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- There are approximately 708 million left-handers in the world. In a recent statistical integration of 200 studies on left-handedness with an overall sample size of more than 2.3 million individuals, we found that the percentage of left-handedness is about 9.2 percent (Papadatou-Pastou et al., 2019).
- Men are more likely to be left-handers than women. An analysis of 144 studies on left-handedness (total sample size: 1,787,629 individual participants) showed a 2 percent increase of left-handedness in men compared to women (Papadatou-Pastou et al., 2008).
- Cats and dogs can be left-handers, too. Did you know that humans are not the only species that shows left-handedness? In a recent meta-analysis (a statistical integration of many different scientific studies) of paw preferences in cats and dogs, we could show that about 36 percent to 46 percent of cats were left-pawed (Ocklenburg et al., 2019).
- Left-handers often win at sports, since their actions are more surprising to their opponents. Did you know that left-handers are often more successful at sports than right-handers?
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Nov 3, 2015 · With just 10% of the population being left-handed, it can be easy for everyone else to forget we’re living in a right-handed world. But aside from making it tough to cut a straight line with a...
- How Rare Are Lefties? Right-handed people dominate the world, and it’s been that way since the Stone Age. How do we know? Researchers figured it out by measuring the arm bones in ancient skeletons and by examining wear patterns in prehistoric tools.
- Genetic Roots. Scientists have long known that handedness is partly shaped by genes. But it wasn’t until 2019 that they identified differences in parts of the DNA of left- and right-handers.
- Handedness in the Womb. Fetuses start to move their arms around 9-10 weeks. By early in the second trimester, the babies show a clear preference for sucking one thumb over the other.
- Mixed Dominant Hands. Studies show that non-right-handed students are much more likely to struggle in school and have ADHD symptoms. That may be particularly true for those who are mixed-handed or ambidextrous.
In many countries, left-handed people are or were required to write with their right hands. However, left-handed people have an advantage in sports that involves aiming at a target in an area of an opponent's control, as their opponents are more accustomed to the right-handed majority.
Jun 21, 2004 · Researchers who study human hand preference agree that the side of the preferred hand (right versus left) is produced by biological and, most likely, genetic causes.
May 22, 2024 · They found that across studies, the prevalence of left-handedness lies between 9.3% and 18.1%, with the best overall estimate being 10.6%. So given these new results, how many people in the...
Sep 12, 2013 · What makes humanity’s bias against lefties all the more unfair is that left-handed people are born that way. In fact, scientists have speculated for years that a single gene could control a...
