Left-Handedness
Left-handedness is not a typical topic to come up in a conversation, but what if it did? What would be said? Where would the conversation lead? Left-handedness is a well researched topic among scientists. Many misconceptions about lefties have been made, but being left-handed definitely has its advantages. In the old days, if someone was left-handed, it was considered a bad thing and they would become an outcast; yet nowadays lefties are not considered to be any different from anyone else in the world. So, why are there still myths, misconceptions, and discriminations against them?
It was recently believed that left-handed people were more creative than right-handed people, but that is a myth. In the article, “What Makes …show more content…
Many things that have been invented favor the right hand over the left. For example, author Corey Binns, of “What Makes A Lefty: Myths and Mysteries Persist,” states how can-openers, scissors, and even spiral-bound notebooks are right-hand favored. Binns also says that in some countries it can be considered impolite to eat with the left hand, and how Chinese characters are quite difficult to write using the left hand. Furthermore, Binns stated that teachers slapped the wrists of left-handed American elementary students not even a decade ago. There have been steps to stop this discrimination. One of these steps is the fact that people have been working to reinvent some of society's everyday tools to accommodate the left-handed population. For example, companies have started to create left-handed products such as spiral-bound notebooks, pens, and …show more content…
Maria Konnikova explained that left-handed people showed an ability to create new ideas from one principle quickly and effectively in her article “Sinister Minds: Are Left-Handed People Smarter?” She also showed how lefties were better at putting common objects together to create a third form. Also, lefties were better at grouping words into as many categories as possible. Konnikova wrote about a study that was conducted in 2013. The study was done by a group of psychiatrists from the University of Athens testing the cognitive ability in both left and right-handed people. One of the two tests conducted is called the Trail Making Test. This test had the participants draw a path through a patch of circles as quickly as possible. On the next test, the participants heard a group of numbers and letters and then repeated the whole group, but with numbers in ascending order and letters organized alphabetically, otherwise known as the Letter-Number Sequencing Test. Left-handed people performed better on both tests. On the Trail Making Test, lefties demonstrated faster, more accurate spatial skills. Also, lefties showed strong executive control and mental flexibility. On the Letter-Number Sequencing Test, left-handed people showed enhanced working memory. The group of psychiatrists found that the more participants preferred their left hand, the stronger the
Left-handedness is not a typical topic to come up in a conversation, but what if it did? What would be said? Where would the conversation lead? Left-handedness is a well researched topic among scientists. Many misconceptions about lefties have been made, but being left-handed definitely has its advantages. In the old days, if someone was left-handed, it was considered a bad thing and they would become an outcast; yet nowadays lefties are not considered to be any different from anyone else in the world. So, why are there still myths, misconceptions, and discriminations against them?
It was recently believed that left-handed people were more creative than right-handed people, but that is a myth. In the article, “What Makes …show more content…
Many things that have been invented favor the right hand over the left. For example, author Corey Binns, of “What Makes A Lefty: Myths and Mysteries Persist,” states how can-openers, scissors, and even spiral-bound notebooks are right-hand favored. Binns also says that in some countries it can be considered impolite to eat with the left hand, and how Chinese characters are quite difficult to write using the left hand. Furthermore, Binns stated that teachers slapped the wrists of left-handed American elementary students not even a decade ago. There have been steps to stop this discrimination. One of these steps is the fact that people have been working to reinvent some of society's everyday tools to accommodate the left-handed population. For example, companies have started to create left-handed products such as spiral-bound notebooks, pens, and …show more content…
Maria Konnikova explained that left-handed people showed an ability to create new ideas from one principle quickly and effectively in her article “Sinister Minds: Are Left-Handed People Smarter?” She also showed how lefties were better at putting common objects together to create a third form. Also, lefties were better at grouping words into as many categories as possible. Konnikova wrote about a study that was conducted in 2013. The study was done by a group of psychiatrists from the University of Athens testing the cognitive ability in both left and right-handed people. One of the two tests conducted is called the Trail Making Test. This test had the participants draw a path through a patch of circles as quickly as possible. On the next test, the participants heard a group of numbers and letters and then repeated the whole group, but with numbers in ascending order and letters organized alphabetically, otherwise known as the Letter-Number Sequencing Test. Left-handed people performed better on both tests. On the Trail Making Test, lefties demonstrated faster, more accurate spatial skills. Also, lefties showed strong executive control and mental flexibility. On the Letter-Number Sequencing Test, left-handed people showed enhanced working memory. The group of psychiatrists found that the more participants preferred their left hand, the stronger the