”

Some left-handed sports stars you may know are the baseball legend Babe Ruth, the left-handed and left-footed soccer pro Pele, and boxer and Filipino Senator Manny Pacquiao.

We should all celebrate lefties!

August 13th is International Left-Handed Day and a great opportunity to celebrate the lefties in our lives.

If you are left-handed, there are good reasons to appreciate that this trait sets you apart from other people. And if you are the parent of a left-handed child, you should be proud that your child could grow up to become an innovative artist, sports star, or politician!

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Source: The American Journal of Psychology, Insider, Illinois Research Consortium, Left Handers Day, Better Health