International Left-Handers Day is observed on Aug.13 every year to celebrate sinistrality and bring awareness about the struggles of lefties.

One of the best ways to mark the occasion is by reading about the perks of being left-handed. You can also try to understand some of the frustrations and difficulties they come across as they continue to live in a world where many things are designed for right-handed people.

You can think of ways to make the world a better place for left-handed people as well, like coming up with ideas that can help transform workplaces into more lefty-friendly spaces and posting about them on social media.

To inspire you, the following are some interesting facts about left-handedness. (Courtesy: FirstCry Parenting)

  1. There are more left-handed men than women. The number of lefty men is actually 23% higher than that of women who are southpaws, according to a study conducted in 2008.
  2. Left-handed people have a greater chance of recovering from a stroke. Language skills are usually affected when a stroke occurs on the left side of the brain. Since only 70% of lefties have their language skills controlled by the left side of their brains, which is lower compared to the 95% rate among right-handed people, the probability of them recovering is higher.
  3. Lefties have certain advantages in sports. Left-handed players have an edge in some events, like fencing, boxing, tennis, baseball and swimming since their right-handed opponents are usually trained to compete only against righties.
  4. Left-handers are better at writing with their non-dominant hands. Researchers from Australia found that left-handed people can use their right hands better than right-handed people can with their left hands.
left handed
left handed pixabay

Now here are some quotes about left-handed people. (Courtesy: Overall Motivation)

  1. "Life without left-handed people wouldn't be right." – C.R. Manske
  2. "If the left half of the brain controls the right half of the body then only left-handed people are in the right mind." – W.C. Fields
  3. "God made everyone right-handed, only the truly gifted overcome it." – Anonymous
  4. "The left-handed are precious; they take places which are inconvenient for the rest." – Victor Hugo
  5. "Left-handers are not different because they are unique; they are unique because they are different." – Peter-Cole C. Onele
  6. "Left-handers don't just write differently, we also think differently." – Anonymous
  7. "I'm left-handed: I can think and feel at the same time. My feminine side is very highly developed." – Laurence Fishburne
  8. "Being left-handed has its advantages in volleyball. Few people know enough about your spike and serve to give you advice." – John Kessel
  9. "Left-handed people have a greater chance of being geniuses than right-handed people." – Anonymous