Why You Are Left-Handed

alicegrace/Unsplash

Lefties have been given a hard time for a long time. Many were forced (and still are, in some places) to become right-handed, and the struggle for lefties to function in a mainly right-handed world is real.

Educator Daniel M. Abrams explains in a TedEd video that about 10 percent of the population is left-handed, and it’s been that way for, oh, 500,000 years.

Another fun fact about handedness is that you can tell before a child is born which hand will be their dominant hand based on their position in the womb. Whether you’ll have a left-handed child or not depends on you and your partner’s dominant hands. It’s all just about statistics from there. A couple that uses their right hands have a 10 percent chance of having a left-handed child, and the likelihood goes up slightly if one or both of the parents use their left hands.

photo-1439920120577-eb3a83c16dd7
liane/Unsplash

There are some benefits to being left-handed. Abrams explains that lefties have an advantage when it comes to sports. He notes the competitive fighting world, especially. In fact, Abrams explains that natural selection promotes what is dominant, so if all humans did was fight, more lefties would dominate and exist, making it not so rare anymore.

Check out the video to learn more:

[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/TGLYcYCm2FM”]

Funny how stuff like that works, huh? Maybe those lefties aren’t so out of left field, after all.

[h/t: Huffington Post]

Curiosity
,

Related posts

woman with blue eyes sits at kitchen counter smiling
All people with blue eyes share a common ancestor
Pens designed specifically for left-handed people make life so much easier
A rare zebra with spots instead of stripes was born in Kenya
The DNA diet: How knowing your genes can help you be healthier

About the Author
Augusta Statz
I have a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. I feel the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what I spend most of my time writing about.

From our partners