When I was at school my mother found an article in the newspaper about lefthanders and other problems that can be associated with it. For ages I believed all the stuff that was written in that article. But researching left handedness I managed to wheedle out the myths from the facts.

One of the main myths concerning left handed people is that they die young. In a study done in 1992, a survey of more than a million people between the ages of 10 and 86 was taken to determine the proportion of left handers in certain age groups. The survey found that left handedness was significantly lower in the elderly than in younger age groups. Less than 1 percent of all 80-year-olds are 'southpaws', whereas they comprise nearly 13 percent of all people aged 20.

The researchers concluded that left handed people die on average 10 years younger than right handed people. This conclusion did not paint a very happy future for me.

But the researchers failed to take certain considerations into account. The fact that so few lefthanders are in the older demographic could be for a number of reasons; one of the main ones being that children used to be forced to use their right hand.

Left handed children were seen as being wrong both biblically and practically. As most languages are written from left to right being left handed means you have to write in the wrong direction, usually smudging the words (and bumping elbows with the right hander sitting next to you.) Even out side of school left handed was weaned out. Most machinery and tools were right handed, most still are, therefore to adapt to a right handed world people had to adapt and even change their hand dominance permanently. This can be a reason why there are less elderly left hander than in younger groups. The only way to tell is performing another survey when our generation has grown up.

But being a lefty does mean you are more accident prone, but you’ll be glad to know it’s not your fault, it’s the worlds’!

Left handed people are almost twice more likely to suffer a serious accident than right handed people! A study done with 1896 students over 4 years, it was found that the probability that a left handed student had a car accident was 85 percent higher than that of a right hander. Also the probability of a left hander being hurt using tools was 54 percent higher and 49 percent more likely to have an accident at home and 20 percent more likely to have an accident at work or during sport. Most of these accidents are due to the fact that lefties have to cope with a right handed world.

Another myth is that left-handers are more likely to develop neurological disorders like schizophrenia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and other emotional problems.

I’m afraid this myth is actually true. As I wrote in my other left handed post, the LRRTM1 gene and increased testosterone levels on the developing brain can both cause an unbalancing of brain functioning, increasing the neural activity centres in the right brain hemisphere. This unbalance has been linked to disorders such as schizophrenia.

I am a left hander, and right hemisphere dominant, and I also am dyslexic and dyspraxic, so I believe that this is most probably true. It is because of all of the cramming on one side of the brain.

But being a lefty isn’t all bad. We are more likely to be creative and artistic. We also have a greater ability to multitask. In a study done recently they found that left-handers are generally faster at computing information, faster reaction times, better at computer games and spatial tasks. We also have generally higher IQ scores. So horary for left-handers!

Being Left handed also has its advantages in other areas. Being a ‘Southpaw’ is a left-handed boxer; this term is now used generally for left-handers. In sports such as boxing, fencing and baseball being a left-hander is advantageous due to the fact that the athlete is then opposite to most other competitors making it more difficult for right-handers to react to their moves. Being a fencer myself, right handed people think that it is unfair because the way I hold the sword I shield my body from their attacks at the same time as striking at them.

There are many famous left-handers, but I always find that topic a bit redundant because there are also lots of famous right-handers.

One fact I did stumble upon that I found that was very interesting was the percentage of American presidents that are or have been left handed (or ambidextrous). Since 1929; 7 of the 14 American presidents have been left handed; that’s 50 percent and considering that only 10 percent of population is left handed that is a very high percentage.

Does that mean left-handers are better?

And don't forget it is Left Handers' day on the 13th of August 2009!

(Yeah! We get our own day!)