Every August 13th is celebrated the International Left-Handers Day , an international day promoted by Dean R. Campbell, founder of Lefthanders International.
For almost half a century, this day has tried to make society aware of the obstacles and problems that left-handed people face every day , since everything from digital emojis to tools, writing utensils and furniture are designed for right-handed people.
The end of this day is, therefore, to raise awareness and celebrate the existence of left-handed people , allowing them to share their experiences and demand social and structural improvements.
7 curiosities about left-handed people that you probably didn't know
- At least one in 10 people is left-handed : The prevalence of left-handedness worldwide is 10.6%, although the figure varies between 9.3% and 18.1%, depending on how handedness is measured, according to data from the Human Handedness meta-analysis. In addition, Left-handedness is more common in men than in women.
- The world's first left-handed shop opened in London in 1968 under the name Anything Left-Handed. The store sells everything from golf clubs to watches and pencils designed specifically for left-handed people.
- There are many famous left-handers , from historical figures such as Ramses II, Marie Curie, Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great to actors such as Jim Carrey, Charles Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Judy Garland, Whoopi Goldberg or Nicole Kidman. Also athletes such as Maradona, Valentino Rossi, Lionel Messi, Rafa Nadal or Carolina Marín, geniuses such as Picasso and Da Vinci, singers such as Lady Gaga or presenters such as Oprah Winfrey.
- Left-handedness has a great stigma attached to it : in ancient times it was thought that left-handed people were followers of the Devil, and left-handedness has historically been linked to witchcraft or has been considered a sign of bad luck. Until not so many years ago, during the Franco era, children were tied by their left hand so that they were forced to write with their right.
- A different brain : A study by Oxford University indicates that the brains of left-handed people function differently from those of right-handed people. In left-handed people, the cerebral hemispheres are better connected and more coordinated, especially in the areas that affect the use of language. They also process several stimuli better at once.
- For science, the reason why a person is left-handed remains a mystery : Left-handed people have the right hemisphere of the brain as dominant, while in right-handed people the left hemisphere dominates. Genetics is believed to be one of the factors involved, with genes involved such as LRRTM1, responsible for encoding the development of asymmetry in the brain, or PCSK6, which plays a role in the early establishment of the embryo's laterality.
- The degree of left-handedness can be measured with a test : an accepted, easy scale that is still accepted today is the test developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in 1971 and which you can complete yourself, as the website is free to access. The results classify a person as left-handed when their score is less than -40, as right-handed when it is greater than 40 and ambidextrous when they are on the spectrum between the two.
A great story about left-handed children
There are stories to raise awareness about the reality of left-handed children and celebrate their freedom in the classroom. One of the most recommended is All bears are left-handed (Ignacio Padilla).
Recommended for children between the ages of 7 and 9, the film stars Rulo, a boy who discovers Ley del Chipote and Rulo's Law of the Breaking of Things. He knows that left-handed people cannot use their right hand well and that most of his friends shoot better with their right. Everything will change with the arrival of Victoria Camargo, an apparent impostor who will go from being his arch-enemy to his only ally, in the kingdom of left-handed people. Together they will conclude that being left-handed is neither a privilege nor a defect.
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