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Right is wrong: the surprising life benefits of being left-handed

Left-handers like Barack Obama are more likely to become President - AFP
Left-handers like Barack Obama are more likely to become President - AFP

For years, left-handedness was seen as an affliction to be cured, and it seems probable that there remains an ingrained – if unthinking – bias against left-handed people today. Indeed, even the word 'left' speaks of an Alpha and Omega, deriving as it does from the Anglo-Saxon 'lyft', meaning 'weak'.

But being left-handed isn't all bad news. New research has indicated that being left-handed could be a significant bonus – for sports players at least. The study, published by academics at the University of Oldenburg, in northwestern Germany, found that the greater the time pressure in a game, the greater the number of professional players who are left-handed. (Time pressure in this sense is measured as the average time between a ball leaving one player and reaching another.)

One in five top-flight cricket bowlers are left-handed, while a third of baseball pitchers use their left arm

According to Dr Florian Loffing who led the research, the reason left-handers may do better is because most of their opponents are predominantly accostomed to responding to right-handers. Approximately ten percent of the world's population is left handed, but in sports where Loffing's research applies these odds are slashed dramatically. For example, one in five top-flight cricket bowlers are left-handed, while a third of baseball pitchers use their left arm.

If you yourself are left-handed, but don't fancy turning your hand to either of those sports, then fear not: with the aid of some statistics and a splash of imagination, we've come up with five more reasons why being left-handed is brilliant.

Lefties become President

What do Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton all have in common? They're all lefties of course.

Coincidence? Well, maybe. The preponderance of lefties in fields that are traditionally associated with intellect, such as mathematics and politics, has led to conjecture that left-handed people are simply smarter. Theories abound as to why: some claim it's due to left-handers' superior use of the right-hand side of the brain, while others suggest lefties train themselves to think problems through from a young age as they have to find solutions in the right-hand designed world.

Whatever the reasoning, lefties do seem to rise to the top. Look at the list of Nobel Prize winners and you're faced with a disproportionate amount of left-handers, while Mensa says that 20 per cent of its members are similarly orientated (that's double the amount you'd expect).

Lefties spend less time queuing

Seriously. Imagine facing a line of 20 supermarket checkouts. Which one do you choose? Studies show that people tend to veer towards their dominant side: right-handers go right, left-handers go left. As a result, the queues on the left are often shorter - which means lefties spend less time waiting in line.

Lefties are better at learning to drive (in the UK at least)

Left-handed drivers are ten per cent more likely to pass their driving test, according to the AA Driving School. A significant reason for this could be the use of the gear and clutch, which require precise motor skills. Both are positioned to the left of the driver.

Lefties are better at playing video games

Between men, nothing secures bragging rights more than sweet victory in the world of video games. And as it is, left-handers are yet again at an advantage, as research from the Australian National University, shows that they outperform right-handers in processing a large amount of information at a fast rate, making them more capable of coping with any flying bullets and rogue zombies.

Lefties make natural catwalk models

As the best models know, you have to be able to turn left as well as right to reach the top of your game. As a leftie, turning left comes as naturally to you as throwing a left hook in a fight. Not that you ever would, of course - even the most bitter rivals in the modelling world wouldn't dream of harming a colleague’s face...